Chris Sununu in 2021 Governor's State of the State speeches
On Budget & Economy:
Money to cities and towns, local communities know best
This is a fiscally responsibly budget that is balanced, and lives within our means. It has no new taxes, no new fees, no increased taxes, no increased fees, nothing. In fact this budget lowers taxes for just about everyone.
This budget makes smart, strategic target investments without having to balance it on the backs of our essential workers. And it focuses on core everyday services that prioritize people of our State.
For decades, you've seen your local property tax bills increase. While we can't pass legislation to directly cut your property taxes, we can provide financial assistance to cities and towns. In my first four years, we sent back over $100 million to
cities and towns. When we had extra money at the State level, we downshifted cash, not cost, to those municipalities. One principle has guarded our approach: flexibility. Local communities know best.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address: New Hampshire legislature
Feb 11, 2021
On Corporation:
No Enterprise Tax for businesses valued under $250,000
This budget lowers the Business Enterprise Tax from 0.6% to 0.55% and increases the filing threshold to an enterprise value tax base of $250,000. It means that tens of thousands of small businesses with an enterprise value under $250,000, they no longer
have to pay this tax at all. And this change will streamline tax filings for our small businesses. These commonsense tax reductions will allow our small businesses to reinvest their dollars into their employees and their communities.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address: New Hampshire legislature
Feb 11, 2021
On Crime:
Committed to bring greater accountability to our system
This budget continues the commitment I made to bring greater accountability to our system by funding the Public Integrity Unit within the Attorney General's Office. It's an independent, statewide office that reviews complaints of misconduct. It invests
into our new programs in the Police Standards and Training Academy. And it creates a $1 million matching fund for local Law Enforcement Agencies to make the investments they desperately need, like body and dashboard cameras.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address: New Hampshire legislature
Feb 11, 2021
On Education:
$30 million in one-time grants for school capital projects
As the only Governor in the last 20 years to come up through the public school system, I know very, very directly how great that system is. And it's why we're so committed to supporting it. My budget ensures that we spend more money per child on public
education than ever before. It invests $30 million back to cities and towns in one-time Grants for capital projects, like school-building aid, investments into energy-efficient projects or alternative-fuel buses, other key areas of need.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address: New Hampshire legislature
Feb 11, 2021
On Education:
Student debt relief for graduates staying & working in state
Student debt relief: last year, I introduced an innovative student debt relief plan that would have provided nearly $10 million at no expense to the taxpayer for student debt relief, as long as those graduates stay and work in New Hampshire.
The Democrats removed this from my final budget but I am not giving up. This budget reintroduces the program and focuses on graduates who pursue careers in the much-needed fields of healthcare, biotechnology, social work, other related fields.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address: New Hampshire legislature
Feb 11, 2021
On Education:
Unified and merged state college and university system
My budget proposed a fully unified and merged New Hampshire College and University System, bringing 11 separate system together as one. This is the future of higher education. This evolution is not to benefit any one system but to every student across
the State. We also see the challenges and the inefficiencies in maintaining 11 systems, rather than one, integrated, collaborative approach to public higher education. This merger will enable a combined system to innovate in a coordinated way.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address: New Hampshire legislature
Feb 11, 2021
On Energy & Oil:
Fund the Office of Offshore Wind Industry Development
This budget funds the Office of Offshore Wind Industry Development for the first time in history. Our commitment to funding this Office will allow
New Hampshire to continue to take steps to harness the massive potential for renewable energy production off the coast of New Hampshire.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address: New Hampshire legislature
Feb 11, 2021
On Families & Children:
Paid medical leave can be done without an income tax
Paid family medical leave: it can and must be done without an income tax. This pandemic has highlighted how vital a program like this can be. And this budget introduces legislation for a voluntary paid family
medical leave plan that expands access, benefiting all State Employees, which will lower premiums for private companies and individuals, if they want to buy into this incredibly important program.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address: New Hampshire legislature
Feb 11, 2021
On Health Care:
Our 10-Year Mental-Health Plan continues to be fully funded
When I became Governor, I often said the mental-health crisis was New Hampshire's unspoken crisis. It had been neglected for years. But we changed that. This budget continues levels of funding for our mental-health programs, because, frankly,
we all know that too much is at stake to let up. Our 10-Year Mental-Health Plan continues to be fully funded, with funding for additional designated receiving facility beds to solve the ER boarding crisis, to more local Mobile Crisis Teams, and more.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address: New Hampshire legislature
Feb 11, 2021
On Local Issues:
Expand Rainy Day Fund to up to 10% of revenue
One thing always bothered me about our Rainy Day Fund. It has a cap. A cap on our savings account frankly never made sense to me. Why would you so tightly limit responsible savings and long-term planning? Under this budget, I'm proposing expanding our
Rainy Day account to up to 10% of revenue raised over a given biennium, double what we can save. It would better allow the State to plan for the long-term and be ready to weather the next storm, avoiding tax increases and economic downturns.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address: New Hampshire legislature
Feb 11, 2021
On Tax Reform:
Managed to mitigate worst of pandemic without raising taxes
Because of good management, which frankly New Hampshire set the gold standard, our budget shortfall to end the biennium is now projected to be less than $50 million. Unlike other States across the Country, which are now raising taxes on businesses,
taxing out-of-state workers, or enacting these draconian budget cuts that we hear about just to cover those massive deficits, here, in New Hampshire, we managed to mitigate the worst financial impacts of the pandemic without raising taxes.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address: New Hampshire legislature
Feb 11, 2021
Page last updated: Feb 24, 2022