In the recently passed House budget, there is absolutely no need to reduce the psychiatric services provided to New Hampshire’s mental health beneficiaries eligible for state services.

Currently, the state provides 80 percent of the revenue needed to operate 10 community mental health centers, yet only 39 percent of their patients are state eligible for services.

The reductions in mental health services contained in the budget passed by the New Hampshire House are an attempt to ensure that state payments to the community mental health centers are used for only services rendered to those eligible for state care, not to subsidize care for those not eligible for state services.

The New Hampshire House of Representatives has accepted what is possibly the most difficult budget ever prepared and has sent it on to the Senate. It is a budget constrained by a reduction in revenues of about three-quarters of a billion dollars which is an immense amount in our state.

The State of New Hampshire is currently considering HB 156, a bill that would reduce the tax on cigarettes by ten cents per pack and reduce the tax on other tobacco products by 17%. As a member of New Hampshire’s small business community and as a member of the NH House of Representatives, I wholeheartedly support this legislation and was proud to vote for two weeks ago.

America’s wealth did not occur by accident. It was the result of a system carefully crafted by our Founders, based on the principles of personal and economic freedom, the rule of law and personal property rights, and Judeo/Christian morality.

When Republicans took control of the state legislature back in January, we made clear that our goal was to bring transformative change to state government to make it live within its means and to provide a sustainable government that encouraged economic growth.

To date, the House has delivered on its word of transforming government. While we still need to work with the Senate to bring this change to the citizens, we have certainly passed a number of bills that have been historic.

While some will say that the House has been distracted from time to time this session, there is a group of legislators who are in fact highly focused on creating jobs and building the New Hampshire economy. This bi-partisan group, called the NH House Business Coalition, meets weekly to evaluate and make recommendation to the entire body on bills that directly impact the business community.