Committee approves amendment and recommends OTPA for bill tightening donations oversight to Granite Patron of the Arts Fund
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Summary
The Ways and Means committee voted 12-0 to recommend OTPA on SB 633 as amended, requiring governor-and-council approval for donations to the Granite Patron of the Arts Fund and adding a reporting requirement to the fiscal committee; committee members said the change preserves oversight while avoiding unnecessary micromanagement.
The Ways and Means committee voted 12-0, with seven members absent, to recommend OTPA (ought to pass as amended) on SB 633, which would make explicit the governor-and-council approval requirement and set dollar thresholds and reporting requirements for donations to the Granite Patron of the Arts Fund.
Representative Schamberg moved the amendment (2026-1353h) and to recommend the bill as amended. "Senate bill 6 3 3 as amended would make that requirement explicit for the Granite Patron of the Arts Fund and establish clear dollar thresholds with reporting requirements," Schamberg said while explaining the amendment, which cites RSA 19-A:9 in discussing council approval.
Jennifer Ramsey, tax policy counsel at the Department of Revenue Administration, corrected earlier testimony from the committee and clarified the related tax credit mechanics: "I probably created confusion when I was here last time because I told you it was a first come first served bridal, and it's not. It is prorated," she said, explaining that Senator Lang's bill would raise the governor-and-council approval threshold for this fund to just under $50,000 from a prior $10,000 practice for the fund.
Why it matters: The amendment preserves the longstanding role of the governor and executive council in accepting state funds while adding a formal reporting step to keep the fiscal committee informed without triggering formal fiscal review unless donations exceed $100,000. Representative Schamberg cautioned that an overly broad amendment could have "made some people uncomfortable" and risked micromanaging donors and executive actors; the adopted language instead requires a report to fiscal rather than automatic fiscal approval below $100,000.
The committee first approved the amendment by unanimous voice vote and then conducted a roll-call vote on SB 633 as amended. The clerk recorded 12 votes in favor and 0 opposed, with seven members absent. Representative Schamberg was assigned to write the committee report and was asked to submit it by 12:00 noon the following day.
Next steps: SB 633 as amended will go on the committee’s consent calendar; the committee expects the report from Representative Schamberg by noon the next day.
