Entries by Editorial Staff

Governor Waives Hiring Freeze 71 Times in 2008 Annual cost $3.9 million. 25 waivers denied, saving $1 million a year

Governor John Lynch approved 71 exceptions to his hiring freeze in Fiscal Year 2008, at an annualized cost of nearly $3.9 million, or $464,000 in FY08 alone. Governor Lynch and the committee he charged with reviewing waiver requests approved 74% of agency requests acted upon in FY08. A report submitted in advance of tomorrow’s meeting of the Legislative Fiscal Committee understates both the number and the cost of these waivers.
Of the 104 agency requests to waive the hiring freeze acted upon before the end of the Fiscal Year, 71 were approved and 25 denied, for an approval rate of 74%1. The annualized General Fund cost of salaries and benefits for these positions is $3,877,673. An additional five waiver requests were pushed into Fiscal Year 2009, and will be included in our analysis of that’s year waiver process.

September 29, 2009 by
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A Rising Tide of Taxes and Fees

So far this year, the legislature has passed 38 new or increased taxes and fees that are budgeted to raise $318.6 million over two years. For historical comparisons, there were 29 new taxes and fees passed in the previous two years. In previous legislative sessions, the low has been 9 in 2003-4 with 20 in both 2001-2 and 2005-6. The majority of tax and fee increases have been passed separately from the budget itself.

July 9, 2009 by
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Understanding The State Budget: A Rising Tide of Taxes and Fees

The budget for fiscal years 2010 and 2011 passed in June of 2009 and additional legislation passed this year include 38 new or increased taxes and fees that are projected to raise an additional $318 million over the two years of the budget.

A study of the total number of tax and fee increases over the last decade shows a consistently high number with the exception of the 2003-2004 legislature. However, the current total for this legislature at 38 is nearly double the 19.5 average of the last four budgets.

July 2, 2009 by
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Mythical Spending Cut

Charlie Arlinghaus takes issue with a recent attempt to claim that the spending increase in the current budget can be described as a cut by one measure. He explains how intellectually misleading the report is and where the error occurs.

June 24, 2009 by
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NH Watchdog’s Live Blog of the House-Senate Committee of Conference on the Budget

The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy has published a running diary of the hectic final fourteen hours of the marathon Committee of Conference on the budget.

Lead Investigator Grant Bosse provides an unprecedented behind the scenes report on the issues, arguments, and maneuvers that went into the two-year, $11.6 billion budget that will be considered by the full House and Senate.

The minute by minute reprint of Bosse’s live blog from inside the State House show’s the fascinating ins and outs and horse trading that goes on as the deadline looms over negotiations.

You can read the running diary in the attached document and follow his up to the minute reporting on budget details online at the Josiah Bartlett Center’s NHWatchdog blog at NHWATCHDOG.BLOGSPOT.COM

June 22, 2009 by
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The Great Turnpike Robbery of 2009

The transportation plan endorsed by the Senate budget writers and the governor is a radical scheme that ends the requirement to spend toll revenue maintaining toll roads so they can transfer tens of millions of dollars each year out of the turnpike fund. It is the most cynical of public policies and the worst of the three options currently before policymakers.

June 1, 2009 by
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352 Executive Order Exceptions cost $6.2 Million so far Government Data shows hiring and purchase freeze not draconian

Government data shows that Governor John Lynch issued 352 exceptions to his Executive Order 2008-01 instituting a hiring freeze, a ban on out of state travel, and certain equipment purchases. The 352 exceptions cost a total of $6.2 million during the twelve months of fiscal year 2009. These totals are only for the months from July 1, 2008 through June 30 of this year and do not include the first four months of the executive order or the most recent two months.

For details on all of the exceptions granted click here for a

LIST OF EXCEPTIONS

The full text of the governor’s executive order is attached

HERE (Executive Order)

May 25, 2009 by
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Impact of State Budget on Local Communities

The House Budget suspends the 40-year old Revenue Sharing Program under Chapter 31-A, and provides no funds for State Building Aid. Based on 2008 revenues to each town and the amount scheduled to be awarded to each school district, the Josiah Bartlett Center is able to provide local budget writers with the projected impact of the pending state budget.

“Budgets are about choices, and as the State Senate takes up this budget, it should know the impact it would have on cities and towns,” said Lead Investigator Grant Bosse, who authored the study. “Better information leads to better decisions, and we’re happy to provide it.”

May 13, 2009 by
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JUA – Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

The Bartlett Center has been a leading opponent of the government’s attempt to take the private property commonly known as JUA. With the court ruling of 7-29-09 prohibiting the taking of $110 Million, readers may wish to see our previous work on the subject. Included an early piece (March 25) sounding the alarm before there was a lawsuit

Unacceptable Seizure of Private Funds

The other discusses the lawsuit and the reasons the taking would almost certainly be prohibited ( from July 8 )

Dangerous Taking of Private Property

April 30, 2009 by
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2009-2010 Building Aid by School District

A district by district compilation of how much school district would have received in the coming year if school construction were not eliminated. Under the Governor’s Budget and the House Republican Alternative, construction aid would have been funded at $41 million. The budget as passed by the House eliminated school construction aid.

April 16, 2009 by