New Hampshire’s Economy: Strengths and Constraints

New Hampshire has experienced a relatively robust economy in recent years. Growth has returned to rates similar to those from before the Great Recession, and the unemployment rate has remained below three percent since late 2015. Incomes appear to have increased for workers, with many middle- and low-income workers finally returning to near pre-Recession levels ...

Medicaid Expansion in New Hampshire and the State Senate’s Proposed Changes

New Hampshire’s Medicaid expansion is an important program with impacts on the state’s public health and economy. Medicaid expansion provides health coverage to approximately 52,000 low-income people in New Hampshire, and more than 90 percent of program expenses have been funded by the federal government since the program began in 2014. Since that time, hundreds ...

Business Tax Rate Reductions Add to Uncertain Revenue Picture

At the start of the 2018 Legislative Session, several bills were filed that would likely reduce New Hampshire’s available revenue. When considering changes to revenues, policymakers should be cognizant of the revenue shortfall risks the State presently faces. As of December, revenues are meeting the monthly plan based on estimates set forth by the Legislature ...

Measuring the Size of New Hampshire’s State Budget

Legislative deliberations during the creation of New Hampshire’s biennial State Budget often evaluate the size of budget proposals relative to the prior biennial operating budget. Debates frequently focus on the overall growth of the budget, but measurements of different subsets of the budget or comparisons relative to different baselines can create confusion and misunderstandings. Budget ...

The State Budget for Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019

 New Hampshire’s State Budget, approved by the Legislature on June 22 and signed by the Governor on June 28, provides the basis through which most State activities are funded for the next two years. While the overall growth in this budget is slightly less than the growth of its predecessor, revenues projected to be available ...

The State Senate’s Proposed Budget

The State Senate, using the Governor’s operating budget proposal from February as a baseline, crafted a State operating budget that reduces spending though changes to program funding levels and to anticipated federal funds. The Senate reduced appropriated spending from the Governor’s budget by $324.7 million, accomplished in part by planning to authorize up to $237.8 ...