HOUSE AND SENATE CELEBRATE END OF SUCCESSFUL SESSION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                          Thursday, June 5, 2008

Contact: Senator Sylvia Larsen

(603) 271-2111

House Speaker Terie Norelli

(603) 271-3661

HOUSE AND SENATE CELEBRATE END OF SUCCESSFUL SESSION

CONCORD – After working late to ensure the state budget remains on solid footing, the House and Senate adjourned for 2008 with several major pieces of legislation brought to a successful close.

“We’ve acted to ensure the state remains on solid ground financially as we weather the national economic downturn. This will help us preserve our ability to provide essential state services,” said Senate President Sylvia Larsen. “We’ve also made progress on important issues like kindergarten aid, workforce housing, investing in our infrastructure and stabilizing our state retirement fund. I thank both the Senate and the House members for all their hard work – we’ve come a long way.”

“Tonight the Democratic Majority followed the New Hampshire tradition of ensuring a balanced budget and protecting the essential services for the citizens of the state,” said House Speaker Terie Norelli (D-Portsmouth).

In the special session, the House and Senate agreed to a package of legislation that helps protect the state budget from decreasing revenues in 2008 and sets the stage for a balanced budget at the end of the biennium in 2009.

It requires the Pease Development Authority to repay the approximately $10.5 million it owes the state, allows the bonding of school building aid in 2008 if necessary to ensure a balanced budget and allows the bonding of up to $40 million of school building aid in 2009. It also includes allows the New Hampshire community college system to move forward with the sale of its Stratham campus and its relocation to the Pease International Tradeport.

This legislation, together with budget and revenue adjustments contained in Senate Bill 321, will protect state funding for vital services. Senate Bill 321 reduces budgets for the judicial and legislative branches. If certain revenue targets are not met, it allows for an increase in the tobacco tax, and it allows the state Liquor Commission to optimize profits by adjusting the discount large retailers receive on wine purchases.

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Today’s session ended with the final vote on several other critical pieces of legislation, sending them on to the governor. Those bills include:

• The Online Child Safety Act (SB495), designed to modernize and strengthen the state’s laws covering Internet solicitation of children, child pornography and indecent exposure via new technologies such as web cams.

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• Kindergarten aid (SB530) to help the 12 remaining communities that must implement public kindergarten. The bill calls for full state funding of portable classrooms, fixtures and furniture for kindergarten as well as aid for temporary construction. It also permits districts to sign short-term contract with private kindergartens that meet state standards.

• The New Hampshire Retirement System overhaul (HB1645), which will protect taxpayers from a potentially overwhelming tax increase. It also protects retirees and provides for a new investment committee made up of experts who can begin to improve the performance of the retirement system investments.

• Ten-year transportation plan (HB1646) to address the state’s infrastructure needs. The bill sets more realistic goals for transportation improvements over the next 10 years. Among other things, it provides for the repair of Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth, the widening of Interstate 93, completion of the southern leg of the Conway bypass, completion of the Granite Street exit in Manchester and repairs to 89 red-listed bridges throughout the state.

• Workforce housing (HB1442), which incorporates provisions originally contained in Senate Bill 199 that will help non-profit agencies and developers that provide subsidized housing.