FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                          Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Contact: Senator Joseph Foster

(603) 271-2111

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS PASSAGE OF CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

CONCORD – The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-2 today to recommend passage of a constitutional amendment that was the product of a bipartisan compromise.

CACR 34 was drafted by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Foster (D-Nashua) and Republican Leader Ted Gatsas (R-Manchester). It has the support of Governor John Lynch.

“We need a constitutional amendment that gives the Legislature the flexibility to distribute state education aid to the communities that need it the most,” Foster said.

The language of their proposed amendment affirms the state’s responsibility for defining an adequate education but would allow the Legislature to “distribute state funds for public education in a manner that alleviates local disparities.”

“I think it’s important to give people in the state of New Hampshire an opportunity to vote on something they can understand,” Gatsas said.

While several other speakers testified in favor of other language for a constitutional amendment, Gatsas counseled against making changes to this proposed amendment.

“As soon as you tweak it the first time, you’re going to have to tweak it 424 times,” he said, referring to the combined membership of the House and Senate.

“Rather than argue about language, we need to look and see if the amendment allows us to do what we need to do. This one does,” Foster said.

The Judiciary Committee voted against three other proposed constitutional amendments on the same subject today. But the favorable vote on CACR 34 means it could go to a vote on the Senate floor as early as next week.

Currently, the Legislature is required to fund the first and last dollar of what it defines as an adequate education. Both Gatsas and Foster said that makes it impossible to really help communities who struggle with a high number of economically disadvantaged students and/or a small tax base to provide for those students.