What are state lawmakers doing that actually affects your daily life? Lots! Find out with Front Door Politics: jargon-free, non-advocacy state house news at www.frontdoorpolitics.com.

All eyes on finance: The next two-year budget is setting off political fireworks even before it’s written, but that day will come soon. The House Finance Committee was scheduled to complete its budget work this week, with executive sessions on Monday and Tuesday, March 21 and 22.

The three divisions of the House Finance Committee have been holding budget hearings on the two main budget bills House Bill 1 (829 pages) and House Bill 2 (93 pages), and the separate capital improvement measure House Bill 25 (17 pages) for the past month.

In the meantime, sparks have flown.

Controversial remarks about budget cuts for developmentally disabled and mentally ill people led to the resignation of freshman Rep. Martin Hardy (R-Barrington). And more than 500 people showed up for Finance Committee hearings on the Department of Health and Human Services budget. Many members of the public spoke in opposition to further cuts. The committee ended up slashing an additional $209 million from the proposal Gov. John Lynch suggested for the agency.

In a recent Concord Monitor story, Rep. Neal Kurk (R-Weare), chair of the Finance Committee division that oversees the Health and Human Services budget, justified the careful process that led to cuts. “We looked at them individually and made some judgments about what would good policy be, what kinds of reductions would cause the least harm to people,” he said.

On March 11, Lynch said the budget cuts were going too far. “In crafting the next two-year budget I worked with the heads of all state agencies to make tough but thoughtful choices on how to reduce the cost structure of state government, but still preserve essential services,” Lynch said in a statement. “This is a very different approach from what we’re seeing with the House Finance Committee—where budget decisions seem to be made without regard for the consequences to the people.”

In February, Lynch proposed a $4.7 billion biennium budget (general expenses plus education funding) for 2012-2013. He said spending was $160 million below 2008-2009 levels.

But, Republican leaders accused Lynch of overestimating revenues and criticized the proposal for cutting back on aid to towns and cities. They vowed to cut more state government spending to make up the difference. —Michael McCord

And now, "They Said It," a sampling of legislative and state government quotes that we hope illuminate, educate, entertain and reflect the tone of the current legislative session:  

Dropout: Gov. John Lynch was none too pleased on Tuesday that the House approved House Bill 429 by a 210-134 vote. The proposal would return the high school dropout age to 16, repealing one of Lynch’s top priorities in office.

“Today’s action by the House of Representatives sends absolutely the wrong message to our young people and threatens our ability to maintain a skilled and educated workforce, which would limit future economic development,” Lynch said in a statement after the vote. “The people of New Hampshire would be justified if they asked themselves, ‘Just what is our House of Representatives thinking?’” 

They were thinking about mom and dad, according to the bill’s sponsor, Rep. James Parison (R-New Ipswich). “This bill is not about the dropout age. This bill is about parents,” Parison said during the floor debate.

Boardwalk for sale: House majority leader D.J. Bettencourt (R-Salem) took offense to Lynch’s criticism that the House Finance Committee’s budget cutting strategy was taking too much from essential government services.

“This isn’t a game of Monopoly, this is taxpayers’ money,” Bettencourt said. “Governor Lynch has lost all credibility to lecture Republicans on the difficult choices that must be made in our economy.” 

Picture this: Senate Democrats (and one Republican) opposed Senate Bill 129, a measure requiring that voters show a photo ID at the polls, which passed the Senate 18-6. Sen. Amanda Merrill (D-Durham) said the bill was unnecessary because, as far as anyone knows, there has been only one case of proven voter fraud in the state in the past 10 years.

“We don’t have voting fraud,” Merrill said. “We do have citizens for whom this bill creates obstacles to the most basic civic right.” 

Remain calm: House leadership gave a strong thumbs-down to a so-called “birther” bill amendment that would have required presidential primary candidates to submit their birth certificates proving American citizenship. Amendment supporter Rep. David Bates (R-Windham) was not pleased when opponents said such a measure would undermine the state’s hallowed first-in-the-nation primary status.

“The hysterical claims that we are going to jeopardize the first in the nation primary, it’s just utter nonsense,” Bates said in an interview with Talking Points Memo.

The measure the amendment was attached to, House Bill 421, was set aide, or “laid on the table.” Sponsored by Rep. Robert Kingsbury (R-Laconia), it would have required not voters but lawmakers to nominate U.S. Senate candidates to the New Hampshire primary. Voters, though, would still be able to write in candidates.

Staying put: After the House Legislative Administration Committee ended the two-month process to remove him from office on alleged ethics violations, Rep. Michael Brunelle (D-Manchester) had this to say:

“I am grateful to attorneys Paul Twomey and Bob Backus, House Democratic Leader Terie Norelli, my Democratic colleagues in the House, and to the hundreds of people of both political parties across the state who were supportive of me during this outrageous attempt to have my election by the voters of Manchester’s Ward Three overturned,” Brunelle said in a statement. “I consider this unfortunate waste of taxpayer resources completely concluded and I am happy to be able to continue working for the people of Manchester.” —Michael McCord