Senate budget writers reject 3 hot-button cuts in House budget
The House cuts had been made to Medicaid providers, services for people with developmental disabilities and for those suffering with a mental health crisis.
The moves seized on the top three issues senators had heard about during a marathon 10-hour public hearing on Tuesday, for which people packed Representatives Hall and nearly 300 had signed up to speak.
'I want the people of New Hampshire to know we have heard what you said, and you have identified what we need to address in this budget,' said Senate President Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, a first-time member of the Senate Finance Committee.
During an interview, Chairman James Gray, R-Rochester, likened the move to business author Stephen Covey's 'three big rocks' theory of management, which advises to take up and fulfill top priorities first to ensure that there is enough room and time to address them.
'We just moved three very big 'rocks' in this budget,' Gray said. 'We've got plenty of other work to do, but we felt it was important to send this important message at the outset.'
The $15.3 billion House budget had proposed cutting Medicaid provider rates by 3% across the board.
Health care advocacy groups loudly protested that move since the current budget provided for, in some cases, double-digit rate hikes for certain medical specialties.
Reversing that cut will cost $17.5 million in the next budget year and $35 million in the second.
The House cut $31 million over two years for services to people with developmental disabilities, which raised the prospect of the return of a waitlist of adults needing help.
'I was in the House in 2007 when we ended the DD (developentally disabled) waitlist and it was a joyous occasion,' recalled Senate Deputy Democratic Leader Cindy Rosenwald of Nashua. 'This was a long time coming from the closure of the Laconia State School.'
Rep. Jess Edwards, R-Auburn, said even with that cut, state law would allow Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Weaver to ask the Legislative Fiscal Committee for more money over the next two years to avoid a waitlist.
'This is a foundation of what we need to do as a state and I am very glad we have restored it,' said Senate Majority Leader Regina Birdsell, R-Hampstead, whose hometown hosts the new state-of-the-art treatment center for juvenile mental health on the grounds of the former Hampstead Hospital.
The restorations also marked a big victory for Gov. Kelly Ayotte.
Sen. David Watters, D-Dover, praised Carson, Gray and Ayotte for working with Senate Democrats to take the controversial cuts off the table.
'This is the hallmark of this committee that we listen to people, and we are ready to do what needs to be done,' Watters said.
Sen. Howard Pearl, R-Loudon, said the decisions were not difficult for this seven-member Finance Committee.
'There are many tough decisions to be made, but this is one of the easy ones,' Pearl said.
More possible changes
By reversing the cuts, the committee has earmarked 68% of the Senate's $221.8 million in higher revenue estimates than those used by the House.
Over the coming week or so, the Senate panel must decide what to do about these other significant programs:
• Office of the Child Advocate: The program, with 10 staff members, was eliminated.
• State Council for the Arts: Eliminated, which would make New Hampshire the only state without an arts agency.
• Group 2 Retirement Benefits: The House budget funded this $27.5 million item, a priority of Ayotte's that would boost the future pensions of several thousand first responders who had them cut due to a retirement reform law in 2011. Gray said Friday if his committee can't find the money he may lump the item in with the Youth Development Center victims fund as an IOU of sorts to be provided when future dollars are available.
• University System of New Hampshire: The House would cut state aid by $50 million over two years, the deepest cut in 15 years.
• Community colleges: The House endorsed a flat budget, about $4 million less than what Ayotte requested.
• Liquor enforcement: The House eliminates the State Liquor Commission's quasi-police force that investigates and enforces alcohol and tobacco laws.
• State Council on Aging: Abolished in House budget.
• Renewable Energy Fund: Ayotte and the House call for sweeping the $10 million balance for these grants to local projects into the state treasury to balance the budget.
• Local aid: The House budget capped payouts from the 8.5% Meals and Rooms Tax, which will deny cities and towns $11 million more than they would receive based on expected revenues.
• Corrections: The agency would lose 150 positions including nearly 100 layoffs, none to come from the prison guard workforce. The commissioner said the cut would worsen morale, make the prisons unsafe and leave the state vulnerable to multiple lawsuits.
• Alcohol Fund: The House suspends a law that 5% of liquor profits go to support treatment programs; $10 million per year would come from Opioid Abatement Trust Fund coming from settlements with major drug companies.
• Housing Appeals Board, Human Rights Commission, and Board of Land and Tax Appeals: All eliminated by the House, to be replaced by two additional superior court judges to handle their cases.
• Court budget: Administrators say the House's 8% cut would mean closing two circuit courts, suspending jury trials for two months each year and eliminating more than 100 positions.
Speakers at Tuesday's hearing also took issue with House moves to raise dozens of fees by more than $90 million a year including the first across-the-board hike in motor vehicle fees in more than 15 years to raise $45 million annually.
.
What's Next: Senate budget writers meet Tuesday and continue work on as many as 100 proposed amendments to the spending plan.
Prospects: Friday's action indicates the Finance Committee should complete its recommended budget on time late this month. The Senate has until June 5 to pass its budget.
klandrigan@unionleader.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Republicans look to make a U-turn on federal commitment to electric vehicles for the Postal Service
WASHINGTON (AP) — A year after being lauded for its plan to replace thousands of aging, gas-powered mail trucks with a mostly electric fleet, the U.S. Postal Service is facing congressional attempts to strip billions in federal EV funding. In June, the Senate parliamentarian blocked a Republican proposal in a major tax-and-spending bill to sell off the agency's new electric vehicles and infrastructure and revoke remaining federal money. But efforts to halt the fleet's shift to clean energy continue in the name of cost savings. Donald Maston, president of the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association, said canceling the program now would have the opposite effect, squandering millions of dollars. 'I think it would be shortsighted for Congress to now suddenly decide they're going to try to go backwards and take the money away for the EVs or stop that process because that's just going to be a bunch of money on infrastructure that's been wasted," he said. Beyond that, many in the scientific community fear the government could pass on an opportunity to reduce carbon emissions that contribute to global warming when urgent action is needed. Electrified vehicles reduce emissions A 2022 University of Michigan study found the new electric postal vehicles could cut total greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20 million tons over the predicted, cumulative 20-year lifetime of the trucks. That's a fraction of the more than 6,000 million metric tons emitted annually in the United States, said professor Gregory A. Keoleian, co-director of the university's Center for Sustainable Systems. But he said the push toward electric vehicles is critical and needs to accelerate, given the intensifying impacts of climate change. 'We're already falling short of goals for reducing emissions,' Keoleian said. 'We've been making progress, but the actions being taken or proposed will really reverse decarbonization progress that has been made to date.' Many GOP lawmakers share President Donald Trump's criticism of the Biden-era green energy push and say the Postal Service should stick to delivering mail. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said 'it didn't make sense for the Postal Service to invest so heavily in an all-electric force." She said she will pursue legislation to rescind what is left of the $3 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act allocated to help cover the $10 billion cost of new postal vehicles. Ernst has called the EV initiative a 'boondoggle' and "a textbook example of waste,' citing delays, high costs and concerns over cold-weather performance. 'You always evaluate the programs, see if they are working. But the rate at which the company that's providing those vehicles is able to produce them, they are so far behind schedule, they will never be able to fulfill that contract," Ernst said during a recent appearance at the Iowa State Fair, referring to Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense. 'For now,' she added, "gas-powered vehicles — use some ethanol in them — I think is wonderful.' Corn-based ethanol is a boon to Iowa's farmers, but the effort to reverse course has other Republican support. Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, a co-sponsor of the rollback effort, has said the EV order should be canceled because the project "has delivered nothing but delays, defective trucks, and skyrocketing costs.' The Postal Service maintains that the production delay of the Next Generation Delivery Vehicles, or NGDVs, was 'very modest" and not unexpected. 'The production quantity ramp-up was planned for and intended to be very gradual in the early months to allow time for potential modest production or supplier issues to be successfully resolved,' spokesperson Kim Frum said. EVs help in modernization effort The independent, self-funded federal agency, which is paid for mostly by postage and product sales, is in the middle of a $40 billion, 10-year modernization and financial stabilization plan. The EV effort had the full backing of Democratic President Joe Biden, who pledged to move toward an all-electric federal fleet of car and trucks. The 'Deliver for America' plan calls for modernizing the ground fleet, notably the Grumman Long Life Vehicle, which dates back to 1987 and is fuel-inefficient at 9 mpg. The vehicles are well past their projected 24-year lifespan and are prone to breakdowns and even fires. 'Our mechanics are miracle workers,' said Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union. 'The parts are not available. They fabricate them. They do the best they can.' The Postal Service announced in 2022 it would deploy at least 66,000 electric vehicles by 2028, including commercial off-the-shelf models, after years of deliberation and criticism it was moving too slowly to reduce emissions. By 2024, the agency was awarded a Presidential Sustainability Award for its efforts to electrify the largest fleet in the federal government. Building new postal trucks In 2021, Oshkosh Defense was awarded a contract for up to 165,000 battery electric and internal combustion engine Next Generation vehicles over 10 years. The first of the odd-looking trucks, with hoods resembling a duck's bill, began service in Georgia last year. Designed for greater package capacity, the trucks are equipped with airbags, blind-spot monitoring, collision sensors, 360-degree cameras and antilock brakes. There's also a new creature comfort: air conditioning. Douglas Lape, special assistant to the president of the National Association of Letter Carriers and a former carrier, is among numerous postal employees who have had a say in the new design. He marvels at how Oshkosh designed and built a new vehicle, transforming an old North Carolina warehouse into a factory along the way. 'I was in that building when it was nothing but shelving,' he said. 'And now, being a completely functioning plant where everything is built in-house — they press the bodies in there, they do all of the assembly — it's really amazing in my opinion.' Where things stand now The agency has so far ordered 51,500 NGDVs, including 35,000 battery-powered vehicles. To date, it has received 300 battery vehicles and 1,000 gas-powered ones. Former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in 2022 the agency expected to purchase chiefly zero-emissions delivery vehicles by 2026. It still needs some internal combustion engine vehicles that travel longer distances. Frum, the Postal Service spokesperson, said the planned NGDV purchases were "carefully considered from a business perspective' and are being deployed to routes and facilities where they will save money. The agency has also received more than 8,200 of 9,250 Ford E-Transit electric vehicles it has ordered, she said. Ernst said it's fine for the Postal Service to use EVs already purchased. 'But you know what? We need to be smart about the way we are providing services through the federal government,' she said. 'And that was not a smart move.' Maxwell Woody, lead author of the University of Michigan study, made the opposite case. Postal vehicles, he said, have low average speeds and a high number of stops and starts that enable regenerative braking. Routes average under 30 miles and are known in advance, making planning easier. 'It's the perfect application for an electric vehicle," he said, 'and it's a particularly inefficient application for an internal combustion engine vehicle.' ____ Associated Press writer Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report. Susan Haigh, The Associated Press Effettua l'accesso per consultare il tuo portafoglio
CBS News
5 minutes ago
- CBS News
Texas redistricting battle to start new phase with Democrats expected return to Capitol
For the second week, Republicans and Democrats have continued their showdown over new congressional maps in Texas, which will result in five new GOP-majority districts at the expense of Democrats. But the fight is about to enter a new phase on Monday, Aug. 18. Democrats who broke quorum and left Texas, killed the first special session, and didn't show up for the start of the second special session — many believe they will Monday. Speaker Dustin Burrows said House members must be at the Capitol at noon. Friday, Aug. 15, Burrows ended the first special session after the House once again fell short of a quorum, which requires 100 lawmakers to be present. The Senate ended its first special session, too, and then Governor Greg Abbott called for the start of the second special session, with the same agenda, to start a couple of hours later Friday, at noon. Democrats said they wanted to kill the first special session, which allowed them time to go to other states, such as California, where Governor Gavin Newsom said if Texas approves its new maps, California will do the same to neutralize any GOP gains. "We can't stand back and watch this democracy disappear district by district all across the country," Newsom said. "We are not bystanders in this world. We can shape the future." The difference there is that voters in California will have to approve it, something that won't happen in Texas. During an unrelated news conference on Friday, Aug. 15, CBS News Texas's Jack Fink asked Gov. Abbott about Newsom's plan. In an exclusive interview, Abbott spoke about his ongoing lawsuit to remove House Democratic Caucus Chairman Gene Wu from office and whether Republicans will try to increase the number of new GOP majority congressional seats to not just five, but as many as eight or more. Abbott said, " They are [Democrats] are required by the Texas Constitution to actually show up and cast votes on bills. That's what the Constitution requires. That's why I'm seeking to remove Gene Wu, because he's not fulfilling his constitutional duty." As for adding more seats, Abbott said, " In reference to the lawsuit, Wu shared his thoughts concerning Abbott and when Democrats will return. For the past couple of weeks, House Republicans have expressed frustration about Democrats breaking quorum. Representative Shelley Luther of Grayson County about the end of the first special session and what she wants to happen next with redistricting. For now, Republicans have proposed adding the same five GOP majority districts in Congress as they have before. Abbott has not added redistricting for State House seats, and he was asked about it. "Every strategy is at play... if we need to," said Abbott. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, of Dallas, said she's considering running in a different Congressional district in North Texas than the one she represents now. In North Texas now, there are three Democrats who serve in Congress, but under the new maps, there will only be two districts. That's because District 32, now represented by Democrat Julie Johnson, will become a Republican majority district and extend to East Texas. District 33, now represented by Democrat Marc Veasey, of Fort Worth, includes both Tarrant and Dallas Counties, but under the new maps, will only be in Dallas County. Crockett said she's considering running in the newly drawn 33rd Congressional District, because her home will be in that district, instead of the 30th District she represents now. Last week, Congressman Veasey and Congresswoman Johnson both said they are focused on the fight against the new maps first, and will then consider their options for re-election. A new poll shows mixed results about how Texans feel about the newly proposed Congressional maps. Regarding the five new GOP majority Congressional seats, the Emerson College poll of 1,000 registered voters in Texas found 36% support the new maps, while 38% oppose them, and 26% are unsure. But when asked if Republicans in Texas are entitled to five more seats, something President Trump said, 40% of those surveyed said they agreed, 38% disagreed, and 22% were neutral. Burrows signed civil arrest warrants against the Democrats who broke quorum. The new poll showed 41% agreed they should be arrested, 37% disagreed, and 22% were neutral. And in the bitter Republican primary for the Texas Senate race, the poll found 30% support for incumbent Senator John Cornyn, with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton one point behind at 29%. Five percent said they want someone else, and 37% are undecided. Previous polls have shown Paxton leading Cornyn.
Associated Press
5 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Republicans look to make a U-turn on federal commitment to electric vehicles for the Postal Service
WASHINGTON (AP) — A year after being lauded for its plan to replace thousands of aging, gas-powered mail trucks with a mostly electric fleet, the U.S. Postal Service is facing congressional attempts to strip billions in federal EV funding. In June, the Senate parliamentarian blocked a Republican proposal in a major tax-and-spending bill to sell off the agency's new electric vehicles and infrastructure and revoke remaining federal money. But efforts to halt the fleet's shift to clean energy continue in the name of cost savings. Donald Maston, president of the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association, said canceling the program now would have the opposite effect, squandering millions of dollars. 'I think it would be shortsighted for Congress to now suddenly decide they're going to try to go backwards and take the money away for the EVs or stop that process because that's just going to be a bunch of money on infrastructure that's been wasted,' he said. Beyond that, many in the scientific community fear the government could pass on an opportunity to reduce carbon emissions that contribute to global warming when urgent action is needed. Electrified vehicles reduce emissions A 2022 University of Michigan study found the new electric postal vehicles could cut total greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20 million tons over the predicted, cumulative 20-year lifetime of the trucks. That's a fraction of the more than 6,000 million metric tons emitted annually in the United States, said professor Gregory A. Keoleian, co-director of the university's Center for Sustainable Systems. But he said the push toward electric vehicles is critical and needs to accelerate, given the intensifying impacts of climate change. 'We're already falling short of goals for reducing emissions,' Keoleian said. 'We've been making progress, but the actions being taken or proposed will really reverse decarbonization progress that has been made to date.' Many GOP lawmakers share President Donald Trump's criticism of the Biden-era green energy push and say the Postal Service should stick to delivering mail. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said 'it didn't make sense for the Postal Service to invest so heavily in an all-electric force.' She said she will pursue legislation to rescind what is left of the $3 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act allocated to help cover the $10 billion cost of new postal vehicles. Ernst has called the EV initiative a 'boondoggle' and 'a textbook example of waste,' citing delays, high costs and concerns over cold-weather performance. 'You always evaluate the programs, see if they are working. But the rate at which the company that's providing those vehicles is able to produce them, they are so far behind schedule, they will never be able to fulfill that contract,' Ernst said during a recent appearance at the Iowa State Fair, referring to Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense. 'For now,' she added, 'gas-powered vehicles — use some ethanol in them — I think is wonderful.' Corn-based ethanol is a boon to Iowa's farmers, but the effort to reverse course has other Republican support. Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, a co-sponsor of the rollback effort, has said the EV order should be canceled because the project 'has delivered nothing but delays, defective trucks, and skyrocketing costs.' The Postal Service maintains that the production delay of the Next Generation Delivery Vehicles, or NGDVs, was 'very modest' and not unexpected. 'The production quantity ramp-up was planned for and intended to be very gradual in the early months to allow time for potential modest production or supplier issues to be successfully resolved,' spokesperson Kim Frum said. EVs help in modernization effort The independent, self-funded federal agency, which is paid for mostly by postage and product sales, is in the middle of a $40 billion, 10-year modernization and financial stabilization plan. The EV effort had the full backing of Democratic President Joe Biden, who pledged to move toward an all-electric federal fleet of car and trucks. The 'Deliver for America' plan calls for modernizing the ground fleet, notably the Grumman Long Life Vehicle, which dates back to 1987 and is fuel-inefficient at 9 mpg. The vehicles are well past their projected 24-year lifespan and are prone to breakdowns and even fires. 'Our mechanics are miracle workers,' said Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union. 'The parts are not available. They fabricate them. They do the best they can.' The Postal Service announced in 2022 it would deploy at least 66,000 electric vehicles by 2028, including commercial off-the-shelf models, after years of deliberation and criticism it was moving too slowly to reduce emissions. By 2024, the agency was awarded a Presidential Sustainability Award for its efforts to electrify the largest fleet in the federal government. Building new postal trucks In 2021, Oshkosh Defense was awarded a contract for up to 165,000 battery electric and internal combustion engine Next Generation vehicles over 10 years. The first of the odd-looking trucks, with hoods resembling a duck's bill, began service in Georgia last year. Designed for greater package capacity, the trucks are equipped with airbags, blind-spot monitoring, collision sensors, 360-degree cameras and antilock brakes. There's also a new creature comfort: air conditioning. Douglas Lape, special assistant to the president of the National Association of Letter Carriers and a former carrier, is among numerous postal employees who have had a say in the new design. He marvels at how Oshkosh designed and built a new vehicle, transforming an old North Carolina warehouse into a factory along the way. 'I was in that building when it was nothing but shelving,' he said. 'And now, being a completely functioning plant where everything is built in-house — they press the bodies in there, they do all of the assembly — it's really amazing in my opinion.' Where things stand now The agency has so far ordered 51,500 NGDVs, including 35,000 battery-powered vehicles. To date, it has received 300 battery vehicles and 1,000 gas-powered ones. Former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in 2022 the agency expected to purchase chiefly zero-emissions delivery vehicles by 2026. It still needs some internal combustion engine vehicles that travel longer distances. Frum, the Postal Service spokesperson, said the planned NGDV purchases were 'carefully considered from a business perspective' and are being deployed to routes and facilities where they will save money. The agency has also received more than 8,200 of 9,250 Ford E-Transit electric vehicles it has ordered, she said. Ernst said it's fine for the Postal Service to use EVs already purchased. 'But you know what? We need to be smart about the way we are providing services through the federal government,' she said. 'And that was not a smart move.' Maxwell Woody, lead author of the University of Michigan study, made the opposite case. Postal vehicles, he said, have low average speeds and a high number of stops and starts that enable regenerative braking. Routes average under 30 miles and are known in advance, making planning easier. 'It's the perfect application for an electric vehicle,' he said, 'and it's a particularly inefficient application for an internal combustion engine vehicle.' ____ Associated Press writer Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.
