Plan that increases spending by 16 percent clears house by 50 votes. While leading Democrats hail it as responsible, Republicans say it spends too much, and banks on unrealistic revenue projections.
Budget debates always include a good deal of ritual behavior……Those in the majority party tend to emphasize how budget represents yeoman work and the sort of give and take lawmakers on both sides of the asile like to stress -- particularly when they are confident of prevailing.
"Am I happy with everything in the budget? Of course I'm not. Not one of us in this room is. A budget is a planning document, it is full of compromises."
As chairman of the House finance committee Durham Democrat Marjorie Smith is the House budget's key architect…….In her defense of the plan, Smith ticked off a list of what she says makes the budget strong. That list included the decision to fully fund agencies like the corrections and the court system that tend to need supplemental appropriations due to under funding…. ……Smith also highlighted moves to add legally required money for charter schools, set aside 5 million dollars for indigent legal defense as well as money for state children's health insurance. Among other things, The plan also includes 5 million dollars to decrease the developmentally disabled wait……and 20 million in new spending for the university system; another 13 million goes to the community tech system…….When it was their turn to discuss the spending, top GOP budget writers, choose not to highlight individual programs……Instead, they pointed to the bottom line.
"10 billion dollars. The first time we've ever hit 10 billion dollars."
That's New Hampton Republican Fran Wendelboe. She and others in the GOP argued that the Democrats were handed an already too lavish spending package by Governor Lynch and made it worse.
"We just took the governor's budget as a bible and added new chapters of more spending."
And to pay for such spending her budget relies on both increased taxes and fees. Prime among them is a 45 cent increase to per pack tax on cigarettes…….Other new revenue comes from a 6 dollar hike in auto and truck registrations fees…..and a 30 cent per thousand increase to the real estate transfer tax…….. Those moves were fought by Republicans on two fronts -- the Farmington Republican William Tobin warned that the public will not stand for the new levys.
"I am hearing from all over the state a requests from the citizens to tell those people in Concord to get out of my pockets."
Others decried what they called unrealistic revenue projections -- warning that if the money doesn't come in, cuts or new taxes will be needed…….Republicans failed to convince democrats to reduce projections by 100 million dollars,or, as Manchester state rep Steve Vaillancourt suggested, anything in between.
"If we have to decide on erring by lowballing or highballing. I think we're better off lowballing than highballing."
No Republican attempt to change the budget came close to succeeding, and the companion bill containing the technical changes needed to make the spending plan law cleared the chamber by a 202-151 margin. Moments before the final vote, Stoddard democrat Dan Eaton sounded confident the house's plan will stand up now and do the same later, when it most counts.
"If I know that this is still the pregame event to be followed by the main game in June, and if I know that this amendment leaves the House of Representatives in the best position it has been in the last 30 years to accomplish its goals eh last thirty years to accomplish our goals in June, will I now vote yes?.
The budget now moves to the State Senate…….
