Latest news with #R-Londonderry
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
House-Senate conference committee on budget formed
Legislative leaders have named the eight budget writers they want to resolve the seismic split between competing versions of a two-year spending plan that cleared each house of the New Hampshire Legislature. Senate President Sharon Carson and House Speaker Sherman Packard, both R-Londonderry, acted quickly in a sign that it could take some time for the two sides to find common ground. 'There are differences between the House and Senate-approved versions of the state budget. We look forward to working through them over the next two weeks and remain committed to delivering a balanced budget that protects New Hampshire taxpayers while serving all Granite Staters,' Packard and Carson said in a joint statement. As the first-named House member, Rep. Kenneth Weyler, R-Kingston, is likely to become chairman of the conference committee. Weyler chaired the House Finance Committee. The other four House members, who also serve on Weyler's committee, are Vice Chairman Dan McGuire, R-Kingston, House Deputy Majority Leader Joe Sweeney, R-Salem, Rep. Jose Cambrils, R-Loudon and Rep. Mary Jane Wallner, D-Concord and the ranking Democrat. Packard decided to name some alternates who had other experiences beyond writing the budget. The potential stand-ins are House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, R-Auburn, House Executive Departments and Administration Committee Vice Chairman Erica Layon, R-Derry, House Ways and Means Chairman John Janigian, R-Salem, Rep. Keith Erf, R-Weare, and Rep. Jess Edwards, R-Auburn. Erf and Edwards each co-chair subcommittees on the House Finance Committee. Carson names herself to commitee Carson chose to name herself as the first senator on the panel along with Senate Finance Chairman James Gray, R-Rochester, and Senate Deputy Democratic Leader Cindy Rosenwald of Nashua, the ranking Democratic Senate budget writer. The only Senate alternate is Majority Leader Regina Birdsell, R-Hampstead. Most House speakers don't get involved directly in state budget negotiations. It's not unusual for Senate presidents to get into the fray, however. Carson's predecessor, former Senate President Chuck Morse, took the gavel after serving as Senate finance chairman for many years. The House and Senate meet Thursday to complete the naming of all conference committees that will try and forge compromise on other bills. They have until June 19 to reach agreements and then the House and Senate have to vote on all of them by June 26. The $15.4 billion House-passed budget relied on conservative revenue estimates, which meant their budget writers had to make deep cuts in spending. The House plan would lay off 100 workers in the state prison system and do away with the Office of the Child Advocate, the state Division on the Arts, the Commission on Aging and the Housing Appeals Board. The Senate updated the predictions for revenue, which meant it could spend about $250 million more in state dollars than the House plan did. The Senate budget pared the layoffs down to about 25 in the Department of Corrections. It kept the child advocate office in the running while erasing four of nine jobs, revived support for the arts by proposing a new business tax credit for companies that donate to the program and restoring groups on aging and housing appeals, though with smaller budgets than the ones that Gov. Kelly Ayotte proposed last February. The Senate plan also increased by nearly $70 million the level of state aid to the University System of New Hampshire compared to the House budget. USNH would receive in the Senate proposal $85 million a year, about a 10% cut from its support in the current state budget that ends June 30. klandrigan@
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ayotte signs first bill to promote more housing
Feb. 27—A bill that could reduce upfront costs for housing developers by carving out the energy portion with special financing became the first one Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed into law Thursday. New Hampshire will join 36 other states that legally allow developers to deploy Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy and Resiliency agreements (C-PACER). "Housing is our most critical economic issue, and this legislation is another tool in our toolbox to help bring even more housing development to New Hampshire. I was glad to sign SB-4 to create a C-PACER program in our state," Ayotte said in a statement. "By making it easier for private sector partners to finance projects and removing the administrative burden on municipalities, we're taking an important step in the right direction to increase the supply of attainable housing for our growing workforce." State Sen. Dan Innis, R-Bradford, who is chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, was the lead sponsor of the bill (SB 4). "(C-PACER) is designed to help new housing projects by reducing the upfront costs through financing developments and freeing up capital for other projects," Innis said. Both House Speaker Sherman Packard and Senate President Sharon Carson, both R-Londonderry, joined in on celebrating the legislation becoming law. "This bill is not just about building housing, it's about strengthening our economy and providing long-term solutions that benefit all Granite Staters," Packard said. Eligible spending includes energy-efficient upgrades, building insulation, cost-effective renewable energy and water conservation measures, officials said. While housing is the primary focus, any commercial property can use C-PACER, including manufacturing plants, office buildings, retail buildings and multifamily housing projects. The legislation had universal bipartisan support. It cleared the state Senate, 24-0. The House passed it on a voice vote. Sen. Tara Reardon, D-Concord, a retired executive with the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, joined Innis in writing the bill. "Innovation and creativity in financing is crucial for housing development, particularly in a housing crisis," Reardon said. Starting Jan. 1, C-PACER will replace a law on energy efficiency and clean energy districts that state officials said proved to be unworkable. Energy spending becomes similar to a tax lien James Key-Wallace, executive director of the Business Finance Authority, said the existing law requires every participating town to write its own documents, run its own programs and do its own billing. Under the new reform, the BFA will serve as the central administrator to allow municipalities to take advantage of the voluntary option at no cost. Each city and town must decide to opt in to the program. The existing law required the provider to file a mortgage, Key-Wallace explained. Under thes plan, the financing for the energy part of the project is part of the developer's tax bill that is repaid over time. Currently, 22 states have active programs converting hundreds of millions a year in energy spending into capital investments to make projects more affordable, Key-Wallace said. Steve Duprey, a former Republican state chairman and Concord developer, said during a recent hearing that this will make projects more feasible for builders. With a $10 million project, Duprey said a lender might ask the developer to come up with $3 million as a down payment and finance the other $7 million in a first mortgage. With a $2 million energy portion of the project separated out, this would lower that mortgage to $5 million and make the energy spending like a tax lien, Duprey said. "As a result, a builder may only need to put down 15 to 20 percent," Duprey told Innis's committee. Duprey called it the "best tool to increase the amount of housing" and both profit and non-profit developers could make good use of it. A broad coalition of groups backed the bill, including the New Hampshire Homebuilders, New Hampshire Realtors, Clean Energy N.H., the N.H. Lodging & Restaurant Association, the N.H. Municipal Association and the New Hampshire Business and Industry Association (BIA). BIA officials announced a press conference for Tuesday to unveil the Housing Supply Coalition of 20 member groups that will outline their issue agenda for the 2025 legislative session. klandrigan@
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Harrisville fifth-grader Jade Adams becomes NH's 8th Kid Governor
Jan. 28—Less than three weeks after taking the oath of office herself, New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte celebrated the inauguration of Harrisville fifth grader Jade Adams as the state's eighth Kid Governor. "Since I've only been at this for two weeks, we can learn this job together," Ayotte said at the ceremony in historic Representatives Hall Tuesday at the State House. New Hampshire Civics and the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College co-sponsor the program, which attracted a record number of candidates and votes in the election last fall, according to Allyson Ryder, executive director of N.H. Civics. Adams, a student at Wells Memorial School, won over about 20 other competitors with her campaign video that laid out her platform for outlawing animal testing. "More than 100 million animals have been burned, crippled, poisoned and abused in U.S. labs every year," Adams said in prepared remarks. "These poor animals are forced to live in horrible living spaces." She vowed to work on legislation for New Hampshire to become the 13th state to ban the practice. "We need to find alternatives to test products for research and learning because hurting these animals is not the right way to do it," Adams wrote. The new kid chief executive thanked her parents, Katey and Bruce, her sisters, Avery and Sage and, of course, her pets. Ayotte said Adams will carry on the fine work of her predecessor as Kid Governor, Ellie Lively, who in 2024 made working against animal cruelty the hallmark of her term. "It's great that both of you were working in common," Ayotte said. This program shows students that running for office isn't an individual endeavor, Gov. Ayotte said. "Everyone's voice matters. ... You had your teachers help you, you had your classmates step up and help you," Ayotte said. "None of us do this alone. When you run for governor, there are so many people who help you do that." Supreme Court Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald also swore in six elected as Kid Executive Councilors who will advise the Kid Governor. Others on hand for the event were House Speaker Sherman Packard and Senate President Sharon Carson, both R-Londonderry, Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill, D-Lebanon, and Secretary of State David Scanlan. This program started in 2018 as an affiliate with a national Kid Governor program created by the Connecticut Democracy Center. klandrigan@
