2023 – 2024
Budget
Accomplishments
“We delivered a fiscally responsible spending plan that meets the needs of our state and addresses many of our top priorities, without raising taxes."
-Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R-Auburn)
Overall
● The budget uses realistic revenue estimates and appropriates approximately $15.2 billion over the
biennium, including $6.3 billion from General and Education Trust Funds.
● Maintains current business tax allocations to the General and Education Trust Fund.
● Fully eliminates the Interest and Dividends tax on January 1, 2025.
● Makes reforms to the Emergency Powers statute.
● The budget projects the Rainy Day Fund balance to reach $229.6 million at the end of FY 2023, and $232.6
million at the end of the FY 2024-2025 biennium.
Municipal Aid
● The budget supports almost $2.69 billion in State aid to cities and towns over the biennium including:
○ Approximately $2.21 billion in adequate education aid to cities and towns and public charter
schools over the biennium
○ Approximately $244.6 million in meals and rooms distribution to cities and towns
○ Over $105 million in highway aid to cities and towns.
● Fully funds highway block grants (Apportionment A) to cities and towns at $72.2 million over the biennium
under current law provisions
● Includes an additional $10.0 million general fund appropriation for Apportionment A, bringing the anticipated
total to $82.2 million for the upcoming biennium.
● Provides $22.0 million for municipal bridge aid
● Fully funds the Highway and Bridge Betterment Program at $84.2 million over the biennium
Education
● Increases the cost of an adequate education and provides additional targeted aid based on equalized
valuations and free and reduced-price meal eligible students, while also eliminating stabilization grants
● Increases state adequacy payments by $169.1 million over the biennium
○ Ensures no municipality receives less in either FY 2024 or FY 2025 than 104% of its FY 2024
estimated payment under current law
● Provides an estimated $121.5 million for public charter schools, which includes increasing the per pupil
grant to $9,000 ($4,100 base adequacy, plus $4,900 additional grant).
● Provides $88.3 million over the biennium for school building and lease aid:
○ $48.7 million for new school building aid projects.
○ $37.9 million for payments on previously approved projects
○ $1.7 million for public charter school lease aid
● Provides $67.8 million over the biennium to provide reimbursement to school districts for high-cost special
education students.
● Provides $18.0 million for career and technical education (CTE) tuition and transportation aid to school
districts.
● Establishes a program for the recruitment of educators (SB140), which would be funded by available
American Rescue Plan (ARPA) Act or Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds.
● Appropriates $1.0 million to a newly created Commission on New Hampshire Civics to develop a textbook
for civics classrooms in the state.
● Appropriates $10.0 million for the Public School Infrastructure Fund, which provides school security grants
to districts.
● Provides $9.2 million for payments to education service providers, on behalf of school districts, for children
with disabilities relative to placements for an episode of treatment.
● Appropriates $500,000 for additional aid to school districts for adult education programs.
CCSNH & USNH
● Funds CCSNH at $124.66 million in the upcoming biennium (up from $113.5 million in the current biennium)
● Provides $5.0 million for the Dual and Concurrent Enrollment Program (also increases the annual course
cap from 2 to 4)
● Provides $3.0 million to support the CCSNH Promise Program, which will provide targeted tuition assistance
to Pell eligible students
● Funds USNH at $190.0 million in the upcoming biennium (up from $177.0 million in the current biennium)
● Appropriates an additional $3.0 million, to be matched with an additional $3.0 million by USNH, for a total of
$6.0 million, for Plymouth State University and Keene State College.
Health & Human Services
● Allocates $134 million in general funds for provider rate increases benefiting a multitude of provider types,
including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health aides, community mental health centers,
developmental services providers, birthing centers, and more.
● Extends the Granite Advantage Health Care Program for an additional seven years.
● Allocates $1.2 million in general funds over the biennium for juvenile diversion programs.
● Provides approximately $67 million over the biennium for the system of care for children’s behavioral health.
● Provides $110 million for the biennium for prescription drug benefits for seniors dually eligible for Medicare
and Medicaid
● Provides $200,000 over the biennium for the foster grandparent program.
● Provides $1,500,000 over the biennium for congregate housing for seniors.
● Allocates $400,000 for tuition and training reimbursement for licensed nursing assistants.
● Provides $500,000 for a brain health public awareness campaign to address Alzheimer’s and related
dementias, fully incorporating SB 234 into HB 2.
● Holds county costs for long-term care services flat at the FY23 level.
● Provides over $1.6 million for a system of care for healthy aging (SB36)
● Fully funds developmental services, acquired brain disorder services, and children’s in-home support
services.
● Retains the $23.4 million back-of-budget reduction and maintains the cap on full-time authorized positions at
3,000.
Housing & Childcare
● Appropriates $20 million in general funds in FY 2023 to the affordable housing fund.
● Adds $10 million for homeless shelter programs, of which $8 million will be used to increase rates paid to
shelters and $2 million will be distributed to counties to assist with homeless shelters, cold weather shelters,
and hotel stays.
● Makes permanent the InvestNH Program by investing $10 million into the program allowing grants to be
made to municipalities to further accelerate the approval and construction of workforce housing.
● Establishes a Housing Champion Designation and Grant Program and provides $5 million to help
municipalities implement infrastructure improvements and tools to incentivize development of workforce
housing.
● Provides $15 million for recruitment and retention benefit grants to childcare employers in the state.
● Retains a variety of measures to support working parents’ access to childcare programs, using federal TANF
reserve funds for the following:
○ Preventing a waitlist for employment-based child day care services; o Increasing eligibility for
childcare services to 85 percent of the state median income; and
○ Establishing reimbursement rates across all childcare programs at the 75th percentile, as
determined by a market rate survey.
● In addition to the measures above, modifies the childcare scholarship program by removing the parent
cost-share for any eligible family at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level, and limiting the
per-week cost share to $5 for families between 100 percent and 138 percent of the federal poverty level.
(Funds with federal TANF reserve funds with no impact on the general fund.)
Veterans
● Funds the Veterans Home at an assumed resident census of 225.
● Provides the Veterans Home with budgetary flexibility in the event income from residents’ payments and
Veterans Administration payments are less than anticipated.
Additional Highlights
● Includes language from HB 347 to establish a land use review docket in the superior court with jurisdiction to
hear appeals from decisions of local land use boards, including but not limited to decisions of municipal
planning boards, zoning boards, historic district commissions, and conservation commissions. The
additional Superior Court judge included in the budget will preside over these cases as well as other
Superior Court cases as needed.
● Establishes a non-lapsing New Hampshire State Prison Fund and appropriates $10 million from FY 2023
surplus funds for the preliminary design and complete site survey for a new state prison in Concord.
● Includes language from HB 330 which increases the national guard enlistment cash incentive from $500 to
$1,000 to current or former members of the guard for new or prior service recruits they bring into the NH
national guard.
● Appropriates $400,000, over the biennium, for grants to regional economic development corporations.
● Appropriates $200,000 for the Farm / Ranch Stress Assistance Program
● Provides $800,000 to the Internet Crimes Against Children fund
● Appropriates $500,000 to the Department of Justice to support efforts to combat human trafficking.
● Removes the Renewable Energy Fund and the Greenhouse Energy Efficiency Fund from the operating
budget. Both funds are continuously appropriated and nonlapsing, statutorily restricted in purpose, have the
authority to accept and expend funds, and have separate reporting requirements.
● Restores three full-time positions in recognition of the additional responsibilities to the Department of Energy
resulting from legislation passed by both bodies in the current session.
● Continues the Substance Abuse Enforcement Program (Granite Shield) by appropriating approximately $2.1
million over the biennium
● Provides $1.0 million to the Body-Worn and Dashboard Camera Fund, to provide matching grants to local
law enforcement agencies to assist with the purchase, maintenance, and replacement of equipment, as well
as ongoing costs associated with data storage.
● Appropriates $2.8 million for the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program.
● Establishes a Pulp and Paper Manufacturing Industry Stabilization Grant Program and funds it with $1.5
million in general funds.
● Appropriates an additional $2 million of general funds from FY 2023 to the 2022 appropriation of $25 million
PFAS Response Fund for investigation, testing, monitoring for PFAS, and to conduct scientific investigation
to support standards and treatment and remediation methods for PFAS.
● Includes $27.9 million in grants to municipalities for water pollution control projects in HB 2.
● Adds a $1 million appropriation to the Cyanobacteria Mitigation Loan Program
● Provides $9.7 million of general funds in FY 2023 for the Nashua / Litchfield water main interconnection
project.