School Funding Plan Squeaks by in House

By Josh Rogers on Friday, May 4, 2001.

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The New Hampshire House last night passed a plan to pay for schools and balance the biennial budget. NHPR?s Josh Rogers has more.

The plan didn?t gel until nightfall, after hours of debate that left all sides spent, and none apparently, truly satisfied. Even the house republican leaders charged with pushing the plan admitted it was far from ideal. Just before the final vote, Deputy House speaker protem Keith Herman?s rallying cry appealed more to fatigue than enthusiasm.
It?s not what I wanted it?s not what you wanted, but it?s the right thing to do now to get this thing passed to the senate.

?This thing? includes the repeal of the business enterprise tax credit, a 1-point hike in the rooms and meals tax, and a drop in the statewide property tax rate from 660 to 595 per 1000 dollars. It passed by only nine votes? no democrats, and few moderate republicans voted for it. Members of both groups criticized it for being anti-business, anti-tourism, too dependent on the property tax, and possibly unconstitutional. When those arguments failed to persuade what was becoming an increasingly restive legislature, House Democratic leader Peter Burling tried to buy some time to regroup.
We are asked to make serious decisions but what don?t have to do this tonight. I will move for an extension of the rules until next Thursday?.I beg you please lets take the time to do good work.

But Libertarian Steve Vailliancourt, sponsor of the floor amendment to raise the room and meals tax, says the plan?s critics were simply the victims of their own unwillingness to compromise.
We raised the rooms and meals tax one percent up and Peter Burling has the nerve to say it?s a terrible thing when he wanted a 2.5 percent sales tax. I mean give us a break. We did the most minimalist thing we could to get us out of this crisis.

According to Moderate republican Alf Jacobsen?..That?s exactly the problem??

We had one of the wildest, craziest days in the legislature that I?ve seen in my 28 years in the general court?.And what we have just passed in the long run won?t amount to a hill of beans because you will be back again over the very same problem.

Barring a substantial Senate retooling, Jacobsen?s prediction may come true sooner than he thinks. After the vote, Governor Shaheen pledged to veto the plan should it make it to her desk in its present form.