5 Things to Know About the NH State Budget Lawmakers Will Vote on This Week
On Thursday June 24 both branches of the New Hampshire state legislature (or “general court” as we like to call it in our state) will get together (separately) to vote on a state budget for the 2022-2023 biennium. Barring a potential rebellion by some of the more extreme members of the GOP, it will likely pass both chambers and head to Gov. Sununu for signature.
But should the budget process derail, it wouldn’t be the first time. You may recall that in 2017, the last time the GOP held the governor’s office and majorities in both the House and Senate, the process imploded in the House when moderate and conservative GOP factions couldn’t agree on a final budget, forcing the Senate to go it alone.
Here are five things you should know about the state’s $13.5 billion 2022-2023 budget.
Bipartisanship was not a factor. In this budget cycle, all of the meaningful negotiations took place between Republicans. Rather than try to win Democratic votes, House GOP leaders instead sought to hold their slim majority by appeasing an extreme wing of their own party. As a result, a series of ultra-conservative policies favored by the House “Freedom Caucus”, including abortion bans and restrictions on how schools and businesses can discuss racism, are now part of the state budget. This is possible because in addition to allocations for specific budget line items, the state budget can also include policy directives. If you’re wondering what things like abortion bans and gag orders for teachers have to do with the state budget, you’re not alone. But the process allows lawmakers to mirror the language of a divisive policy bill, such as HB 544 (which restricts discussions of racism), and insert it into the budget. By doing this, the legislature puts the governor into a position of either accepting the change or having to veto the entire budget. That’s because New Hampshire governors have no power to veto individual line items. They can threaten to veto the entire budget and work behind the scenes to demand the legislature make changes (which Gov. Sununu did in April when he objected to a change that would have curtailed his emergency powers ) or they can sign the entire budget into law and try to distance themselves from the parts of it that resemble flaming garbage in a dumpster fire.
Priorities like public education and property tax relief take a big step backwards. Last term, when Democrats held majorities in the House and Senate, public education and property tax relief were prioritized. As a result, $178 million was returned to New Hampshire cities and towns. Republicans have chosen a different approach, slashing education funding by $90 million and cutting taxes for big business for the fourth time in six years—this time by $100 million. Also part of the budget is what has been labeled as the most expansive school voucher program in the country. The program subtracts money that would normally go to cities and towns in state public education adequacy aid to pay up to $5,000 per student in private and religious school tuition, or for home schooling or alternative education programs. While uncertainty over how many parents will take advantage of “freedom vouchers” muddies the fiscal picture along with the impact of federal COVID relief at both the state and federal levels, it’s highly likely that property taxes will increase as a result.
Some things that are genuinely bad for New Hampshire survived the budget process. They include:
Restrictions on how the history and ongoing systemic presence of racism, sexism, and ableism in our institutions can be taught and discussed in public schools and other public entities.
A ban on late-term abortions—even in cases of rape, incest, or where the health of the mother is endangered. It would also criminalize the participation of medical professionals in late-term abortions and would require ANY woman seeking to get an abortion to first obtain an ultrasound, which can cost as much as $1,500.
Expensive and time-consuming new audit requirements for health care providers that also offer abortion services to prove they are in no way co-mingling state funds to support abortion services.
The phasing out of the Interest & Dividends tax over a two-year period, eliminating an important revenue source, further enriching the wealthy, and transferring even more of the state’s future tax burden to property tax payers.
A school voucher program that diverts money raised for public schools to private and religious schools at a time when the state is being sued for inadequately funding public education by districts from across the state.
Creating a new cabinet-level Department of Energy without benefit of a single public hearing.
Creating what amounts to a fake family and medical paid leave program. Unlike proposals that would have included all workers that were vetoed by Gov. Sununu in 2018, 2019, and 2020, this approach would be “voluntary”. In other words, “if you want it, you pay for it”. While this is great news for those wealthy enough to have anything left over after health care premiums, child care, and retirement contributions have been deducted their paychecks, it’s terrible news for working people forced to choose between a paycheck and taking time off to handle a family emergency or medical crisis.
4. Some positive things made it through too.
On the plus side, annual revenue sharing linked to the Rooms & Meals Tax has been restored, but at a lower 30 percent level than the 40 percent level it was at when the GOP eliminated it in a cost-cutting move in 2010. In the last session, Democrats passed a budget that restored $40 million in revenue sharing to cities and towns over two years. The new budget establishes a dedicated fund that will provide municipalities 30 percent of the rooms and meals tax returns or about $31 million for each of the next two years.
The new budget includes $50 million in state aid grants for clean water, $100 million to address substance abuse, $8 million for community mental health programs, $30 million for a new, 24-bed secure psychiatric hospital on New Hampshire Hospital grounds, $50 million to stabilize the state’s tapped-out Highway Fund, $25 million for the Affordable Housing Fund, and state employees whose positions survive will receive a 1.6% pay raise.
After tossing out several more extreme proposals restricting the emergency powers of future governors, House and Senate negotiators (Republicans negotiating with other Republicans) agreed on a modification to state law. In any future state of emergency, the governor would have to come before a joint session of the legislature with 90 days and address both chambers. Majority votes in both chambers would be required to terminate the state of emergency.
The Sununu Youth Center, now under criminal investigation for years of sexual and physical abuse, will finally be closed.
5. If Sununu signs it, he owns it. After blustering in April about not signing the budget over proposed changes to his emergency powers, those concerns were apparently allayed by changes agreed to last week. But when it comes to things that are important to others that don’t affect him personally—like the ability of a woman who has been raped to get a late-term abortion or the very real need of students and teachers to have discussions about the roles that racism, sexism, and ableism have played in our history and now play in our institutions—none apparently rises to the level of being worthy enough to get in the way of signing the budget. This is ironic given the fact that in 2019, Sununu vetoed a budget passed by the House and Senate because it made a minor reduction to a proposed business tax cut.
Bottom line: What is important isn’t what Gov. Sununu says about the budget. It’s what he does about the budget. It is often said that a budget represents a “statement of values” and is much more than just a list of proposed expenditures. If this is true, it couldn’t be any more clear what this governor values—and what he doesn’t. The governor can call himself a spotted purple duck-billed platypus if he wants to. But if he signs the budget as it now stands, he should never again be able to call himself “pro-choice” or position himself as an opponent of racism, sexism, or ableism without a chorus of voices reminding him of his actions.
If you would like to be part of the chorus of voices urging him to veto the worst budget in New Hampshire history, I urge you to call Gov. Sununu at (603) 271-2121.
Quoted
“The most concerning part of this budget is the unprecedented hijacking of the process to force right-wing ideology on the people of New Hampshire.” Rep. Mary Jane Wallner
“Don’t be fooled. It’s an assault on women with no exception for rape or incest. That is a direct assault on women. There is no way to spin that other than to say we are stepping backwards on sexual assault and stepping backwards on the rights of women to determine their own healthcare outcomes.” Sen. Tom Sherman.
“It is not my bill. It is the Legislature's proposal. And 43 other states have similar clauses, including Massachusetts and New York, who have almost the exact same law. No one is screaming at them. Do you want me to scrap a $13 billion budget for this one item? I will not do that." Gov. Chris Sununu
“There’s a lot at stake. Fifteen thousand people are going to struggle to get access to birth control. Fifteen thousand people are going to struggle to get access to Pap smears and breast exams, and STD testing. It really worries me that some cancers are going to get missed, and that seems inhumane to me just to make a political point.” Sen. Cindy Rosenwald
“Either you support the rights of individuals to make choices about their own health care or you don’t. It’s that fundamental.” Sen. Donna Soucy