Maggie Hassan in 2013 Governor's State of the State speeches

On Budget & Economy: Balanced budget with no income tax nor sales tax

But it is also a budget that recognizes that we cannot address all of our challenges all at once in these uncertain economic times. We must still make difficult choices to protect our priorities while living within our means.

In preparing this budget, we cut agency budget requests by more than $500 million, keeping general fund spending 7% below fiscal year 2008 for fiscal year 2014.

On Corporations: Business One Stop online; plus just one licensing system

• It continues to consolidate the state's office functions, such as accounts payable, and to centralize some of the human resources process.
• It remakes the Liquor Commission, moving from a three-member commission to a single commissioner model.
• It continues the effort to move our services in support of New Hampshire businesses into a centralized online environment through the Business One Stop.
• And it will move all of our boards and commissions to one licensing system, modernizing the system for the agencies and for the public.

On Crime: 15 more state troopers on state roads

On Crime: Provide capital funds to build a new women's prison

For too long, our corrections system has woefully neglected women. Like our men's prison, our women's prison must offer facilities that can provide the programs that help individuals safely move back into society when they have served their sentences.

To ensure justice and to improve our public safety, this capital budget includes the funds necessary to build a new women's prison. It is time; we cannot delay this any longer.

On Drugs: $500,000 for drug task force teams, but drop 1 team out of 4

On Education: $4 million more for scholarships; $35M for state colleges

In exchange, the leadership of both the community college and university systems have assured me they will go to their boards with a plan to freeze tuition for the next two years.

This budget includes $4 million in UNIQUE funds to support need-based scholarships that can be used at both public and private colleges. New Hampshire's young people must be developing the skills, knowledge, and innovative thinking needed in a 21st century economy.

On Education: Open new charter schools, & add to existing charter schools

In addition, this budget will help encourage innovation by providing funding to allow new charter schools to open and to allow existing charter schools to accept new enrollees.

At the same time, these charter schools have a responsibility to live within their budget, and so this budget sets new parameters and provides authority for the Department of Education to prioritize new charter school approval to underserved communities.

To help pay for these investments, this budget repeals the voucher tax credit that would have diverted millions of dollars in taxpayer money to private and religious schools with no accountability.

On Environment: Restore $1M to Land & Community Heritage Investment Program

The Land and Community Heritage Investment Program has been so important for protecting our natural, historical and cultural resources, a responsibility that has not been met in recent years. That's why this budget restores $1 million for LCHIP in the first year of the biennium, and fully restores the program in the second.

This budget also begins restoring funding for our local communities. In fiscal year 2015, this budget provides $3 million to help pay for delayed and deferred water treatment projects for communities, and increases meals and rooms distributions to communities by $5 million.

On Families & Children: Restore funding for the Children in Need of Services program

This budget includes some reforms. But we cannot neglect our duty to help those at risk and keep our communities safe, and so this budget begins to restore funding for the Children in Need of Services program.

On Government Reform: Create commission on Government Innovation & Accountability

To encourage this process, I will soon be issuing an executive order to create a Commission on Government Innovation, Efficiency and Accountability. The commission will be charged with making recommendations to modernize state government for the 21st century, and it will include members from the business community and non-profit sector to determine how we can improve services by working together.

In addition, this budget creates the Office of Innovation and Efficiency at the Department of Administrative Services, which will lead the effort to implement commission recommendations and work with state agencies on developing transparent performance measurements.

On Health Care: Repair our mental health system; take pressure off ERs

We can all agree that our mental health system is deeply strained. And though we won't fix all of our challenges at once, it is time to resume our efforts to repair our mental health system. We must phase in changes with a systematic approach that will strengthen all aspects of mental health care in our state and move us toward more community-based care.

And that is what this budget does. Over the next two years, it will add a new designated receiving facility to take the pressure off local emergency rooms and provide more appropriate critical treatment environments. It will add new acute psychiatric residential treatment beds, in addition to the beds at the state hospital. And it will focus on treating people in their communities, with 75 new community residence beds

On Local Issues: $80 million revenue from one high-end regulated casino

I know expanded gambling has been an on-going and difficult debate. But the social costs many are worried about are already here, and with Massachusetts moving forward, we can no longer pretend that expanding gambling isn't coming to our communities. It is. The question is: will we allow Massachusetts to take revenue from New Hampshire's residents to fund its needs, or will we develop our own plan that will allow us to address social costs and invest in our priorities?

I believe we should move forward with one high-end casino, while at the same time protecting New Hampshire's brand as a family-friendly state with a great outdoor economy. A high-end casino would also bring a significant economic boost, creating more than an estimated 2,000 jobs during construction and 1,000 long-term jobs.

On Technology: Double funding for Research & Development tax credit

This budget doubles funding for our Research & Development tax credit to help businesses invest in new technologies that can lead to growth & job creation. The Senate has already taken action on this important measure, unanimously passing a bill that will double the R&D tax credit and make it permanent, creating more predictability for businesses. I encourage my friends in the House to do the same and make this measure one of the first bills I sign into law as Governor. This budget also funds business incubators, like the Innovation Research Center and the Green Launching Pad at UNH.

On Technology: Address "red list" of bridges in critical need of repair

The American Society of Civil Engineers gives our roads a C minus, and the I-93 expansion project remains unfinished. Hundreds of our bridges are on the "red list" of bridges in critical need of repair--risking public safety and our economy.

Maintaining and repairing our state's roads and bridges and funding transportation projects are crucial for our economy. Creating a solid, modern infrastructure will attract new businesses and industries, while helping our existing businesses grow, transport their goods, and create new jobs. But as it stands, we barely have enough to do the very minimum.

I stand ready to bring constructive, long-term ideas to the table so we can build a consensus solution that will help us begin to improve our roads and bridges and finish I-93.