The Senate Finance Committee Wednesday OK’d a bill that would give nearly $37 million to cities and towns to fix local roads and bridges.
A similar effort was proposed by Gov. Chris Sununu in his state budget plan last month but no exact dollar amount was designated.
Under the plan now before the Senate, dollars would go to municipalities as soon as the bill is signed into law rather than June 30th when the state budget process wraps up.
Senate President Chuck Morse says he and the Governor are on the same page – this just gets the money out faster.
“New Hampshire does not get enough money back from the federal government so this is basically putting a position that we need to get the money back to the local roads – there is no dissension from me and the Governor on this,” Morse said.
Sununu issued a press release shortly after Wednesday's vote saying he backed the measure.
As written the bill would use money left over in the current two-year state budget. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, 12 percent of New Hampshire's bridges are structurally deficient and 9 percent of roads need repair.
