Op-Ed: Birdsell Is Looking Out For Derry, Windham And Hampstead

Press release from the NH State Senate:

July 9, 2021

If there’s an issue that will impact the communities she represents in the New Hampshire Senate, Sen. Regina Birdsell is on the job.

New Hampshire has been planning to build Exit 4-A on I-93 since 1985, and it looked like the project was finally on its way. But last year, the first round of bids of the design-build phase of this project came in well over projections, delaying this phase. Regina thinks that Derry has waited long enough, and sponsored legislation to require the Department of Transportation to complete Exit 4-A on time in 2024.

The Legislature recently expanded state support for full-day Kindergarten programs, but because of the way our education funding formula works, there is a one-year lag before local communities receive increased state aid for full-day Kindergarten. Regina pushed to get rid of that lag for eight communities, including Derry, that have expanded to full-day Kindergarten this year and last year. This will mean an additional $510,000 for Derry’s Kindergarten program.

Regina has been a stalwart supporter of tax reform because making our tax code more competitive is key to growing our economy and creating new jobs. Because of the tax reforms championed by Republicans over the last several years, New Hampshire’s economy is among the strongest in the country. In fact, our state’s unemployment rate is now lower than when the COVID-19 pandemic began. The recently approved state budget cuts taxes on New Hampshire employers, reducing the Business Profits Tax and Business Enterprise Tax, and increasing the threshold for filing the BET to $250,000. That will provide immediate relief to New Hampshire’s small businesses and help create more high paying jobs for our friends and neighbors.

We also phase out the Interest and Dividends Tax on savings and retirement income, helping our seniors. We protect Main Street businesses who received loan forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program from an unexpected tax bill and lower the Meals and Rooms Tax for the first time in decades to give a boost to our travel and tourism industry.

This budget provides relief to property taxpayers at every level. We send back $100 million under the Statewide Property Tax. We also share $188 million in Meals and Rooms Tax revenue with cities and towns, an increase of $50.5 million over the last budget, and for the first time protect that revenue sharing with a dedicated fund. This change will result in an additional $2.1 million going to Derry, Hampstead, and Windham over the next two years, easing pressure on local property tax rates. We also increase funding for county nursing homes by $29.1 million, providing relief on the county portion of your property tax bill.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges for our schools. Because enrollments were down last fall, our school funding formulas would have provided less funding for districts next year. Regina was never going to let that happen. We have fixed the funding formulas and protected $67 million in state aid going to our local schools.

This budget expands school choice, creating Education Savings Accounts for low-income New Hampshire families who need more choices for their children’s education. School choice helps students who need options to fulfill their educational opportunities.

The budget Regina supported takes care of New Hampshire’s most vulnerable, increasing support for programs addressing mental health and substance misuse, including funding for a new forensic psychiatric hospital, additional transitional beds to tackle the emergency room boarding crisis, and full funding of the Developmentally Disabled Waitlist. We also set aside $3 million to help seniors and veterans recover from the social isolation caused by the pandemic.

Regina Birdsell is a problem solver. We are fortunate to have her working with us in the New Hampshire Senate.

Sen. Chuck Morse (R-Salem) is Senate President. Sen. Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro) is Senate Majority Leader.

This press release was produced by the NH State Senate. The views expressed here are the author's own.