Despite a thousands-strong rally from state workers and citizens, the N.H. House has approved a state budget that includes drastic funding cuts to many vital services.

Shouts reverberated outside the entrance to the State House in Concord on March 31, from thousands of teachers, police officers, firefighters, health care workers, municipal employees and religious leaders gathered on the lawn. “Don’t harass the middle class!” they yelled. “No more cuts!” “Kill the bill!”

One repeated chant was specifically directed to the Republican lawmakers who, at that moment, were defending a biennial budget bill that would cut hundreds of millions of dollars for public services: “Shame on you!” 

Gary M. Schulte, conference minister for the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ, stood with a group representing the N.H. Council of Churches. The council has spoken against proposed budget cuts that would affect the sick and poor, calling them “unacceptable and immoral.” They accuse House leaders of attempting to balance the budget at the expense of the state’s most vulnerable citizens.

“I’m out here to stand in solidarity with a whole bunch of people who believe that what’s happening is not moral, it’s not just,” Schulte said. “This is no way to run a government and no way to care for the poor and those on the edges of society.”

Schulte moved to New Hampshire from the Midwest five years ago. He was not here to witness past rallies that brought thousands to the State House, such as one against the Seabrook Station nuclear plant in the late 1970s. But Schulte has been impressed by the resolve of New Hampshire citizens to fight for what they believe is right.

“One thing I really appreciate about New Hampshire is the way that the populace does get together and speak about what’s important to it. It’s very much a citizen activist approach,” Schulte said. “I just hope there are people in that building who are really listening to what’s happening out here.”

Evidently, there were not enough people listening. As the chants and shouts of the crowd, variously estimated at between 2,000 and 5,000 people, clearly penetrated the State House walls, the House voted 243-124 to approve a $10.2 billion biennial budget that reduces state spending by $742 million.

The Senate still must approve the budget and could restore some of the lost funds. But, as drawn up by the House, it would eliminate mental health treatment for at least 7,000 people, creating a waiting list for many in need of care. It would end the CHINS program, which provides services to troubled youths. It would cut $115 million in uncompensated care payments to hospitals. It would also reduce services for child care, victims of domestic violence, and people with developmental disabilities, as well as unemployed and adoptive parents. “

It is not right to put the burden on the backs of those who can least afford cuts in services,” Schulte said. “There are a lot of people who are going to be not just limited, but they’re going to die for lack of services.”

A range of other cuts stand out as sore spots to opponents. The budget would abolish the Department of Cultural Resources and the State Arts Council, potentially making New Hampshire the only state in the nation without an arts council. 

It would cut about $6 million from the Department of Corrections, which would likely mean closing the state prison in Berlin. It would also cut $3 million from the Department of Safety, which would eliminate the Consumer Protection Bureau.

The House budget does away with about 1,500 state jobs, most of which are currently vacant due to hiring freezes. 

One of the most controversial components of the budget is a provision that would turn union workers into at-will employees after their current contracts expire, effectively purging their collective bargaining rights. Some 50,000 public employees—including police, firefighters, teachers, and municipal workers—fear they would lose their ability to negotiate wages, benefits, pensions, hours and working conditions.

Members of AFSCME Local 3657 marched onto the State House lawn on March 31 holding a sign that read “union scum.” As they made their way through the crowd, member Bobby Jones hollered, “Make way for the union scum, please.”

“We’re here because of the unprecedented attack on all public employees across the state,” Jones said. “It’s clear from the actions of the House of Representatives that they just want to strip all public employees of their rights.”

Citing other anti-union measures in states like Wisconsin and Ohio, Jones said the nation is increasingly turning its back on the labor force.

“There’s a reason we have a big holiday in September. That’s Labor Day,” he said. “That’s because of the labor workers across this great country. Let’s not lose sight of that. Let’s not strip us of our rights.”

The provision was introduced by Rep. Neal Kurk (R-Weare) during a recent House Finance Committee hearing and was approved on March 30 as part of House Bill 2. Supporters say it’s intended to level the playing field between employers and laborers, and between workers in the public and private sectors.

But opponents find that claim highly dubious. Jane Vachon, an employee with N.H. Fish and Game, said the legislation encourages employers to wait until a worker’s contract expires and then set whatever wages and benefits they choose.

“There’s no one protecting the workers, only the employers are being protected,” Vachon said. “It doesn’t level the playing field, it tips it so that the employers are way on top, and basically it takes away all rights.” 

Union workers from Vermont traveled to Concord to support their neighbors in the Granite State. Susan Martin, a member of the Vermont State Employees Association, came all the way from Montpelier with a group of about six. 

“We feel that this union is a part of our community and part of our union, too. These are our brothers and sisters. We are here for solidarity,” Martin said. She said public employees in all states must make a collective effort to counteract legislation that takes away rights from unions.

“We need to get in the faces of our legislators and let them know this is not right what they’re trying to do to us,” she said.

Members of the New Hampshire chapter of the International Association of Firefighters marched through the premises playing bagpipes and drums (they later offered an encore performance at the nearby Barley House). Capt. Don McCullough of the Rochester Fire Department said lawmakers were attempting a “power grab” that would harm state workers and children. He encouraged the Senate to pass a responsible budget that upholds workers’ rights and maintains funding for needy citizens.

“What you see here today is a coming together of a disparate group of people with a common message to our state legislators to listen to us,” McCullough said. “This (budget) is not what was intended.” 

Jim Allmendinger of Strafford, a member of the New Hampshire branch of the National Education Association, said the House budget would deal a crushing blow to the state’s education system. The budget would cut $90 million from the University System of New Hampshire and another $11 million from the Community College System. Other House bills have reduced the high school dropout age, eliminated oversight for home schooling and dropped requirements for technology classes.

“They’re really undoing the public school system,” Allmendinger said. “They’ve done away with mandatory schooling for all kids, which is really turning the clock back 200 years. They have done away with requirements for technology education, which, in the 21st century, makes no sense at all.” 

The budget reduces funding for special education, while also slashing funds for numerous programs for developmentally disabled individuals. Many disabled adults and children joined in the chants and held signs at the rally.

“The fact that they’re trying to balance the budget by taking away services for the most vulnerable of our population is just abhorrent, and I can’t believe that we as a state would do that,” said Jane Vachon. “It is just irresponsible, and I’m very, very upset about it.”

Janet Hunt, of People First of New Hampshire, said many of her clients would lose services under the House budget. The non-profit organization helps disabled people advocate for themselves.

“They’ll lose family support services for adults who are still living at home with aging parents, or kids coming out of schools, and services that support people who live independently in the community but still need supports to get around,” Hunt said. “(They’ll lose) supports for a wide range of services to just help people be successful in life.”

A woman who asked to be identified only by her initials of J.R. said she works for a day program for disabled people that could be dismantled by the budget. She pointed to several disabled men and women who rallied by her side. 

“They’d have nowhere to go. They’d be staying home and there’d be no life for them,” she said. “It would be devastating.”

Although the mental health cuts are meant to save money, opponents argue they will ultimately drive up costs. Physician Hisham Hafez, executive director of the Greater Nashua Mental Health Center, said mentally ill patients who are deprived of support systems could end up in prison or hospital emergency rooms. It’s not only bad medical policy, he said, but also bad fiscal policy.

“On both counts—the policy as well as the practical application of the policy—I don’t think this is a good, workable plan,” he said. 

Eliminating funding for the arts, too, could backfire from a fiscal standpoint. Marilyn Hoffman, board president of New Hampshire Citizens for the Arts, noted that artistic programs and events draw tourists to the state and generate revenue through the rooms and meals tax. In fiscal year 2010, she said, grant funds distributed by the State Arts Council generated $32.5 million from private sources.

“When you wipe out the state Arts Council and Cultural Resources, the state will actually lose money,” Hoffman said, noting that Gov. John Lynch’s proposed budget had included $427,500 per year for the arts. “What we’re trying to show people is that it generates revenues for the state far beyond what they pay for it.”

Katie Collins, director of development with the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, said eradicating the Arts Council would be “devastating” to the state’s cultural landscape. She said the move would collapse small arts organizations and art education programs while destroying the livelihoods of many artists. 

“The arts are integral to our way of life in New Hampshire and to our economic climate,” said Collins, who was previously head of the N.H. Writers’ Project. “It would be devastating, not just for larger organizations like mine...but especially for small arts organizations.”    

Gov. Lynch, a Democrat, attacked the House budget in a press statement released shortly after it passed. Lynch’s own budget proposal recommended spending about $520 million more than the House proposal, and would have eliminated 400 fewer state jobs. He said the House cuts would create tuition increases for students, slow down police response times, and cut services for developmentally disabled and elderly people. Lynch also opposes the move to eliminate collective bargaining rights for unions.

“The House budget goes far beyond what is necessary to live within our means, risking our state’s economic strategy and the health and safety of our citizens,” Lynch said. “The House budget is not acceptable to me or to the people of New Hampshire.”  

House majority leader D.J. Bettencourt (R-Salem) shot back with a statement of his own, noting the budget does not introduce any new taxes or fees and repeals a $30 vehicle registration fee.  

“The House Republican budget delivers on the promises that we made to the voters,” Bettencourt said. “We are very proud to have lived up to our commitments and we know that the taxpayers of New Hampshire support this effort to move our economy forward again.”

Members of the public missed most of the debate on the budget bill. House Speaker William O’Brien (R-Mont Vernon) ordered the State House gallery cleared after protesters yelled and chanted during the debate session. 

Two members of the Portsmouth Police Department, Capt. Corey McDonald and Officer Aaron Goodwin, and two former state senators, Maggie Hassan and Bette Lasky, have filed a lawsuit against O’Brien, seeking an injunction that would bar the House leader from excluding the public from future debates.

Protesters remained vocal outside, though, as several speakers addressed the crowd from a stage by the State House. Ten-year-old Clara Quintanilha worried about how service cuts might affect her two autistic siblings. Sixteen-year-old Jesse Welch talked about how a substance abuse program helped him overcome drug addiction. 

The final speaker was Bishop Gene Robinson, who delivered a speech about the obligation of all citizens to care for their neighbors and the less fortunate. He urged people to contact their local senators and press them to restore funding.

“We can do this, New Hampshire can do better, and the time is now. Let’s get to work,” Robinson said.