Lynch Pushes for "Tough and Responsible" Budget

Governor John Lynch takes the editorial page on the Union Leader, penning a column calling on lawmakers to pass the budget approved by the Conference Committee last week:

As a result of this budget, the state’s workforce will be reduced by at least 5 percent through a combination of layoffs, continuing a hiring freeze and unfunding vacant positions. We are requiring retired state workers to contribute to their health insurance costs for the first time and requiring new state employees to contribute more toward their retirement benefits.

We are closing the Laconia State Prison, several courthouses and the Tobey School. We are eliminating state funding for the Commission on the Status of Women and for medical education reimbursements for hospitals. We are cutting funding for the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program and delaying implementation of the state cancer plan.

The Governor does not address, in these tough economic times, with revenues down sharply, why he wants the State of New Hampshire to spend well over a Billion dollars more than the last budget, which itself increased spending by over a Billion dollars. Yes, there are cuts in the budget, and it doesn't spend as much in other areas as either Lynch or legislative leaders wanted.

That does not make it a lean budget. It simply means that other spending has crowded out the few budget cutbacks that the Governor chooses to list here. The Governor also criticizes those calling for real cuts to balance the budget, calling such a stance "grandstanding":

Some legislators continue to call for “more cuts,” although they refused to propose any specific cuts throughout the six-month-long budget process. Some legislators want to vote no because they support a specific revenue source and want to see it included in the budget.

Lawmakers have asked to give Department heads direction to cut their spending. Such "back of the budget" cuts are commonplace. In fact, this budget includes such an instruction to Lynch to cut $25 million in personnel costs through furloughs and layoffs.

Lynch has access to his Commissioner's recommendations on where they would prioritize spending. He required that each Department submit a plan to spend just 97% of last year's appropriation at the beginning of the budget cycle, but has not shared those recommendations with the Legislature. The Josiah Bartlett Center has repeatedly asked Governor Lynch's spokesman for these figures as well, to no avail.

As we've documented over the past several months, it it loaded with gimmicks, tax increases, and federal bailouts to pay for this spending increase. Of the many adjectives that could reasonably describe such a plan, neither "tough" nor "responsible" jump to the top of the list.