Story Archives of 'Sylvia Larsen'

It’s no secret the national economic downturn has made it harder for New Hampshire lawmakers to balance the budget.

Revenues are down, demand for service is up....put it together and the state is facing a $600 million dollar shortfall.

Over the last few weeks, Senators on the Finance Committee have made very hard decisions about what programs to cut and where to bring in new revenue.

New Hampshire Public Radio’s Dan Gorenstein reports that the Finance Committee’s struggle offers insight into how tight money really is in the state.

Governor and Senators on message as they await controversial proposals backed by House Democrats, including a same-sex marriage bill.

The morning after Governor John Lynch’s State of the State Address, we’ll sit down with the leadership of the House and Senate to talk about the report and the picture it paints of the health of the Granite State. We’ll also look at what implications the speech may have in terms of policy and legislation for the new year.

Guests

• Sylvia Larsen, Democrat from Concord and President of the Senate
• Ted Gatsas, Republican from Manchester and Senate Minority Leader
• Terie Norelli, Democrat from Portsmouth and Speaker of the House
• Gene Chandler, Republican Representative from Bartlett who is currently the Senior Republican Policy Advisor in the House and former Speaker of the House

The New Hampshire Legislature opens this week with the Democrats in power and hordes of eager new members. We’ll sit down with the top leaders of the State House and Senate to find out what’s on their agenda this year, from the minimum wage to school funding. Laura's guests are Democrat Sylvia Larsen, Senate President; Republican Ted Gatsas, Senate Minority Leader; Democrat Terie Norelli, House Speaker and Republican Mike Whalley, House Minority Leader.

The House Finance Committee has rejected a plan to provide a prescription drug benefit to the uninsured.

New Hampshire Public Radio's Dan Gorenstein reports.