The House, Senate and governor are divided over the very foundation of the state budget. (No, not liquor outlet ghost drops.) Revenue estimates. Including adjustments for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2025, the gap between the governor’s and House’s revenue estimates exceeds $800 million (with all revenue adjustments, including the House’s removal of lottery revenue […]
Note: This analysis based on the Legislative Budget Assistant’s Surplus Statement published on April 3. Any adjustments made after that date will not be accounted for in this policy brief. A decade’s worth of state revenue growth, primarily from rising business tax collections, has fueled significant state spending increases since 2015, with a particularly large […]
https://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/shutterstock_640494976-scaled.jpg12712560Andrew Clinehttps://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.pngAndrew Cline2025-04-09 16:23:052025-04-09 16:24:19House Finance budget rolls back post-COVID growth in state spending
K-12 public school spending rises every year, whether enrollment increases or decreases. In this century, K-12 district public school enrollment in New Hampshire has fallen by more than 50,000 students, but spending is up by more than $1 billion, adjusted for inflation. How does this happen? The short answer is that local voters prefer to […]
https://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/Shutterstock_2607582815-scaled.jpg25602560Andrew Clinehttps://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.pngAndrew Cline2025-04-04 15:12:052025-04-04 15:12:05It’s hard to restrain education spending when increases are ‘cuts’
On Thursday, decades’ worth of aged, decrepit talking points died in the New Hampshire House. Opponents of parental choice in education say the purpose of creating such choice is to “defund,” “privatize,” or “destroy” public schools. Public money should stay entirely in public schools, they say. This year, House Education Policy and Administration Chairman Glenn […]
https://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/shutterstock_2439934639-scaled.jpg12802560Andrew Clinehttps://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.pngAndrew Cline2025-03-28 14:59:112025-03-28 14:59:11Competition and the purpose of educational choice
By Jude Schwalbach and Andrew Cline In the “live free or die” state, switching public schools is surprisingly difficult. State law gives students only a few options. The one easy way is to enroll in a chartered public school, if one happens to be nearby and a good fit. Every other option is obstructed by […]
https://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/shutterstock_290627849-scaled.jpg17072560Andrew Clinehttps://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.pngAndrew Cline2025-03-25 13:09:522025-03-25 13:09:52Universal open enrollment can help students and school districts
New Hampshire’s housing shortage, and the price spike that it created, has made housing the No. 1 problem facing the state, according to University of New Hampshire polling. Fixing the state’s housing shortage is such a priority for voters that a 2024 UNH poll found more than 1/3 of voters rating it as the top […]
https://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/HouseImage.png26673600Andrew Clinehttps://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.pngAndrew Cline2025-03-21 11:15:212025-03-21 13:11:34Legislature moves 15 housing bills in one day
In many areas of New Hampshire it is literally illegal for shop owners, employees and customers to live in an apartment above or next to a business. Yet places that do allow such mixed uses are among the most vibrant and desired areas in the state, for both businesses and residents. As state and local […]
https://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/shutterstock_2398957769-scaled.jpg17072560Andrew Clinehttps://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.pngAndrew Cline2025-03-19 13:50:202025-03-19 13:50:20Legalizing residential uses in commercial zones can strengthen N.H. communities
In 2025, the public appetite for cutting unnecessary government expenses, improving efficiency and reducing taxpayer liabilities is enormous. Inflation put tremendous stress on household finances as COVID-era regulatory and spending decisions tanked Americans’ trust in government management. In New Hampshire, policymakers are looking for new ways to deliver core services at lower costs. One reform […]
The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, in partnership with EdChoice, has released an analysis of the fiscal effects of two Education Freedom Account expansion proposals, one presented by Gov. Kelly Ayotte in her budget and the other in House Bill 115, representing the House leadership plan. At the state level, the fiscal effects range […]
https://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/shutterstock_1345364159-scaled.jpg17072560Andrew Clinehttps://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.pngAndrew Cline2025-03-11 11:24:242025-03-11 11:30:25Analysis of governor’s & House EFA bills shows small state costs, bigger local savings
New Hampshire legislators have devised various schemes over the years to protect the logging industry from market forces. The latest scheme comes in House Bill 123, as amended. Promoted as “closing a loophole” in the state’s Timber Tax, HB 123 in fact creates a new tax on revenues generated from sales of carbon credits. The […]
https://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/shutterstock_361601438-scaled.jpg17072560Andrew Clinehttps://jbartlett.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white_v1_360x70.pngAndrew Cline2025-03-10 12:58:542025-03-10 13:31:10House Bill 123 creates an income tax disguised as a property tax
Norm Major’s eternal advice: budget cautiously
BLOG, BUDGET, FEATUREDThe House, Senate and governor are divided over the very foundation of the state budget. (No, not liquor outlet ghost drops.) Revenue estimates. Including adjustments for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2025, the gap between the governor’s and House’s revenue estimates exceeds $800 million (with all revenue adjustments, including the House’s removal of lottery revenue […]
House Finance budget rolls back post-COVID growth in state spending
BLOG, BUDGETNote: This analysis based on the Legislative Budget Assistant’s Surplus Statement published on April 3. Any adjustments made after that date will not be accounted for in this policy brief. A decade’s worth of state revenue growth, primarily from rising business tax collections, has fueled significant state spending increases since 2015, with a particularly large […]
It’s hard to restrain education spending when increases are ‘cuts’
BLOG, EDUCATION, FEATURED, LOCAL GOVERNMENTK-12 public school spending rises every year, whether enrollment increases or decreases. In this century, K-12 district public school enrollment in New Hampshire has fallen by more than 50,000 students, but spending is up by more than $1 billion, adjusted for inflation. How does this happen? The short answer is that local voters prefer to […]
Competition and the purpose of educational choice
BLOG, EDUCATION, FEATUREDOn Thursday, decades’ worth of aged, decrepit talking points died in the New Hampshire House. Opponents of parental choice in education say the purpose of creating such choice is to “defund,” “privatize,” or “destroy” public schools. Public money should stay entirely in public schools, they say. This year, House Education Policy and Administration Chairman Glenn […]
Universal open enrollment can help students and school districts
EDUCATION, FEATUREDBy Jude Schwalbach and Andrew Cline In the “live free or die” state, switching public schools is surprisingly difficult. State law gives students only a few options. The one easy way is to enroll in a chartered public school, if one happens to be nearby and a good fit. Every other option is obstructed by […]
Legislature moves 15 housing bills in one day
FEATURED, HOUSING, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, REGULATIONNew Hampshire’s housing shortage, and the price spike that it created, has made housing the No. 1 problem facing the state, according to University of New Hampshire polling. Fixing the state’s housing shortage is such a priority for voters that a 2024 UNH poll found more than 1/3 of voters rating it as the top […]
Legalizing residential uses in commercial zones can strengthen N.H. communities
FEATURED, HOUSING, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, REGULATIONIn many areas of New Hampshire it is literally illegal for shop owners, employees and customers to live in an apartment above or next to a business. Yet places that do allow such mixed uses are among the most vibrant and desired areas in the state, for both businesses and residents. As state and local […]
Five ways defined contribution retirement plans would benefit N.H.
BETTER GOVERNMENT, BUDGET, FEATUREDIn 2025, the public appetite for cutting unnecessary government expenses, improving efficiency and reducing taxpayer liabilities is enormous. Inflation put tremendous stress on household finances as COVID-era regulatory and spending decisions tanked Americans’ trust in government management. In New Hampshire, policymakers are looking for new ways to deliver core services at lower costs. One reform […]
Analysis of governor’s & House EFA bills shows small state costs, bigger local savings
EDUCATION, FEATUREDThe Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, in partnership with EdChoice, has released an analysis of the fiscal effects of two Education Freedom Account expansion proposals, one presented by Gov. Kelly Ayotte in her budget and the other in House Bill 115, representing the House leadership plan. At the state level, the fiscal effects range […]
House Bill 123 creates an income tax disguised as a property tax
BLOG, FEATURED, TAXATIONNew Hampshire legislators have devised various schemes over the years to protect the logging industry from market forces. The latest scheme comes in House Bill 123, as amended. Promoted as “closing a loophole” in the state’s Timber Tax, HB 123 in fact creates a new tax on revenues generated from sales of carbon credits. The […]