Demand A Better Budget

The State Senate's Finance Committee will hold a public hearing on the state budget tomorrow, Tuesday, May 6th, at 1PM in Representatives Hall at the State House, 107 N Main St, Concord. Let your voice be heard! Demand a budget that puts people first. 

New Hampshire deserves a budget that puts people first - one that invests in our public schools, protects our communities, strengthens public health, and ensures that all NH families can thrive. 

OPPOSE HB 1-A, making appropriations for the expenses of certain departments of the state for fiscal years ending June 30, 2026 and June 30, 2027. 

OPPOSE HB 2-FN-A-L, relative to state fees, funds, revenues, and expenditures.

Take Action by Tuesday! 

Sign into the Senate's Remote Sign In Tool. OPPOSE HB1 and HB2:

1. Sign into the Senate Remote Sign-In Sheet to voice your opposition.
2. Select:

• Tuesday, May 6th on the calendar
• Senate Finance
• 1:00 p.m. - HB1
• I am a member of the public.
• I am representing myself
• I oppose this bill
• Hit the continue button

3. Enter your personal information and hit the continue button.
4. Review your information, click the checkbox, and submit.
5. Repeat the steps to OPPOSE HB2.  

Email the members of the Senate Finance Committee 

Copy and paste the email addresses below into your email. Tell them to oppose HB1 and HB2 as currently written! If you have personal stories you can share about how the budget would negatively impact you, those can be powerful talking points.

Keith.Murphy@gc.nh.gov, Daniel.Innis@gc.nh.gov, Sharon.Carson@gc.nh.gov, Ruth.Ward@gc.nh.gov, Cindy.Rosenwald@gc.nh.gov, Debra.Altschiller@gc.nh.gov, joshua.schauer@gc.nh.gov

Show Up! 

Join us at the Representatives Hall in Concord at 1PM on Tuesday, May 6th. Let's fill the room and raise our voices to demand a budget that reflects the values of equity, opportunity, and dignity for all Granite Staters. Your presence matters. Lawmakers need to see that we’re watching and we won’t accept a budget that leaves our communities behind. The hearing is scheduled for 1-5PM. If needed, additional time will be allotted after the committee takes a 5-6PM dinner break.

Individuals who wish to speak will need to sign up in person. This is your final chance to speak up at a public hearing about your concerns with the state budget. It provides your best chance of influencing the budget’s outcome.

Join the Rally! 

Kent Street Coalition and others have organized a State House rally from 12-1PM, immediately before the hearing begins. Come show your solidarity for a better budget, hold a sign, and listen to speakers. After, join others for the hearing. 

Contact the Governor

Let Governor Ayotte know that this budget is not acceptable. You can send a letter, call her office, and/or send an email.

Governor Kelly Ayotte
Office of the Governor, State House
107 North Main Street, Concord, NH 03301
(603)-271-2121
Kelly.A.Ayotte@governor.nh.gov

Some of the issues with the State Budget include:

• Major cuts to services like reproductive health centers. Defunding programs like the Family Planning Program, Tobacco Prevention, and the Prescription Drug Affordability Board - programs that keep our communities healthy and safe.
• $50 million cut to the university and community college systems, which will result in the largest in-state tuition increase in over a decade. New Hampshire ranks last in funding public higher education, which leads to higher in-state tuition costs. Granite Staters may choose to forgo a postsecondary degree or attend college out-of-state to reduce costs. New Hampshire continues to struggle with youth retention: by 2029, Granite State workers are projected to have a median age of 43.3, the oldest workforce in the country, while failing to attract young people to our state. 
• Reducing Medicaid reimbursement rates by 3%, risking access to healthcare for our most vulnerable. This adds Medicaid premiums for our state's most needy - something they cannot afford.
• Dismantling four essential state agencies, like the Human Rights Commission and Office of the Child Advocate.
• Universal vouchers with no income limits have been inserted into the state budget. That will add a $100 million cost annually, which is fiscally irresponsible given the current budget shortfalls. 
• Vouchers drain resources from public education and subsidize families whose children had never attended public school (around 85% of families currently receiving vouchers). The program has little accountability or oversight mechanisms in place. Expanding it to wealthy families by removing income limits is overreach, not in keeping with the original scope of the EFA program, and is irresponsible. 
• The people who will feel the budget cuts the hardest are the Granite Staters most at risk - families struggling to make ends meet, children, seniors, the disabled, and people accessing treatment and recovery for substance use.
• Budget impacts will affect county services such as Head Start, Fuel Assistance, Meal on Wheels, and will result in additional property taxes at the county level.
• A $19 million per year reduction in funding to the Community Mental Health Program, which provides critical resources for mental health services throughout the state.
• Moms Demand Action shares: The budget "has attached over 37 policies and bills to the budget including legalizing certain weapons, including slung shots and metallic knuckles, and creating a new category of firearm that can only be manufactured and sold within New Hampshire to avoid regulation by the federal government."

Further reading on the budget:

• Excellent budget resources from the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute.
• https://new-futures.org/post/2025-Statement-House-Budget
• https://indepthnh.org/2025/04/28/health-care-cuts-in-house-budget-get-second-look-in-senate-finance/
• Rep. David Meuse's insights are always informative. Here is his budget summary.

NOTE: When using talking points, please take an extra minute or two to put thoughts into your own words rather than copying and pasting. There are many legislators who will discount viewpoints if they see it is exactly the same as that received by others. Thank you! 

You may watch House hearings live or recorded here.
You may watch Senate hearings live or recorded here. 

Info Sourced from Hillsborough County Democratic Committee