http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/ Here we welcome a free and open exchange of opinions and commentary on the public policy issues facing New Hampshire. Our mission is to raise new ideas and improve public policy debates in our state through quality information and analysis. en-US Tue, 14 May 2013 15:24:04 -0400 http://www.typepad.com/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification PolicyBlogNhhttp://feedburner.google.com http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/05/getting-closer-to-a-budget-senate-revenue-estimates.html http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/05/getting-closer-to-a-budget-senate-revenue-estimates.html The Senate Ways and Means Committee approved its final estimates of revenues from existing state taxes this morning. It’s an important further step in the process of writing a state budget for the next two fiscal years, 2014 and 2015. The committee’s estimates set the stage for the Senate Finance Committee to begin making spending decisions. Yet the forecasts approved today also leave unresolved a series of questions that will further shape New Hampshire’s budget debate in the coming weeks. First, a quick review of the numbers. Senate Ways and Means members approved revenues estimates that are roughly $61 million... State Budget Policy Blog NH Tue, 14 May 2013 15:24:04 -0400 http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/05/theres-been-a-great-deal-of-public-surprise-about-a-recent-report-by-the-centers-for-medicare-and-medicaid-services-on-the.html http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/05/theres-been-a-great-deal-of-public-surprise-about-a-recent-report-by-the-centers-for-medicare-and-medicaid-services-on-the.html There's been a great deal of public surprise about a recent report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on the variation in how much individual hospitals charge for a given procedure. The data is interesting (available here) but it only tells part of the story. In the end it doesn’t tell you anything about what a given hospital actually gets paid for providing a service, nor what it actually costs the hospital to provide that service. Here in New Hampshire, we’ve already gone beyond a review of hospital charges. (To get a good sense of the differences in... NH's Health Care System Policy Blog NH Mon, 13 May 2013 15:33:20 -0400 http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/03/state-revenues-strong-in-march.html http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/03/state-revenues-strong-in-march.html With only a few days to go in the month, March state revenues are almost $20 million above forecasts. The boost is driven largely by a $14 million gain in business taxes. March is the biggest month for revenue receipts, as it's when the statewide education property tax gets posted. April is the second largest month for state revenue receipts. The better-than-forecast receipts are good news for the month. But it's difficult to say whether they indicate a trend in the state's tax picture. As of the end of February, FY2013 tax receipts were $41 million below forecasts, due largely... State Budget Policy Blog NH Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:08:51 -0400 http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/03/what-if-nh-does-nothing-on-expanded-gambling.html http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/03/what-if-nh-does-nothing-on-expanded-gambling.html Since we published our updated analysis of the potential impacts of expanded gambling in New Hampshire earlier this week, several policymakers and others have responded that our model failed to note the likely financial loss to the state if Massachusetts establishes casinos and New Hampshire takes no action on legalized gambling. As we noted in this new report, “Expanded Gambling in NH: An update on options,” Massachusetts authorized the establishment of three casinos across the state in 2011, and that state is currently going through the process of determining where they will be located and who will operate them. In... State Budget Policy Blog NH Fri, 01 Mar 2013 16:43:24 -0500 http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/02/expanded-gambling-in-nh-an-update-on-options.html http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/02/expanded-gambling-in-nh-an-update-on-options.html The proposal to legalize expanded gambling in New Hampshire has been put at the center of this year's budget debate, ever since Gov. Hassan suggested using revenue from casino license fees in the state budget. While expanded gambling has been considered numerous times in recent years in New Hampshire, this year's debate is getting increased scrutiny, given the governor's support and the $80 million in potential revenue she's counting on to balance her two-year spending plan. The Center recently updated its model of the potential impact of expanded gambling on New Hampshire, including estimates of state tax revenues, social costs... State Budget Policy Blog NH Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:02:55 -0500 http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/02/how-does-nh-stack-up-in-sequestration.html http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/02/how-does-nh-stack-up-in-sequestration.html We've all been hearing quite a lot lately about the sweeping federal budget cuts set to take effect later this week, the so-called "sequestration." The series of $85 billion in cuts will touch many corners of government spending, and everyone from the White House to local state media have been trying to calculate the potential impact to states, local governments, businesses and individual citizens. While forecasating the exact impact of the sequestration is nearly impossible, one way to gauge the potential ripple effects is by measuring the percent of each state's economy that relies on federal spending. Well, a couple... The Economy Policy Blog NH Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:29:55 -0500 http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/02/a-visual-snapshot-of-the-governors-budget.html http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/02/a-visual-snapshot-of-the-governors-budget.html When analyzing the state budget, we naturally focus on the numbers -- the dollars and cents spent on programs and raised as revenue. And those numbers are certainly the best way to assess the impact of any spending plan. But here's another way to understand the budget proposal put forth by Gov. Hassan last week -- in words. We created this "word cloud" of the Governor's budget address. The size of the word represents the frequency with which it appeared in her speech. (We removed common words like "and" and "the," as well as "New Hampshire," since they appeared so... State Budget Policy Blog NH Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:19:54 -0500 http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/02/step-1-the-governors-2014-15-budget-proposal.html http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/02/step-1-the-governors-2014-15-budget-proposal.html New Hampshire's biennial budget-writing process took its first official step Thursday morning, as Gov. Hassan released her budget proposal for 2014-15. Here's some data and analysis to provide context for this discussion, as we continue to break down the numbers in greater detail in the coming days. The Governor's plan includes a 10.2 increase in total spending across state government, and a 7.1 percent increase in General Fund spending, which includes spending funded by most state taxes and other revenue sources (see Figure 1). (Click on any of the charts to enlarge them.) Figure 1: Governor's proposed FY2014-15 budget and... State Budget Policy Blog NH Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:27:41 -0500 http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/01/measuring-nh-in-2013.html http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2013/01/measuring-nh-in-2013.html We've just published our annual edition of "The Year in Graphs," a visual guide to some of the policy issues likely to make news in New Hampshire in 2013. With these 8 charts, we aim to give you a general sense of some of the challenges facing policymakers in the coming year. You can find "Measuring New Hampshire in 2013" here. Education Quality Local Government NH's Health Care System State Budget The Economy Policy Blog NH Fri, 04 Jan 2013 13:57:50 -0500 http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2012/12/mixed-outlook-for-nh-economy.html http://www.policyblognh.org/policy_blog_nh/2012/12/mixed-outlook-for-nh-economy.html Center Economist Dennis Delay is presenting his forecast for New Hampshire's economy at the fall meeting of the New England Economic Partnership today. Delay forecasts a continued slow recovery for the state, with small increases in employment and the real estate market over the coming months. We'll post the full forecast shortly; in the meantime, you can read an overview from today's Union Leader. Policy Blog NH Thu, 06 Dec 2012 15:24:31 -0500