House and Senate Republican Leaders Press Release

re: Governors Budget Address February 12, 2009

 

State House Republicans Call for Responsible Budget

Realistic revenue projections, No tax increases, More Efficiencies

(Concord, NH) – Senate and House Republicans today laid out their expectations for Governor Lynch's Thursday morning budget address.  In a joint press conference held in Concord, Senate Minority Leader Peter Bragdon of Milford and House Republican Leader Sherm Packard of Londonderry called upon the governor to offer some solutions to the current budget crisis.

“Now is the time for bold, decisive action and leadership,” said Senator Bragdon.  Representative Packard added, “It is more important than ever that Governor Lynch put together a streamlined budget and we look forward to working with him in that process.”

Republicans believe a responsible budget is one built upon realistic revenue estimates. “We cannot have a repeat of the unrealistic revenue projections that were used to justify a 17.5% spending increase in the last budget.   If a little fiscal restraint had been shown with the last budget, we would not be in the largest fiscal crisis New Hampshire has seen in decades,” stated Senator Bragdon.  Republicans would like to see a balanced budget that reflects flat revenues, at best, for each year of the biennium, as a starting point for a spending level that our current economy can sustain.

 

Representative Packard called the impending budget address, “The most important speech of the governor’s political career.” Added Packard, “The time has come for Governor Lynch to lead the way by offering real solutions to deal with a deficit that came, in large part, as a result of overspending and over exaggerated revenue figures by his own party last session.”

 

State House Republicans also believe the budget should not be balanced through increased taxes and fees.  “It is our duty as representatives of New Hampshire's working families to help keep their cost of living reasonable, not burdensome,” Bragdon said.  “Governor Lynch's budget cannot not rely on increased taxes and fees, thus putting the burden on working families or the businesses employing them,” he added.

 

“The governor recently had the opportunity to get us back on the path to fiscal sanity, but instead he chose a band-aid approach—a good first step that cut $16.5M,  but one that clearly doesn’t go far enough,” said Packard. “I also hope that the governor does not base his budget on a stimulus package from Washington that is still being negotiated and hasn’t even been finalized.” 

 

Republicans say they are hoping to see other provisions in Governor Lynch's budget, such as not borrowing for recurring operating costs (including school building aid) and avoiding cost shifting to local municipalities.  They also call upon the governor to implement many of the recommendations from the 2003 Commission to Assess the Operating Efficiency of State Government—that made 53 specific recommendations projecting a $78 million savings in the first year.

 

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Sen. Peter Bragdon, 271-2675

Rep. Sherm Packard, 271-3665