Gov. Sununu lays out 2018 goals

On Thursday, February 15 Gov. Chris Sununu delivered the State of the State address to the Legislature. He highlighted some accomplishments of the state government in 2017 and laid out his goals for 2018.

Past year’s highlights

• Sununu highlighted business tax cuts and the creation of the Department of Business and Economic Affairs as important changes to attract more businesses to the state. Click here to learn more about the debate over business taxes in New Hampshire.
• Last year’s budget included more money for local infrastructure grants and school building funds. Sununu highlighted this as a way to contain local property tax rates. Click here to learn more about property taxes in New Hampshire.
• Last year the Legislature also approved more funding for the Department of Health and Human Services for child protection and mental health. Click here to learn more about the challenges facing the mental health system in New Hampshire.

“Simply put, ‘Life in New Hampshire is better today than it was one year ago – and that’s no accident.’”

This year’s goals

Gov. Sununu listed the following policies as priorities for the coming year.

• The Governor’s Cup: Sununu introduced this new robotics competition for high schoolers in New Hampshire. Seniors on the winning team will receive a tuition free semester at any school within the University or Community College System.
• SB 193: This bill would allow a parents to take the state portion of per-pupil education funding as a scholarship for private or home schooling. Click here to read an article about these proposed “Education Savings Accounts.”

“Education Savings Accounts will be our most significant step yet, in giving parents and children the ability to choose the education path that is best suited for them.”

• CACR 22: This proposed constitutional amendment, called Marcy’s Law, would establish certain rights for crime victims.
• SB 592: This bill authorizes spending to hire more child protective service workers, and allows funding for services to more families in need of services.
• Recovery Friendly Workplaces: The Governor explained this opioid epidemic initiative as follows:

“This is an opportunity for New Hampshire to help change the culture around addiction by engaging employers in being a proactive part of the conversation by providing tools, resources, and opening up access to treatment like never before.”

• HB 1104: This bill would cut down on the timeline for state permits, ideally eliminating some red tape for businesses.
• Executive order on veterans services: Sununu announced an Executive Order to increase the coordination of veterans services across several offices in the Executive Branch.
• Medicaid: Gov. Sununu did not address Medicaid expansion directly. Right now the program is scheduled to end in December, and there is no bill to continue the program. He said the following:

“Moving forward, we will have a New Hampshire designed plan for Medicaid. At the moment, we have slightly different ideas about how to get there. We’re working through our ideas and working with the federal government to ensure our plan has a viable work requirement while maximizing our flexibilities and options.”

• SB 569: This bill would increase regulations on animal breeders. It would also give courts a way to compel owners to pay for the care of an abused animal during a trial. Click here to learn more about the debates around animal rights in New Hampshire.

Do you agree with Gov. Sununu’s goals for 2018? Share your opinion in the comments below.