Speaker of the NH House on Budget Veto

The following statement was released this morning by Speaker of the House Shawn N. Jasper in response to Governor Hassan’s veto of the state budget.

“Governor Hassan’s veto of the state budget certainly comes as no surprise since she threatened  to do so long before we had finished the budget process.  What is particularly disappointing is that she has chosen to put her own political agenda ahead of the people of New Hampshire who are in most need of our help,  as well as the future economy of our state.  She has chosen to veto a budget which reduces business taxes over the next five years, affecting companies that provide 95% of the private sector jobs in the state. She has chosen to veto a budget  that provides much needed funding in our fight against substance abuse, increases funding for local schools and higher education, invests in our state’s continued efforts to improve our infrastructure, ensures public safety, and appropriates more money for health and human services than we have ever budgeted before.  In short, this governor has chosen to turn her back on the real people of New Hampshire.   I am concerned that her decision today will create a hardship for the men and women of our state who are most in need of our services.”