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Appropriations advances several bills on crossover day; counsel removes select appropriations
Summary
On crossover day the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced multiple bills — S325, S323, S64, S190 and S214 — adopting counsel-drafted amendments that in several cases removed or clarified appropriations and preserved existing fee structures.
On March 20, the Senate Appropriations Committee worked through multiple bills in a bid to meet crossover deadlines, advancing a slate of measures with several committee amendments designed to avoid unplanned appropriations or to preserve existing fee structures.
Early in the session the committee considered S325 and accepted a Legislative Counsel amendment that struck Section 19 — the bill’s appropriation section — and renumbered the remainder of the bill. Counsel told the committee the two appropriations in the bill were not tied to other programmatic text and could be removed without changing substantive policy.
For S323 (large- and medium-farm permitting provisions), counsel’s amendment removed certain permitting provisions that would have reduced fees and instead kept existing fees in place (large farm $2,500; medium farm $1,500). Members discussed the related impact on the general fund budget if the fee structure changed and flagged the need to coordinate fee language with any budget backfill that may appear in the general fund budget bill.
S64 — expanding optometrists’ scope to create an advanced therapeutic special‑procedure specialty — carried a small fiscal footprint, with Office of Professional Regulation and JFO staff estimating about 50 practitioners might adopt the specialty and the specialty carrying a one‑time $100 fee.
S190’s committee amendment removed a $50,000 direct appropriation for consultants to support a public‑employee health benefit study committee and replaced it with language authorizing the hiring of consultants only "to the extent funds are made available."
S214, a narrow education bill allowing some Northeast Kingdom preschool students to attend nearby New Hampshire public preschool programs, was reported favorably; JFO estimated a potential fiscal exposure up to roughly $60,000 in FY2028 depending on parental choices and program capacity.
Committee members discussed voting strategy for crossover day and whether to send bills to the floor with a favorable report, without recommendation, or with amendments to be offered on the floor. Several motions to amend and move bills were adopted and will appear on the Senate calendar for further consideration. The Appropriations Committee’s work on these measures aims to preserve committee discretion over appropriations while allowing policy language to proceed for floor debate.
