Committee approves budget for New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities; council highlights grants and federal funding mix

The Finance - Division I committee voted to approve the budget presented by the New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities after the council explained its federally funded operations and grant plans.

"Good morning. My name is Isadora Rodriguez Legendre. I serve as the executive director at the New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities," Isadora Rodriguez Legendre told lawmakers, adding the council is "100% federally funded through ... the DD Act."

Rodriguez Legendre described the council’s statutory charge to develop a five‑year plan identifying the most pressing needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and to fund projects that increase access, inclusion and advocacy. She said by law 60% of the council’s membership must be individuals with developmental disabilities or family members of people who cannot advocate for themselves.

The council described a small staff complement—three full‑time and three part‑time positions—and said it is not requesting new full‑time positions but had restructured one previously budgeted full‑time role into part‑time slots during recruitment challenges. Rodriguez Legendre told the committee the council currently draws federal funds by reimbursement and carries funds forward across a two‑year project period to manage uncertainty during continuing resolutions. "Right now, we've received a hundred and 21,000 dollars through the continuing resolution," she said.

Committee members focused on the council’s grant program and the large increase in the council’s proposed Class 72 grants line from about $30,000 in a previous year to more than $200,000 in the proposed budget. Rodriguez Legendre said that was a planning item to support a targeted‑disparity objective in the council’s five‑year plan; the council had issued an RFP twice and not received qualified applicants, so the funding was carried forward to try again.

Representative [unnamed in transcript] moved to approve the council’s budget, and another committee member seconded the motion. A show of hands recorded unanimous support. The committee did not record individual roll‑call tallies in the transcript.

Rodriguez Legendre told members the council’s normal federal award levels typically range between about $450,000 and $550,000 annually and that the council often carries forward $200,000–$300,000 to maintain operations during federal continuing resolutions. She described typical grants the council funds, such as accessible playgrounds, hiking trails, boat launches and supports for interpretation and accessible materials to improve participation in community events.

The council said it refers complaints about neglect, abuse, or exploitation to appropriate investigative bodies and that it works chiefly through collaboration with state agencies and disability organizations rather than providing direct legal services.

The committee motion to approve the budget was recorded as unanimous by a show of hands; no amendments were taken during the hearing.