November’s landmark Republican sweep in New Hampshire produced an all-Republican Executive Council, matched by red super-majorities in both the House and Senate. Gov. John Lynch was one of a relative few Democrat survivors, and he faces a big challenge in working alongside veto-proof majorities who might not really need this historically popular governor, who’s heading into his fourth consecutive term, to get their way.
So, what’s  likely to get through the State House this year?
Here’s a preview of the major issues at hand amidst this excitement. You can also find more information online at www.FrontDoorPolitics.com—including a list of who’s on which committee, a legislative glossary, and a primer on how a bill becomes law.

budget, budget
New Hampshire has suffered less from the recession than many other states, and by some accounts is rebounding better. But that doesn’t stop the pain of those who have felt the impact, nor does it make the job of patching things up any easier.

The Republican leadership now in control of the New Hampshire House and Senate has pledged to tackle the budget first and foremost. They’ll have their work cut out for them: projections for the next biennium’s shortfall range from $200 million to $800 million. And that may have just gotten bigger with the realization that a Democrat plan last year to bring in $60 million by “monetizing” various state assets will yield little to no dough.

chopping block:  If campaign promises bear fruit, solving the predicament of the state’s structural deficit will be all about cutting spending instead of raising taxes or fees. Some legislators, in fact, are proposing to repeal many sources of revenue. And virtually all of them espouse fostering a healthy economy by fostering a “business friendly environment.”
The House Business Coalition is a new group of lawmakers who have banded together to review business-related legislation as it comes up and promote policies friendly to businesses and job creation. It’s headed by Reps. Laurie Sanborn (R-Loudon) and Thomas Keane (R-Bow). On that note, Sen. Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro) has proposed a job creation tax credit to be used for business profits tax calculations.

a different opinion: Despite this chorus calling for spending cuts, some budget hawks are taking a different approach: raising taxes. The liberal-leaning New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute is of the opinion that, given the state’s relatively low current level of taxation, raising some new revenues through taxes wouldn’t adversely affect the state’s business climate all that much. Their recent report also describes New Hampshire’s current distribution of taxes as “inequitable,” and suggests that New Hampshire should “ask more of affluent residents” by reinstating the capital gains or estate taxes, for example.

new ways to pay: On a more logistical note for property tax payers: Rep. Steve Vaillancourt (R-Manchester) proposes a bill to reduce the interest rate “on late and delinquent property tax payments, subsequent payments, and other unpaid taxes.” Rep. Franklin Sterling of Jaffrey has sponsored legislation to allow semi-annual county tax collections from cities and towns. And Sen. Bob Odell of Lempster wants to authorize the state Dept. of Revenue Administration to accept credit card payments for taxes.                                             

health care hubbub
The fight about health care and insurance continues, and it’s not just about federal reforms — although that certainly takes a front seat in the upcoming legislative agenda.

no thanks, mandates: The most (in)famous health insurance mandate right now is the individual mandate portion—requiring people to purchase health insurance or else face penalties—of the recent federal health care reform law. Plenty of energy is now being garnered to derail this aspect of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.Several bills supported by at least 16 legislators in New Hampshire are in the works to either require the state to opt out of the federal act or join other states in a lawsuit to stop the reform bill on constitutional grounds.

cost containment: New Hampshire’s Commission on Health Care Cost Containment, a first-of-its-kind study of general health care costs in the state, is scrutinizing things like the health care reimbursement system, along with the impact of federal health care reform. The commission will also investigate options for implementing a common payment system for hospitals, and seek methods for incentives that will enhance better health care quality and efficiency. Its final report is due July 1, 2012.

education legislation
It’s a lightning rod in many states, and New Hampshire’s education system is no exception.

home schooling: At least four proposed bills, so far, involve home education. One bill would actually take away the Department of Education’s authority to make rules for home education programs. Another would amend school attendance requirements as they relate to home schooling, and outright repeal the home education laws.

vouchers redux: Rep. Carol Vita (R-Middleton) has filed the latest bill request that would allow state-funded education vouchers for parents to help subsidize education costs for their child at a school “other than the assigned local school.” Voucher bills were closely defeated by the House in 2004 and both the House and Senate in 2006.

funding: Education funding is the focus of at least five bills. In particular, lawmakers want to either eliminate, postpone or scale back the funding formula set to begin July 1. The formula was adapted in 2008 with bipartisan support to satisfy state Supreme Court rulings from the so-called Claremont lawsuits. Sen. Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro) is the lead sponsor of a bill that would delay the funding formula — and he has the support of every Republican senator along with House Speaker William O’Brien (R-Mont Vernon). Targeted funding, which the courts have said (in so many words) is a no-go, will have another go-around. Sen. Nancy Stiles (R-Hampton), chair of the Senate Education Committee, has filed another bill that would have lawmakers “define an adequate education and distribute state funds for public education in a manner that alleviates local disparities.”  It’s the same issue that has frustrated lawmakers for more than a decade and led to a few unsuccessful attempts at constitutional amendments, including one supported by Gov. Lynch in 2007.

energy & environment
A likely flashpoint on the horizon for environmental and energy policy in the upcoming legislative session will be a proposal to repeal New Hampshire’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI.

Rep. Richard Barry (R-Merrimack) is, so far, the sole sponsor of the repeal bill. But Jim Rubens, an outspoken Republican environmentalist, says that getting out of RGGI is part of his party’s agenda.
RGGI, the first mandatory, market-based carbon dioxide emissions reduction program in the United States, is a cooperative effort by 10 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. Its goals are to limit greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generators and to use funds generated by the sales of carbon credits to increase energy efficiency programs.
“The issue now is whether it makes sense to stay in it or not,” Barry says. “We don’t have all the data, but I think the private market can do a better job.” He’s requesting a systematic review of how much the program is costing ratepayers, how much it costs to administer, and how effective the funds for energy efficiency projects have been.
That’s the same idea behind a major review of all the state’s energy policies. The final report is due Nov. 1, which may or may not tie up any changes to energy policy in the meantime, since a common refrain in legislative debates is that no new policies should be implemented until studies like these have been completed.                                               

social matters
Although the budget and other nuts and bolts clearly top the agenda, more subjective social issues are still on the table, too.

medical marijuana: There’s another bid in the works by Rep. Evalyn Merrick (D-Lancaster) to legalize medical marijuana after a similar bill was narrowly defeated in 2009. The current bill has bipartisan support from two important Republicans: Rep. Jennifer Coffey of Andover, vice chair of the Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee, and Rep. Elaine Swinford of Center Barnstead, chair of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
This is no guarantee the proposal will make it any further than the 2009 effort, but the support of Coffey and Swinford will likely lead to another serious debate.

parental notification: After several years going back and forth with the courts about the legality of New Hampshire’s “parental notification law” requiring teenage girls to notify their parents of a pending abortion, the issue became moot in 2007 when lawmakers repealed the 2003 bill. At issue was the absence of a medical exception to the law. This year, a restoration of the parental notification law has been proposed by Rep. Kathleen Souza (R-Manchester). It is not known yet if that bill will contain a medical or judicial exemption, as did a failed 2008 proposal.

gay marriage: Three new bills sponsored by 12 Republican House and Senate members would repeal the state’s equal marriage law, which passed in 2009 and went into effect Jan. 1, 2010. One proposal by Rep. Leo Pepino (R-Manchester) would establish “that marriage between one man and one woman shall be the only legal domestic union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.” It’s not known whether the final language of the bill would negate the more than 3,000 gay marriages that have taken place in New Hampshire so far, or if it would also invalidate civil unions. Is there enough momentum to repeal gay marriage and override a probable gubernatorial veto of the measure, or would such a move provoke a backlash among gay marriage advocates and ultimately solidify support for the new law? That will be the question at hand as this debate soon gets underway.

Front Door Politics will keep our eyes on these and other bills as they make their way forward— or fall by the wayside—during the upcoming session, which starts Jan. 5.

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