Hundreds of people turned out at the State House Tuesday to urge the state Senate to reverse spending cuts backed by the New Hampshire House in its proposed state budget.
Critics ranged from medical providers, to arts groups, to prison guards, to firefighters. They also included Nancy Lord, a single mother whose son has autism and requires extensive services now provided through the state's Medicaid program.
“I cannot take care of him myself,” Lord told Senate budget writers during a public hearing. “In all likelihood, he's never going to work, and he’s always going to have someone take care of him 24/7.”
Robert Getchell, of Manchester, who is served by the state's Medicaid program, said he supplements his benefits by collecting cans on the street.
"I ask you, do not cut my services down,” he told lawmakers.
The budget backed by the New Hampshire House last month included a 3% rate cut to Medicaid providers. Gov. Kelly Ayotte has said that needs to be reversed and that she expects the Senate to agree with her revenue estimates, which forecast tax collections coming in about $650 million higher than the House expects.
That difference will be revisited Wednesday, when the Senate Ways and Means Committee is expected to set its revenue forecast.
A proposed 30% cut to the state’s universities and colleges in the House’s budget plan drew worried students to the State House Tuesday. University system trustees have said a $50 million funding loss could lead to tuition increases and program cuts.
Jeremiah Githu, a Plymouth State University sophomore, said he’s grateful his parents can help him pay for college. But he worries for his friends who are working three and four jobs to cover tuition.
Githu said deep cuts will hurt the state as much as the schools because young people will seek a degree outside the state.
“I can't have college here?,” Githu said. “Okay, I'm going to transfer to Massachusetts because they could have better programs (and) cheaper opportunities. So, there's not an incentive to stay here if there's no education for us.”
Taylor Barry, a freshman at the University of New Hampshire from Nashua, said she chose UNH because it was cheaper than going to college out-of-state. And, she won a merit scholarship for in-state students to help with tuition.
Barry worries budget cuts could jeopardize her major — community and environmental planning and sustainability — because it has just 35 students.
“That kind of sucks because I really love my major,” Barry said. “I definitely think that I'm on the right career path, so I'm worried that it'll be cut with a budget.
Ayotte had proposed cutting the university system budget by 8%.
