Governor Maggie Hassan says she still wants to see a portion of the state’s roughly $15 million surplus go toward restoring cuts in the two-year budget.
Hassan says she agrees with Senate lawmakers that replenishing the state’s Rainy Day fund is a priority.
But she remains concerned about the impact of the roughly $7 million in cuts facing the Department of Health and Human Services.
“So I think it makes sense to look at whether we should use a portion of the surplus to address some of those cuts. But we’ll work with Senate and the House. Again, it’s really important that we do build back up the Rainy Day fund.”
Senate Republicans want the entire surplus to go into the Rainy Day fund, which is set aside for financial emergencies.
The Senate has already killed a bill that would have used part of the surplus to restore cuts to the Health and Human Services budget.
