Committee Summary for Senate Finance (05/19/2025)

Bill/Time	Type	Title	Sponsor
Unclear 00:08:26.160 - 12:37:27 PM	Executive Session	Unclear
HB2 00:46:26.319 - 1:15:27 PM	Executive Session	relative to state fees, funds, revenues, and expenditures.	Weyler, Kenneth(R)[B+]2024

Unclear: Senator Lang Information Only00:08:26.160 - 12:37:27 PM; Senator Lang discussed the Commission on Aging, expressing his interest in revitalizing it and requested time to develop an amendment for the committee's consideration.
Unclear: Committee Vote00:09:27.320 - 12:38:28 PM; The committee voted to approve items related to special education, moving to disapprove one item and remove others from the list, and approving others without further discussion.
Unclear: Committee Vote00:10:18.360 - 12:39:19 PM; The committee continued to vote on items, approving some, putting others on hold, and removing several from the list, including discussions on technical fixes and administrative attachments.
Unclear: Senator Lang Information Only00:17:40.080 - 12:46:41 PM; Senator Lang explained the removal of an amendment related to the second injury fund, indicating that he would bring forward a bill with similar language to allow for a full hearing process on the topic.
Unclear: Committee Vote00:18:37.240 - 12:47:38 PM; The committee voted on amendments 2025-2174 and 2025-2193, approving them and removing another amendment from the list without objection.
Unclear: Unnamed Senator Information Only00:19:50.480 - 12:48:51 PM; The senator proposed amending the budget to change a number from $500,000 to $750,000, citing that the current cap had never been reached and inflation justified the increase.
Unclear: Senator Waters Support00:20:39.840 - 12:49:40 PM; Senator Waters supported the amendment to increase the cap to $750,000, agreeing with the reasons provided by Senator Lang and considering it a reasonable compromise.
Unclear: Unnamed Senator Information Only00:21:49.280 - 12:50:50 PM; The senator mentioned a request from Commissioner Mayorfield to reinstate a criminal history question on applications, which had been previously removed.
Unclear: Senator Rosa Support00:23:14.880 - 12:52:15 PM; Senator Rosa supported moving forward with a budget item related to the Community Development Finance Authority, highlighting an apartment building in their community that was 80% affordable housing, built with assistance from these funds.
Unclear: Senator Inis Information Only00:24:15.679 - 12:53:16 PM; Senator Inis expressed support for the concept of the bill but recognized budget constraints, suggesting a delay until next year when the budget situation might improve.
Unclear: Senator Waters Support00:25:23.000 - 12:54:24 PM; Senator Waters emphasized the success of the program and the need to address housing costs, suggesting that even a smaller increase in funding could signal commitment to the issue.
Unclear: Senator Lang Oppose00:26:33.360 - 12:55:34 PM; Senator Lang opposed adding to the budget citing the financial impact on the general fund, but stated he would reconsider if savings could be found elsewhere.
Unclear: Senator Roth Support00:27:36.080 - 12:56:37 PM; Senator Roth supported the idea of increasing funding for housing, suggesting compromises like a lower increase or a delayed start date, and stressed the importance of addressing housing in the budget.
Unclear: Senator Bzel Information Only00:28:59.919 - 12:58:00 PM; Senator Bzel argued that the absence of housing funding in the budget does not mean nothing is being done, pointing out other legislative efforts on housing.
Unclear: Senator Rosen Support00:30:20.799 - 12:59:21 PM; Senator Rosen clarified that while other bills address housing, there is no new money for housing in the budget and supported putting the item on hold.
Unclear: Senator Carson Information Only00:31:28.720 - 1:00:29 PM; Senator Carson inquired about the allocation of ARPA funding by former Governor Cenounu for housing, specifically if it was directed to the New Hampshire Development Finance Authority.
Unclear: Unnamed Senator Information Only00:32:26.480 - 1:01:27 PM; The senator reiterated the financial constraints and the need for savings to support any increase in housing funding, suggesting a recess to review other items on hold.
HB2: Unnamed Senator Information Only00:46:26.319 - 1:15:27 PM; The senator continued the discussion on the budget, specifically addressing the removal of an item from the community development list on page four. A vote was taken, and the item was removed. The discussion moved to page five, concerning the Department of Administrative Services, where the senator mentioned an ongoing discussion about lapsing funds instead of not lapsing them as requested, to reduce the amount taken from the rainy day fund. The senator then moved on to discuss items on page six related to the personal appeals board, approving item number one without opposition. The senator also approved items one and two for the housing appeals board with amendments, and items one, two, and three for the board of tax and land appeals, all without opposition.
HB2: Senator Bzel Information Only00:48:36.160 - 1:17:37 PM; Senator Bzel inquired about receiving a list of all approved items and their financial status. The response was that Mike Kane would update the sheet to reflect the financial status after the day's actions, and a running total could be provided if requested. However, a detailed report on amendments would be included in the HB2 amendment in Senate Finance's name.
HB2: Unnamed Female Senator Information Only00:49:40.559 - 1:18:41 PM; The unnamed female senator requested approval of blurbs for bills execed out the previous Friday, as they were to be included in Thursday's calendar. She urged her colleagues to review and approve these blurbs promptly via email.
HB2: Unnamed Senator Information Only00:50:20.000 - 1:19:21 PM; The senator concluded the executive session by calling for a motion to come out of the session, which was approved, and then adjourned the meeting.

Gray, James(Chairman)(R)[C+]2024	Innis, Daniel(V Chairman)(R)[C+]2024	Carson, Sharon(R)[C]2024
Watters, David(D)[CT]2024	Birdsell, Regina(R)[C+]2024	Lang, Timothy(R)[C+]2024
Rosenwald, Cindy(D)[CT]2024	Pearl, Howard (R)[C+]2024