Transcript Highlights:

• Southworth of Walden. Southworth of Walden. Southworth of Walden. Squirrel of Underhill.
• Southworth of Walden. Yes. Southworth of Walden. Yes. Squire of Underhill. Yes.
• Southworth<02:56:32.400><c> of</c><02:56:32.480><c> Walden.</c><02:56:33.160><c> Yes.
• </c> Southworth of Walden. Yes. Southworth of Walden. Yes.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Southworth of Walden. Squire of Underhill. Squire of Underhill. Squire of Underhill.
• Southworth of Walden? Squire of Underhill? Study of Milton? Stevens of Waterbury?
• Southworth<02:25:52.440><c> of</c><02:25:52.480><c> Walden?</c> Southworth of Walden?
• Southworth of Walden? Squire<02:25:54.360><c> of</c><02:25:54.440><c> Underhill?

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Southworth of Walden. Yes. Yes. Yes. Squire of Underhill. Steele of Milton. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> Second from Representative Southworth. >> Would you like to speak to your motion?
• &gt;&gt; Representative<01:59:34.480><c> Southworth,</c> &gt;&gt; Representative Southworth, &gt;&gt;
• Representative Southworth, &gt;&gt; yes.
• &gt;&gt; Representative<02:04:54.239><c> Southworth.</c> &gt;&gt; Representative Southworth.
• &gt;&gt; Representative Southworth.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> Representative Southworth. >> Yes. >> Representative Malloy is not here. >> Representative Shamberg
• &gt;&gt; Representative<01:37:54.880><c> Southworth.</c> &gt;&gt; Representative Southworth.
• &gt;&gt; Representative Southworth. &gt;&gt; Yes. &gt;&gt; Yes. &gt;&gt; Yes.
• Representative Southworth. >> Yes. Representative Mallaloy is not present.
• Representative Southworth: Yes. Representative Malloy is still not here.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Southworth is not here. Representative Malloy votes yes.
• &gt;&gt; Representative<02:17:38.240><c> Southworth</c><02:17:38.800><c> is</c><02:17:39.040><c> not<
• </c> &gt;&gt; Representative Southworth is not here.
• &gt;&gt; Representative Southworth is not here. Represent<02:17:40.479><c> Mallaloy.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Southworth— What's that? What I'm going to do is Mr. Southworth. Yes. Thank you.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The committee first approved the March 20 minutes and then adopted the remainder of the consent calendar, after removing two items for separate discussion. On item 26071, members questioned a $95,000 DoubleTree Manchester contract for a two-day conference. Department staff said the hotel was the only bidder, the conference typically draws more than 500 attendees, most of the cost is food offset by registration fees, and attendees pay their own lodging except for presenters. The committee then approved the item. On item 26068, members asked for clearer reporting on remaining federal funds in continuing items. DHHS said about $10.3 million remained as of February 28, 2026, and agreed to provide the original award amounts and a reconciliation later. The committee approved the item. The committee then took up a DHHS transfer item for the developmental disability system, where officials said projected costs had risen because of delayed pandemic-era billings, new individuals entering the system, and higher individual service budgets. They said the budget was built on older assumptions, that carryforward funds had fallen from about $94 million to $72 million, and that the transfer would not affect lapse because it shifts general funds while federal Medicaid funds are accepted in return. The item was adopted. The committee also approved a hiring request and then a late Corrections item tied to overtime and recruitment. Corrections officials said the department is about 50% staffed for corrections officers, typical overtime is an eight-hour shift, inmate populations are beginning to rise again, and the department is using academy blitzes, out-of-state recruiting, targeted advertising, and a $10,000 sign-on bonus paid after academy completion and one year of service. Senator Gray said the late item was intended to help reduce a larger request expected in June, and the committee adopted the item. Finally, members questioned DHHS item 26074 on the New Hampshire Care Connection system and its interoperability with provider and managed care systems. DHHS said the system already has SMART on FHIR integration, single sign-on, and deeper integration options, and that managed care organizations are working with the contractor on use cases and data exchange. Officials said the project has been multi-phase, including the 988 crisis-response migration, privacy/security work, a provider network of more than 100 organizations, and a searchable resource portal managed by Granite United Way. They said the closed-referral solution is funded largely with Medicaid federal funds and is planned to continue in the base budget, not the rural health grant. The discussion ended without further action noted in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Southworth of Walden. Yes. Squirl of Underhill. No. Sackett of Randolph. No. Sackett of Randolph.
• Southworth<03:56:21.360><c> of</c><03:56:21.400><c> Walden.</c><03:56:22.000><c> Yes.
• </c> Southworth of Walden. Yes. Southworth of Walden. Yes.
• Southworth of Walden. Southworth of Walden. Squier of Underhill. Squier of Underhill.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Southworth of Walden. Squirrel of Underh Hill. Yes. Steady, Milton. Stevens, Waterberry. Yes.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• . >> Southworth of Walden. >> Southworth of Walden. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Squirrel of Under Hill

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Additional work is also needed at Anacortes, Edmonds, and Southworth due to these piling issues.

Summary: The committee received a detailed staff presentation on Washington State Ferries’ capital needs, current fleet status, and long-range funding outlook. Staff described the current service pattern, ridership recovery since the pandemic, the aging fleet, and the state’s plan to add three new hybrid-electric Olympic-class vessels under the 2025 budget, with delivery expected around 2030-2032. Members also heard that the fleet is operating with no reserve vessel, that preservation time is below the desired level, and that terminal electrification and vessel conversion plans face timing, cost, and procurement risks. Questions focused on ridership trends, biofuel supply, design-risk allocation in vessel contracts, sequencing of terminal electrification with new vessel delivery, and the cost and feasibility of restoring international Sidney service, which would require a SOLAS-certified vessel. Staff then outlined ferry capital funding, saying recent spending and programmed needs are far above regular ferry-specific revenues and that the system relies on a mix of dedicated accounts, transportation package money, federal grants, and transfers. They said the near-term budget is balanced through 2027-29, but the longer-term capital outlook shows a shortfall of roughly $250 million to $300 million per biennium, with broader unmet needs much higher. The presentation estimated costs for future vessels, life extensions, terminal electrification, and additional Jumbo Mark II conversions, and noted that the current enacted plan does not fully fund fleet replacement, full electrification, or life extension of older vessels. Members asked for follow-up information on terminal seismic/environmental issues, contract options for additional vessels, and the timing and cost of alternative vessel designs. The committee then shifted to WSDOT maintenance and preservation. Pascoe Focktich described maintenance operations, including winter response, guardrail repair, facilities, equipment, and the effects of underfunding and inflation. He said most of the maintenance budget is fixed cost and labor, that material prices have risen sharply, and that many facilities are in poor condition with asbestos issues and deferred upkeep. He also noted growing guardrail damage, increasing pavement claims, and the burden of maintaining aging bridges and facilities. Members asked about prior planning for these needs, the role of asbestos, and whether more proactive sequencing could help budget decisions. Troy Suing then presented the highway preservation program, saying WSDOT is in the early stages of critical failure and has stretched preservation dollars as far as possible. He explained the distinction between pavement, bridge, and other highway asset preservation, said the department is largely reactive, and estimated that delaying work can make it three to five times more expensive later. He said about 40% of roadways are currently due or overdue for preservation, bridge conditions are nearing the federal poor-bridge threshold, and the department’s 10-year preservation need is about $8 billion. Members asked about the cost of deferring work, whether the department could do more if funded, how priorities are set, and whether other states face similar problems. Finally, Evan Grimm and Mike Fay briefed the committee on bridge strikes by overheight vehicles. They described recent incidents on I-90 near Cle Elum and SR 410 near White River, the damage and closures caused, and possible countermeasures such as public outreach, improved trip-planning tools, and a pilot warning system with sensors and flashing beacons. Fay explained the state’s financial recovery process for third-party damage, saying WSDOT recovers roughly $20 million per biennium and about 78% to 80% of billed damages, with money going to the motor vehicle fund. Members asked about prevention, insurance recovery, and whether the state uses claim data to inform future design or safety changes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Southworth voted yes. Representative Malloy voted yes.
• Representative Southworth voted yes. Representative Malo voted yes.
• Representative Southworth voted no. Representative Malloy voted no.
• Murphy yes representative<05:19:48.920><c> alus</c><05:19:49.400><c> missing</c> Representative Southworth

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting featured presentations from the Department of Administrative Services and the Treasury Department on state revenue reporting and unclaimed property. State Comptroller Dana Call explained DAS’s role in compiling statewide revenue reports, including the annual revenue plan set through the budget process and the monthly revenue focus reports that track cash receipts. She noted that unrestricted general fund revenue is about $2 billion annually, while miscellaneous other revenue is a much smaller and less predictable category, averaging roughly $30 million to $32 million a year. She also described two more material internal revenue lines: statewide indirect cost recoveries and post-retirement benefit recoveries, which are billed to agencies and often tied to federal reimbursement rules. Members asked about the interest line in the revenue charts and about how the figures were presented, and Call clarified that the totals were in millions and that the interest item would be explained by the Treasurer. She also explained that the indirect cost and post-retirement recoveries are internal cost allocations that flow back into the unrestricted revenue pool and are reflected in agency budgets as interagency costs. Treasurer Monica Meissner then outlined Treasury Department functions, including bank deposits, statewide disbursements, banking relationships, investments, debt management, compliance, the FONA College Savings Program, the ABLE Plan, scholarship programs, and the abandoned property program. In discussing unclaimed property, she said holders report property after a five-year dormancy period, the state uses automated systems and outreach to locate owners, and claim activity has increased. In fiscal year 2024, the state returned about $12.2 million to citizens through roughly 12,000 claims; over the last 10 years, about $72.6 million has been returned. She also said the state escheated $19.9 million to the general fund and $1.8 million to counties last year, and explained that securities-related proceeds are harder to estimate because they depend on market conditions. No votes or formal actions were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Southworth, thank you for taking my question. I missed it at the beginning.
• > way</c> still I only look that way still I only look that way representative<00:33:59.000><c> Southworth
• /c><00:33:59.720><c> thank</c><00:33:59.840><c> you</c><00:33:59.960><c> for</c> representative Southworth
• thank you for representative Southworth thank you for taking<00:34:00.519><c> my</c><00:34:00.760><c

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The public hearing focused on HB 290, which would raise cigarette and e-cigarette/vaping taxes and create a committee to study tobacco and nicotine tax policy. Representative Jerry Stringham introduced the bill as both a public health and revenue measure, arguing that nicotine use causes health harms and public costs, and that New Hampshire’s cigarette tax has been unchanged at $1.78 per pack since 2013. He said the bill would raise the cigarette tax by $1 per pack to $2.78, still below most New England states, and would also adjust vaping taxes, which he described as having been set as placeholder rates in 2019. He said the bill would also establish a study committee to review broader tobacco and nicotine taxation, including products such as premium cigars. In response to questions, Stringham said the proposed cigarette tax would be roughly equal in real dollars to the 2008 rate after inflation, and he suggested that a smaller annual increase could be considered, though he believed a larger increase would have a stronger public health effect. He explained that the vaping tax structure differs between closed and open systems because one taxes a fixed hardware product while the other taxes reusable liquid, and he said the proposal would move the rates toward a more uniform approach. He also said New Hampshire would remain below neighboring states even after the increase, though members raised concerns about cross-border shopping, business impacts, and preserving the state’s competitive advantage. Several members questioned whether the bill’s main purpose was revenue or reducing smoking and vaping. Stringham said he viewed it primarily as a public health bill, but also as a revenue measure, and said he would consider it successful even if consumption fell enough to reduce revenue. Other members emphasized personal freedom and argued the committee should focus on taxation rather than cessation, while some supported the bill as a way to capture revenue from out-of-state buyers and keep New Hampshire’s rates below surrounding states. The hearing consisted of testimony and questions only; no vote or final action was taken in the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Southworth of Walden. [clears throat] Squirrell of Underhill. Steady of Milton.
• Southworth of Walden. Squires of Underhill. Steady of Milton. Stevens of Waterbury.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Marjorie Smith, Representative Snodgrass, Representative Sorenson, Representative Southworth

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Southworth is not present. Representative Malloy yes. Representative Shamberg yes.
• representative Aly<04:28:18.880><c> yes</c><04:28:19.479><c> representative</c><04:28:20.080><c> Southworth
• </c><04:28:20.479><c> is</c><04:28:20.640><c> not</c> Aly yes representative Southworth is not Aly yes
• representative Southworth is not present<04:28:21.560><c> representative</c><04:28:22.040><c> Malloy

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee received an overview from Chris of the Legislative Budget Assistance Office on how it will estimate unrestricted revenues for the General Fund, Education Trust Fund, Highway Fund, and Fish and Game Fund. He explained that the committee’s work is based on current law, not pending bills, and that the estimates will feed into a House resolution and an amendment to House Bill 1, the operating budget. He also described the broader budget process, including how House and Senate estimates are reconciled, how surplus statements account for revenue changes from enacted bills, and how a committee of conference could resolve differences later in the session. No votes were taken. Members then asked about why the Education Trust Fund was running below plan. Chris said the shortfall appeared to be driven largely by business taxes, including differences in the BET/BPT split and improved tax-processing systems that better track where business tax payments belong. Representative Orr also asked about tobacco tax collections and out-of-state sales; Chris said tobacco revenue was likely overestimated in 2023 based on COVID-era patterns, with more people smoking at home, and noted that e-cigarette tax revenue goes to the General Fund while cigarette taxes are split between the General Fund and Education Trust Fund. He said he did not have a specific estimate for cross-border sales. Commissioner Lindsay St. Pierre of the Department of Revenue then began a deeper dive into the department’s role and the taxes it administers. She reviewed the department’s mission, organizational structure, taxpayer services, and the tax policy and legislative analysis staff who prepare fiscal notes and testify on bills. She noted that the department administers about $2.9 billion in revenue across major taxes such as business taxes, meals and rooms, and utility property tax, and that the figures being discussed were preliminary because the annual report had not yet been issued. The discussion was informational only, with no formal action taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• Southworth of Walden. Yes. Squier of Underhill. Stedman of Milton. Yes. Stevens of Waterbury. Yes.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Southworth, yes. Representative Ames, yes. Representative Shamberg, yes.
• representative</c> representative Aly yes representative representative Aly yes representative Southworth
• yes</c><03:46:57.920><c> representative</c><03:46:58.399><c> Ames</c><03:46:59.239><c> yes</c> Southworth
• yes representative Ames yes Southworth yes representative Ames yes representative<03:47:00.319><c> shamberg

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on House Bill 224, which would redirect most money from New Hampshire’s renewable energy fund back to electric ratepayers. The bill sponsor argued the measure would lower energy costs, noting recent utility rate increases and estimating annual savings of roughly $2.5 million to $7.3 million for ratepayers. Supporters said the fund has accumulated money that should be returned to customers rather than used for subsidies, and they emphasized that the state has already rebated similar funds from RGGI for years. Opponents, including Rep. Kat McGee, argued the renewable energy fund is a successful, nonlapsing dedicated fund that supports local clean-energy projects, energy resilience, emissions reductions, and private investment. McGee said the fiscal note overstated the benefit of rebates and understated the loss of investment, claiming the average annual rebate would amount to less than $10 per customer while the program has helped leverage significant private dollars and nearly 10,000 projects. She urged the committee to reject the bill as a poor deal for the state and ratepayers. Committee members questioned the fiscal note, the size of the rebate, whether the bill would set a precedent for other dedicated funds, and whether the program’s incentives amount to picking winners and losers. The Department of Energy testified neutrally, explaining how the renewable energy fund works, including renewable energy credits, alternative compliance payments, and the fund’s use for renewable energy initiatives. No vote was taken in the portion of the hearing provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you have any questions, I also have our chief offender of management, Don Southworth, up front in

Bills: AB49, AB169, AB188, AB284, AB296, AB306, AB356, AB366, AB467, AB499, AB515, AB540, AB542, AB595

Keywords: educational personnel, teacher licensing, reciprocal licensure, provisional teaching, school counselors, school nurses, school social workers, state education standards, health insurance, speech-language pathology, stuttering, rehabilitative services, habilitative services, coverage requirements, health plans, retired public employees, subsidy, Medicare, health reimbursement arrangement, Public Employees' Benefits Program

Transcript Highlights:

• by Representatives Mary Murphy, Geneian, Ford, Cole, Ulery, Sodi, Shamburgg, Tierney, Almy, and Southworth
• by Representatives Mary Murphy, Geneian, Ford, Cole, Ulery, Sodi, Shamburgg, Tierney, Almy, and Southworth

Keywords: 1189, house, all