Committee advances HB 650 to clean up state dedicated funds, caps robotics account

The House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday recommended that House Bill 650, a bill to revise several dedicated funds in state law, "ought to pass" after a public hearing and executive session.

The bill, presented in public testimony by Dan Maguire, chair of the Joint Committee on Dedicated Funds, would remove references to funds already repealed from RSA 6:12, create a separate dedicated account for Cannon Mountain winter activities distinct from other state parks accounts, and place a cap on the robotics education dedicated fund so that no more than $1 million can accumulate there; any excess would lapse back to the general fund. "This year we created 2 bills," Maguire told the committee, describing the measure as the non-technical cleanup remaining after the committee's five‑year review of dedicated funds.

Committee member Susan Almeid (City of Lebanon) told the panel the parks change is largely an accounting separation that makes the winter activities at Cannon Mountain easier to track, and said high schools had been receiving robotics grants from a fund that has been underspent relative to annual deposits. The $1 million cap was described in testimony as a practical limit to avoid timing problems when revenues and expenditures occur at different points in the fiscal year.

In executive session Representative Susan Almi moved the "ought to pass" report for HB 650 (FN); Representative Elberger seconded. The clerk reported a vote tally of 16 in favor, 0 opposed. Committee leadership placed the bill on the consent calendar after the vote.

The bill does not change how park operations are run, according to testimony, but will split the single parks account so winter (Cannon Mountain) activity is shown separately from other park activity. The robotics provision removes non‑lapsing status while allowing up to $1 million to accumulate before lapsing the remainder to the general fund; the committee discussed the limit as a Senate suggestion to avoid intra‑year timing shortfalls.

The committee framed most of the changes as housekeeping and administrative adjustments discovered during its statutory review cycle; Maguire said the Joint Committee on Dedicated Funds examines 20% of dedicated funds each year on a five‑year rotation. Supporters in testimony characterized the parks change as primarily accounting clarity, while the robotics cap was described as a modest policy change to limit a growing balance.

The committee took no up‑or‑down amendments in public session and advanced the bill as reported.