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Committee hears three‑part revenue bill to raise cigarette tax, repeal Medicaid premiums and restore UNH funding
Summary
Representative Jerry Stringham introduced HB 1596 to raise New Hampshire's cigarette excise from $1.78 to $2.80 per pack, repeal an income‑based Medicaid premium, and restore prior cuts to the University System of New Hampshire; public‑health groups backed the excise increase while retailers warned of cross‑border sales and illicit trade.
CONCORD — Representative Jerry Stringham told the House Ways and Means Committee he brought forward a three‑part revenue bill, House Bill 15‑96, that pairs a cigarette excise increase with targeted policy changes to reduce harms from an income‑based Medicaid premium and to restore funding to the University System of New Hampshire.
"With that, spirit, I'm pleased to introduce House Bill 15 96," Stringham said. The bill would lift the state cigarette excise from $1.78 per pack — the rate set in 2008 — to $2.80, an increase Stringham described as a cost‑of‑living adjustment calculated using Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation data. He told the committee the package remains "net, net positive cash flow wise, to the state." (Representative…
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