Committee Summary for House Finance (04/13/2026)

Member	Member	Member
Weyler, Kenneth(Chairman)(R)[A-]2025	Griffin, Gerald(Clerk)(R)[A-]2025	McGuire, Dan(V Chairman)(R)[A]2025
Wallner, Mary Jane(D)[F]2025	Daniels, Gary(R)[A-]2025	Leishman, Peter(D)[D-]2025
McGuire, Carol(R)[A+]2025	Ebel, Karen(D)[F]2025	Muns, Chris(D)[CT]2025
Sweeney, Joe(R)[A]2025	Seaworth, Brian(R)[A-]2025	Preece, David(D)[CT]2025
Nalevanko, Rich(R)[B+]2025	Mooney, Maureen(R)[B+]2025	Murray, Kate(D)[F]2025
Cambrils, Jose(R)[B+]2025	Popovici-Muller, Daniel(R)[A-]2025	Rung, Rosemarie(D)[CT]2025
Kelly, Eileen(D)[F]2025	Hakken-Phillips, Mary(D)[F]2025	Spilsbury, Walter(R)[A-]2025
Telerski, Laura(D)[CT]2025	Stringham, Jerry(D)[D-]2025	Erf, Keith(R)[A]2025
Farrington, Samuel(R)[A+]2025

Bill/Time	Type	Title	Sponsor
SB481	Public Hearing	(New Title) relative to the sale of the Sununu youth services center property.	Rosenwald, Cindy(D)[F]2025
Unclear	Public Hearing	requiring the governor's office to provide quarterly reports on state revenues, appropriations, lapses, and related fiscal data
SB603	Public Hearing	relative to the funding of the SNAP program by the department of health and human services.	Abbas, Daryl(R)[B-]2025
SB663	Public Hearing	(New Title) creating a Medicaid methodology working group within the department of health and human services.	Rosenwald, Cindy(D)[F]2025

SB481: Information Only 00:02:06.815 - 10:00:27 AM; Senator Rosenwald introduced Senate Bill 481, which addresses a statutory conflict from House Bill 2. HB 2 required the sale of the Sununu Youth Services Center (SYSC) property in fiscal year 2027 for $75 million, with proceeds intended to offset appropriations. The original bill included a large general fund appropriation for the SYSC Settlements Fund, which was removed in the Senate, but the proceeds were inadvertently left to go to the general fund. She suggested amending the bill so that sale proceeds, regardless of timing, go to the SYSC Settlement Fund. She explained the $75 million figure aligns with annual settlement allowances and responded to committee questions clarifying sections of HB 2, the lack of a minimum sale price in the bill, and the need for the amendment to direct proceeds to the settlement fund.
SB481: Information Only 00:13:57.615 - 10:12:18 AM; Nathan White provided an update on the construction of the new facility, stating that the plan continues as scheduled and they are potentially looking to move within this biennium. He offered to provide a written update to the committee on the status.
Unclear: Support 00:15:26.271 - 10:13:47 AM; Senator Gray testified in support of the bill, emphasizing the need for accurate fiscal data to improve budgeting. He highlighted discrepancies in lapse estimates across the Governor's ($80 million), House ($147 million), and Senate budgets, with the actual figure at $47 million, impacting the rainy day fund and bond ratings. The bill mandates quarterly reports from the Governor's office on general and education trust fund appropriations, revenues, and lapses to enable better oversight. During Q&A, he addressed questions on necessity versus existing monthly reports, inclusion of federal funds, methodology standardization, enforcement, and benefits similar to private sector practices, stressing the need for official, trend-trackable data without dictating methods.
SB603: Support 00:42:22.339 - 10:40:43 AM; Senator Abbas introduced and supported SB 603, which enables DHHS to request approval from the Joint Fiscal Committee for any SNAP funding shortfall over $100,000. He explained that a reduced federal reimbursement rate from July 2023 created a potential shortfall in the latter half of the biennium, as the state budget was passed earlier under different assumptions. SNAP benefits support public services and stimulate the local economy, particularly small businesses and grocery stores. The bill requires demonstration of the shortfall and availability of funds.
SB603: Support 00:45:02.731 - 10:43:23 AM; Senator Abbas continues responding to committee questions about SB 603, emphasizing that the bill serves as a safety net for the anticipated SNAP funding shortfall due to federal cuts. He notes the reduction from 50-50 to 75-25 federal-state administrative cost sharing, estimating a 6-8 million dollar shortfall, though later clarified as around 4.4-4.6 million. He defends the program's importance for 93-95% of users despite a 5-7% error rate, and suggests the committee could explore funding from other departments if needed, but stresses the urgency for the current biennium.
SB603: Information Only 00:52:35.152 - 10:50:56 AM; Brian Clark, General Counsel for the Division of Economic Stability, and Nathan White, Chief Financial Officer, provide clarification on SB 603. They explain that the bill aligns with existing RSA 167:16-a, allowing transfers over $100,000 with fiscal committee approval, and addresses a 4.4-4.6 million dollar general fund shortfall from federal administrative reimbursement cuts effective October 1, 2026. They detail that funds are spread across various budget lines, and without the bill, the department would still need to reallocate internally. They discuss the unrelated SNAP error rate (currently around 10%, not indicative of fraud but administrative errors), its impact on future state matching requirements starting 2028 (potentially 15% match or $16 million), staffing challenges (25% vacancy in eligibility review), and confirm no direct loss of SNAP benefits but potential administrative impacts if underfunded. They note the bill's policy intent and that inter-departmental transfers are rare without MOUs.
SB603: Support 01:08:15.808 - 11:06:36 AM; Heidi Johnson, SNAP Outreach and Application Assistance Coordinator for the New Hampshire Food Bank, testifies in support of funding SNAP administrative costs. She highlights the food bank's role in distributing 20 million pounds of food (24 million meals) last year, yet one in nine Granite Staters faces food insecurity, with SNAP providing nine times more meals than charitable sources. She explains that underfunding due to federal cuts (HR 1) could increase payment error rates by straining staff, leading to more state costs in two years. She urges covering administrative costs, whether through this bill or another appropriation, to maintain program integrity and lower error rates long-term. In response to questions, she notes the food bank's distribution through partner agencies with varying eligibility checks, and during a prior two-week SNAP outage, they provided an extra 136,610 meals, indicating a 14% increase over normal, with long lines at mobile pantries.
SB603: Oppose 01:16:35.959 - 11:14:56 AM; Laura Milliken urges a not-to-pass recommendation for SB 603, emphasizing the critical importance of SNAP in New Hampshire. She notes that much of her prepared remarks have already been covered by previous testimony, including the discussion with Heidi Johnson about mobile pantries serving only a fraction of SNAP recipients in a two-week period. She highlights the huge harm that would result from any restrictions on SNAP, including potential administrative cost cuts that could impair the department's effectiveness, leading to future cuts in food access. As an advocacy organization with a budget under a million dollars, New Hampshire Hunger Solutions works on coalitions to address hunger but does not provide food directly.
SB663: Support 01:19:12.424 - 11:17:33 AM; Cindy Rosenwald, the sponsor, introduces SB 663, a late-filed bill aimed at addressing the emergency in the nursing home sector by directing the Commissioner of HHS to convene a stakeholder working group to examine and recommend changes to the rate setting methodology by year's end. The current methodology incorporates previous costs, resident health acuity, and a budget neutrality factor that mandates spending cuts as costs rise to stay within appropriations, severely impacting private nursing homes. She notes recent devastating reimbursement cuts in January, partially mitigated by a $2 million fiscal committee transfer, but still resulting in substantial reductions for 19 of 33 nursing homes, including county facilities. Medicaid covers over 60% of nursing home care as an entitlement for eligible seniors, unlike community-based options. Without adequate reimbursement, nursing homes may close (as one in North Conway did), reduce units, or cut staff, leading to hospital bed shortages, increased costs, and reduced care quality for vulnerable residents, echoing issues from the Great Recession. Rosenwald mentions ongoing efforts with Senator Lange and the governor's office to secure additional funds for a one-time boost this fiscal year.
SB663: Support 01:27:25.164 - 11:25:46 AM; Senator Rosenwald discusses the uncertainty regarding the governor's funding preferences for nursing home rates, suggesting the Senate may attach an appropriation to a House bill. She offers to share draft language with the committee and restore the original appropriation if time allows. In response to questions, she explains the commission's purpose is to examine and potentially improve the Medicaid rate-setting methodology for nursing homes, noting historical shifts in funding responsibilities between state and counties since 2006, including caps on county liability. She highlights the aging population, fewer nursing home beds, and the fragile state of the system, emphasizing the need for changes to address rising costs and ensure efficiency.
SB663: Information Only 01:28:17.344 - 11:26:38 AM; Representative McGuire seeks clarification on the commission's goal to revamp Medicaid rates for nursing homes, recalling the 2006 agreement shifting long-term care to counties with state caps on liability. She notes the potential for the state to cover 50% of costs in the next budget and stresses the challenges of capped county contributions amid rising costs and an aging population.
SB663: Support 01:31:21.256 - 11:29:42 AM; Brendan Williams represents nursing homes, assisted living, and related facilities statewide. He echoes Senator Rosenwald's points on the shocking January 1st rate cuts, thanking the fiscal committee for a fund transfer that mitigated an average 4% decrease to just $0.02 per resident day. However, some facilities faced severe cuts, like 11.74% ($31/day) at Holy Cross Health Care Center and 14% ($46/day) in Windham. He describes the precarious sector with one of the oldest populations, recent closures in North Conway and bankruptcy in Whitefield, and irrational rate outcomes affecting high-acuity Medicaid facilities like Epsom Health Care Center (3.5% cut). Williams supports the working group to scrutinize the system, including the budget adjustment factor and interactions between old RUG and new PDPM models, which cause variability. He commends the proposed supplemental appropriation and invites questions. In Q&A, he addresses budget neutrality, cost reporting incentives, formula factors like case mix indices leading to cuts for facilities with complex Medicaid residents, aggregate scoring differences, inflation impacts, endowments, Medicaid pendings, future demand projections amid aging population and staffing shortages, bed moratoriums, and effects of federal changes like H.R. 1 reducing retroactive billing. He advocates for including all facets in the working group for better understanding and efficiency.