Senate committee adopts capital budget amendments, adds $200,000 for prison kitchen equipment

The New Hampshire Senate Capital Budget Committee voted to adopt House Bill 25 as amended, approving a package of technical changes and at least one targeted funding increase aimed at correcting cost overruns for prison kitchen equipment.

The action came after the committee reviewed a staff-provided spreadsheet and a floor amendment packet. Committee staff said the package aligns with sections 1 and 2 of HB 25 and includes changes the committee tentatively agreed with from Administrative Services and the House. Committee members approved an amendment to add $200,000 under the Department of Corrections for kitchen fixtures and equipment at the New Hampshire State Prison for men in Concord.

The amendment adding $200,000 was presented by Grant Bossy, deputy chief of staff for the New Hampshire Senate, who said the request originated with Senator Kevin Avard after Avard toured the Concord facility and was "alarmed at the state of the kitchen." Bossy said the Department of Corrections identified roughly $200,000 in cost overruns for prior kitchen renovation appropriations and that the amendment would add a fourth line item of $200,000 for kitchen fixtures and equipment.

Heidi Laramie, administrator of logistics for the New Hampshire Department of Corrections, told the committee the money would pay for specific replacements. "We have equipment dating back to 1965. We can't get parts for them anymore. In order to make repairs, we have to have things specially fabricated," Laramie said, and listed two proofers, a dough roller, two 80-quart mixers, a bread slicer, a 60-inch natural gas range, a convection oven and a dough mixer as items that would be replaced. Laramie said the plan is to use the equipment until a new men's facility is built and then transfer most of the replaced equipment to the Northern New Hampshire Correctional Facility to extend its useful life.

Senator Waters, during discussion, urged support: "When your prison is built, this won't go up into the dumpster. This would get used up there and probably help." The amendment was moved and seconded, taken by voice vote and "passed" as recorded in committee proceedings; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.

In addition to the Corrections amendment, committee staff described several other changes included in the amended capital budget. Staff noted added appropriations for four career-technical education (CTE) projects across the state, a title change to allow flexibility on certain university system projects (from named renovation projects to "academic building deferred maintenance projects"), and a department-requested increase of $1.025 million to the tramway appropriation. Staff also said the committee added a funding line of $365,000,000 for the Southern New Hampshire Regional Water Project, Phase 2B, in the Department of Environmental Services section.

Staff summarized the package's totals: "so far, your appropriations from the general obligation would be a hundred and 37,000,000," and later clarified the committee was "presently sitting at 137.4, approximately," compared with the House level at about $132.4 million and the governor's proposal near $143 million. Staff also described a technical correction in section 9 of the amendment to require agencies that replace general-fund bonds with incoming federal funds to report that change to the Capital Project Overview Committee and to the treasurer.

The committee adopted amendment 18-70 by voice vote and later moved to adopt HB 25 as amended; the committee allowed Legislative Budget Assistant (LBA) staff to make required technical fixes to totals. A separate amendment (18-52s) concerning a $325,000 appropriation for Pillsbury Lake Village District was presented but not taken up. Committee members discussed the possibility of considering additional water projects before final floor action but did not add further funds in this session.

Votes at a glance - Amendment to add $200,000 under Department of Corrections (kitchen fixtures and equipment, New Hampshire State Prison for Men): passed by voice vote; mover/second not specified; roll-call not recorded in transcript. - Amendment 18-70 (technical and programmatic changes described in committee materials): adopted by voice vote; unanimous as recorded in transcript. - House Bill 25, capital budget, as amended: adopted by the committee; voice vote; committee allowed LBA to update totals.

The committee briefly entered and exited executive session during the meeting; the transcript contains no substantive public record of matters discussed in executive session. Committee leaders said they would be able to return with technical corrections and that the bill will proceed toward a floor vote in the coming weeks.

The committee's action updates the capital budget totals and moves HB 25 forward with changes that include project retitling, added CTE pathway funding, a significant water project line, tramway and park facility adjustments, and the targeted Corrections expenditure to address kitchen equipment failures.