Achievements '21-'22

● Fiscally responsible, and balanced state budget that has $13.5 billion in total spending. 

● Cut spending by $172.5 million over the prior state portion of the budget and cut roughly 3% from budget to budget.

● Built the Rainy Day Fund to $158.6 million, the highest in state history.

● Decreased the State-Wide Education Property Tax (SWEPT) by $100 million directly resulting in lower property tax bills for constituents across the state with no effect on the dollars going to schools. This was accomplished by using surplus funds to pay that portion for the taxpayers. 

● Reduced the Meals and Rooms Rate to 8.5% making our hospitality industry more affordable. 

● Fully phased out the Interest and Dividends Tax over five years, making New Hampshire officially income tax free.

● Created a Meals and Rooms Municipal Revenue Fund, finally earmarking revenue back to cities and towns, and preventing it from being siphoned off to fund state government.  30% revenue collected annually from Meals and Rooms Tax will be restricted for distribution to cities and towns based on population. 

● Provided $15.6 million in FY 2021 for grants for wastewater projects across the state. 

● Provided $83.3 million in estimated aid to municipalities by fully funding highway block grants at $69.7 million over the biennium and appropriating $13.6 million in state aid for municipal bridge projects.

● Reduced the Business Enterprise Tax rate to 0.55% and increased the filing threshold to help both large and small job creators pay less in taxes, and invest more in their business and workforce.  Over 30,000 small businesses will now be exempt from tax filings.

 ● Reduced the Business Profits Tax rate to 7.6% to help us remain competitive regionally and help attract more better paying jobs. 

● Exempted businesses from paying state taxes on federal relief money. Businesses should not be forced to pay taxes on money intended to keep them afloat during the pandemic (SB3). 

● Established Education Freedom Savings Accounts to increase education choice by allowing parents to find the right fit for their child regardless of zip code. 

● Prohibited the practice of teaching the divisive & false idea that an individual is inherently racist simply due to the color of their skin.

 ● Increase in state aid of nearly $100.0 million over the biennium to the education funding formula.  Corrected the education funding formula to ensure schools are not hurt by the COVID enrollment drop, providing $67 million in additional aid.  Provided an additional $17.5 million in each year for free or reduced meal student population. 

● Fully funded aid to public charter schools, based on enrollment estimates provided by the Department, totaling approx. $47.0 million in FY 22 and $49.5 million in FY 23. 

● Provided $1.0 million over the biennium for lease aid to public charter schools. Also increased the maximum annual aid amount per school from $30,000 to $50,000. 

● Provided full funding to school districts that began full-day kindergarten programs in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, ensuring school districts that begin full-day kindergarten programs would receive full adequacy payments in the first year of the program (SB 82). 

● Provided $82.0 million for school building aid, which includes: $52.0 million for payments on previously approved projects and $30.0 million for new school building aid projects. 

● Provided $67.2 million over the biennium to fully-fund special education aid for higher cost students (formerly known as “catastrophic aid”) to school districts. 

● Provided $18.0 million over the biennium for career and technical education (CTE) tuition and transportation aid to school districts.   

● Provided $1.5 million over the biennium for the NH Robotics Education Development Program.

● Assured that our students have adequate knowledge of civics and our country's heritage by mandating that students pass a United States Naturalization exam (HB320).

● Gave charter schools first access to unused school district facilities, assuring that charter schools have the opportunity to grow and that school districts do not waste real estate (HB278).

● Encouraged students to pursue technical education by providing them with more information about vocational schools and established a subcommittee to study tuition and transportation funding (HB304) (SB148). 

● Removed the restriction preventing religious private schools from being approved as a tuition program (HB282). 

● Gave parents the ability to sue a school that did not adequately protect their child from bullying (HB140). 

● Supported special needs students by placing the burden of proof on a school district in cases where parents sue over a proposed IEP (HB581).

● Gave schools the ability to display "In God We Trust," and "Live Free or Die," Our national and state mottos (HB 69).

● Closed the Sununu Youth Services Center. 

● Appropriated $30 million for a 24-bed secure psychiatric facility, in addition to the $8.75 million appropriated for this purpose during the prior biennium.

● Additional $8 million for mobile crisis units and community mental health programs. 

● Fully funded the Developmental Disability waitlist by providing $335 million in general funds and $330 million in federal funds for developmental services over the biennium.

● Protected New Hampshire's elections from Washington overreach by prohibiting the implementation of measures from the "For the People Act" in State, county, and local elections (SB89). 

● Authorized an audit of the Windham State Representative Race (SB43). 

● Mandated photographs to be taken of voters who register using the affidavit form, deterring voter fraud and double voting (HB523).    

● Mandated that towns conduct thorough procedures for verifying voter checklists, ensuring more security in our elections (HB285). 

● Modified the actions that supervisors of the checklist must take to enroll voters to the checklist, and modified the absentee voter affidavit to make our elections more secure and assure that voters who transfer voter registration from another state are handled properly (SB31). 

● Required that city and town clerks report daily on candidates who declare runs for office, making information more accessible and transparent (HB77). 

● Made our absentee ballot lists electronic and allowed political parties and candidates to receive and subscribe to absentee ballot lists and know when ballots were returned, making the election process more transparent (HB326) (HB223) (HB326). 

● Permitted cities and towns to modernize our elections by using electronic poll books to review and maintain our voter rolls (SB46).

● Provided needed modest reforms and oversight to the Governor’s Emergency Powers. 

● Refunds any businesses fined under executive or emergency orders due to COVID-19. 

● Provided the Legislature with additional checks on DHHS emergency powers by letting the HHS oversight review and rescind emergency orders issued by the commissioner (HB187). 

● Made it easier to provide medical staff, covid tests, and allowed flexibility for camps, businesses, and pharmacies to operate in the pandemic and future (SB155). 

● Waived certain regulations for businesses temporarily working in New Hampshire due to the State of Emergency (SB103).

● Banned requiring COVID-19 immunization to access a public facility, benefit, or service from the State of New Hampshire or it's subdivisions (HB220). 

● Protected religious liberty in emergencies by ensuring churches and religious organizations are held to the same standard as businesses (HB542). 

● Repealed the prohibition on side tinted windows in cars (HB224). 

● Allowed children under the age of 14 to operate a lemonade stand without a license (HB183). 

● Required Police Officers to inform a motor vehicle operator they have the right to refuse a warrantless motor vehicle search (SB40). 

● Permitted individuals to give free haircuts without fear of criminal penalties.

● Increased the statute of limitations for minor victims of assault, allowing additional time for children to come forward (HB239). 

● Established an enhanced penalty for those who have prior convictions for driving under the influence of drugs or liquor (HB179). 

● Provided $500,000 to Internet Crimes Against Children Fund. 

● Invested in Granite Shield, which continues to work on drug trafficking interdiction aimed at preventing the supply of illegal drugs from entering NH.