Policy Blog NH

In gambling debate, assumptions shape everything

Lawmakers tomorrow return to the debate over whether to allow expanded gambling in New Hampshire. The issue has taken on new relevance this year since Massachusetts legalized casinos just three months ago. The question facing legislators: Now that Massachusetts has acted, what should we do?

Revenue update: January 2012

New Hampshire state unrestricted revenue (that is, money collected in the General Fund and Education Trust Fund) came in $14.3 million higher than expected in January 2012, and 13.5 million higher than January 2011.

While that’s good news, the long-term projection is a little murkier.

The marginal costs of education

The issue of tax credits for private schools is now being debated in the Legislature, with several new bills moving through the State House.

One key question in the debate is: what are the costs or educating a single child, and how do those costs change when that child (or several children) leave a public school? As part of this discussion, the Center was asked to help calculate the marginal costs of public education, as a way of estimating the potential financial impact of such legislation. Our conclusion is that the financial impact of the proposed tax credits would vary considerably depending on several factors, including the size of the school, desired student-teacher ratios, and the magnitude of the changes in public school enrollment that followed the implementation of the legislation in question.

Our full response follows.

A regional approach to policymaking?

New Hampshire's traditions of strong local control and town-based governance are deeply rooted in the state's politics and culture. But we at the Center have lately been thinking of ways that more cross-border, regional approaches might improve decision-making across the state.

Update on gambling: Movement in Massachusetts

It may be NH Primary Day, but that doesn't mean state policy questions are taking the day off.

The New Hampshire House is set to vote soon on the latest proposal to legalize casinos. Gov. Lynch has promised to veto any bills that allows expanded gambling, but the current bill has earned the support of House leadership. In addition, the recent decision by Massachusetts lawmakers to legalize casinos in that state has raised the stakes in New Hampshire's gambling debate.

Uncertainty over November state revenues

Today or tomorrow – when November’s revenue estimates are released – state policy makers will get another data point that will help us understand New Hampshire's budget position. But there's still some uncertainty about one significant source of tax revenue.

A fix for School Building Aid?

New Hampshire's School Building Aid program, which has been subject to dissection and discussion for several years, may finally be getting a makeover. But whether the latest proposal for reform goes far enough to address the program's fundamental problems is uncertain.

Revenue update: Signs of bottoming out, but little sustained growth

The fiscal year is four months old, and monthly reports on revenue collections now offer a better glimpse of the state’s future financial position. Our take? The long, multiyear slide in state revenues appears to have ended, but no clear future trend is yet apparent.

Some context for the brewing hospitals vs. state battle

The announcement this week that Lakes Region General Hospital in Laconia would no longer provide care to Medicaid clients has sparked renewed interest in the recent changes in the state budget that reduced Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals. It also raises questions about the financial status of health systems in New Hampshire.

A presentation released earlier this year by the Center (available here) describes the budget changes, the financial impacts, and the potential responses by the hospitals. But how does LRGH’s announcement fit into the larger claim made by hospitals that recent budget changes threw them into financial peril?

Will tighter state spending spur economic growth?

We often get asked the question:  What impact do recent state budget changes have on New Hampshire’s employment picture? The answer to questions is complicated by many factors, not the least of which is figuring out which changes in the job market are due directly to budgetary cuts. However, at a macro level, we can begin to understand the impact that a slowdown in government spending has on state employment. And we can begin to focus attention on another, perhaps more central, question: Will budgetary changes position New Hampshire to flourish in the future?