The New Hampshire Senate began its work on the state’s next two-year budget Monday.
Senate budget writers are using Governor Chris Sununu's proposal as a starting point, after the House failed to pass a budget plan of its own last week.
One of the most important parts of crafting a state budget is figuring out how much money the state will have.
When House budget writers crafted their version, they estimated state revenues over the next two years to be nearly $60 million lower than what the Governor projected in his spending plan.
The Senate now has to determine what money they will have to work with.
The Governor’s chief budget writer, Charlie Arlinghaus, offered the Senate Finance Committee this advice Monday:
“If you had to choose between the House’s revenue estimates and the Governor’s – I would choose the Governor’s.”
If that’s the case, items that were cut by House budget writers, such as full-day kindergarten and a new in-state college scholarship fund, may reappear in the Senate plan.
