[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6646767,"mediaKeyId","2528107-2ec08cd31ca2445cf4badb6d5d6738aa","parentId",2528107,"title","Fish and Game warns of unrestricted-fund shortfall; OHRV online sales and transfers to DNCR draw scrutiny","audioSeconds",3804,"startMs",11804000,"endMs",15608000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2528107-2ec08cd31ca2445cf4badb6d5d6738aa&start=11804&end=15608","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2528107-2ec08cd31ca2445cf4badb6d5d6738aa/thumbnail_11804000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6646767/New-Hampshire/Fish-and-Game-warns-of-unrestricted-fund-shortfall-OHRV-online-sales-and-transfers-to-DNCR-draw-scrutiny","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6646767-c0ad7d3efeb5c0609ed9728dc1bcb67a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141686&Signature=EIGsf~6RaxxtXCB23yJSb0lSF0H7WSph1mc6Okek-V-gpy7qID0B5lmmzcVb-P9GXsNihyTK32mJjrDJZsV6FOleX3FmCbuOQhfK4PT3TWSkD8HdTXW1vhSNU7C~pWjO-Vno6OuzejXb4exLXBcwdfa7Kv8kGufqpgg8h9OtG56tywHyAwP-GkMmpqvNPoYb-iJVkVdITHOzz19YqcQpJWXCVznWsZwicHphcvHl1MmdTuVu8RtENM28oZRZdvkallcVn0EcVWAB9Hj8yym9KXPRxjn4tS~MH8E6InOgWvlqqAXxAubmNoP4-a-kAQocXK9N6Nx~XoJBwmUtgG4Ysg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Hampshire Legislature","date","2025-03-04T06:41:18.8Z","article","Stephanie Simic, director of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, and Kathy LaBonte, the agency's chief of business operations, briefed the House Finance Committee Division II about the department's revenues, dedicated accounts and the governor's budget proposal.

“Your starting point is the governor's recommended budget,” Fiscal said, and LaBonte walked the committee through restricted (dedicated) and unrestricted revenue sources. The agency reported 16 dedicated accounts and 13 pots of unrestricted revenue. LaBonte said license revenue makes up roughly 35% of the department's unrestricted revenues; other sources include OHRV/marine road-toll receipts, federal grant indirect-cost recoveries (about $0.9–1.0M per year), and miscellaneous income.

LaBonte presented a 17-year Fish and Game Fund balance history showing a low point around FY2015 and an unaudited beginning balance of about $13.2 million at the end of FY24. Using the governor's recommended budget figures without additional general-fund infusions, the department's projections show the unrestricted Fish and Game Fund falling into a deficit by the end of the biennium; the governor's budget balances the department using anticipated lapses and a fiscal transfer of $397,000 that fiscal had approved after the governor's budget was prepared.

Committee members pressed the agency on several revenue and program items. Lawmakers asked about the upcoming change to OHRV (off-highway recreational vehicle) registration: Fish and Game said it plans an online registration implementation in September, which will require upfront fulfillment and postage costs for mailed decals. The agency said the statutory revenue flows for OHRV registrations require that about 70–72% of gross registration revenue be transferred to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) for trail-maintenance grants and similar programs; agents retain a statutory per-transaction fee (currently $5 for OHRV registrations) and the department expects to retain an increased portion of the transaction fee under the new online model (about $4 of the $5, per the department's contract with its online vendor) to help offset internal costs.

Fish and Game described several dedicated accounts (for example, a Fisheries Habitat account funded by a $1 fisheries habitat fee and a Wildlife Habitat fee that has remained $2.50 for many years) and said that while some dedicated accounts show unobligated balances on paper, program staff hold lists of prioritized projects and contracts that will obligate those balances. LaBonte said the department does not budget on lapses and highlighted that many accounts are restricted by statute and cannot be freely reallocated.

On law-enforcement funding, the department said general-fund support has been provided in prior years (accounting unit 7887) and that the governor's budget removes that general-fund appropriation; department leaders said that removal could limit the ability to fill five vacant conservation-officer positions the agency currently needs and could increase overtime and worker-safety risks if staffing remains thin. Simic also said the administration’s trailer-bill proposal would move the agency's environmental-review program to the Department of Environmental Services; she expressed concern about losing program staff entirely and asked that at least one or two positions be retained in the agency to maintain expertise.

Hatcheries and facility maintenance also drew questions: Fish and Game called hatchery infrastructure “critically underfunded” and said past deferred maintenance has created a backlog; the department said it had $4–4.5 million in current capital appropriations after an earlier biennial round and expects to continue capital requests.

The agency agreed to provide the committee with a more detailed breakdown of license and registration fees (including agent and transfer shares), a report of the total cost of search-and-rescue activities (including indirect and embedded costs), and a list of dedicated and unrestricted revenue lines with current balances and the agency's planned obligations.

Ending: Fish and Game closed by noting the budget-reduction pressures and statutory constraints on dedicated funds; the committee requested more detailed fee breakdowns, a search-and-rescue cost accounting, and options for addressing unrestricted-fund shortfalls.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Finance Division II (03/03/2025)","oneSentenceSummary","Officials from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department told House Finance Division II that the agency’s unrestricted fund balance is projected to shrink sharply under the governor’s proposed budget and that an upcoming switch to online OHRV registration, existing statutory transfers to DNCR and constraints on dedicated accounts complicate the agency’s financial outlook.","taxTitle","Finance - Division I, House of Representatives, Committees\t, Legislative, New Hampshire","taxId",17750,"location","New Hampshire","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6646774,"Community College System highlights workforce training, capital needs and budget treatment",1395,3992000,5387000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2528107-2ec08cd31ca2445cf4badb6d5d6738aa&start=3992&end=5387","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2528107-2ec08cd31ca2445cf4badb6d5d6738aa/thumbnail_3992000.jpg","/articles/6646774/New-Hampshire/Community-College-System-highlights-workforce-training-capital-needs-and-budget-treatment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6646774-47f694eb49dd5ff64a50f7d405f932f1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141686&Signature=dQJV48FsFhFiMEWsuY9zeXP4SqTvDoFcBpkK3Kd7GnbLZM98ZANnph-mMuxkxTDdjtbuz0bUXCZwKq~hBU2xWRBCzTy5fyml6A3BnjJ5vQNtk1zGOHcNcCv5NXBtvlkGxWCAUxL4WctVoDqCRcJJbaJou8EHjD6m1wyIPc45zBv~WiqdggCWMHr7Q-F0gTtu8cwPBZPapPfxuNWPGzCd2I101HqRhAkAbQ-U5F1nH7r5Kg14skjYbVeJ~p~4~xJu-CKNXEiToM1JdKivxnKVp55CKdrhmvow-xrvf7AvGRvy98Bu6WCpQqowL8ExzVmBZOt6h3T6EuiUq7HcRMVtCA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mark Rubinstein, chancellor of the Community College System of New Hampshire, and Shannon Reed, director of government affairs and communications, briefed the House Finance Committee Division II about their budget on Feb. 19. Reed said the apparent increase from the current biennium to the governor's proposal largely reflects moving items that were previously in HB 2 into HB 1 rather than newly added funding.

“We'd be grateful to have just held even,” Reed said, explaining that roughly $10 million in workforce, early-college and Promise-program dollars appeared to drive a top-line change but are built into House Bill 1 now rather than HB 2 as in the prior biennium.

The college system noted prioritized items that were not funded in the governor’s capital proposal, including $17 million in requests for critical maintenance, energy systems and program-specific renovations; the governor’s capital included only $700,000 for relocating a welding program to Great Bay Community College’s Pease campus.

Rubinstein and Reed reviewed program and revenue trends. They said community colleges saw a steep pandemic-era enrollment decline, significant federal ARPA-era infusions that offset lost revenue and funded investments in online delivery and training, and recent growth in noncredit workforce training programs tied to state seed investments. They reported personnel increases driven partly by grant-funded positions that grew from 2 in 2015 to 41 in 2024, primarily supporting apprenticeships and workforce programs.

Committee members asked for more detailed departmental-level budget spreadsheets, forecasted revenue estimates for the coming biennium and variance analyses explaining year-to-year changes in “other operating” revenue and expenses. The system said it will provide more detailed forecasts and department-level breakdowns as it finalizes biennial budget materials and enrollment projections.

Ending: The college system left the committee with a request for continued capital support and committed to sending additional budget detail, revenue forecasts and line-item variance explanations.","Chancellor Mark Rubinstein and government-affairs director Shannon Reed told the House Finance Committee Division II that apparent increases in the Community College System’s proposed funding largely reflect moving previously approved HB 2 items into House Bill 1 and that the system will provide more detailed forecasts and departmental budget breakdowns requested by lawmakers.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6646777,"UNH System warns of budget cuts, enrollment decline and federal grant risks",3481,276000,3757000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2528107-2ec08cd31ca2445cf4badb6d5d6738aa&start=276&end=3757","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2528107-2ec08cd31ca2445cf4badb6d5d6738aa/thumbnail_276000.jpg","/articles/6646777/New-Hampshire/UNH-System-warns-of-budget-cuts-enrollment-decline-and-federal-grant-risks","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6646777-956e22efa02f9dc4935dda66a0f47f85/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141686&Signature=QJbl8CaPbEGQrTPe56Qy182cmZI73D6ml9I5Ez3tx-zKqtf~njc4glra5lKTFKElI6RvsHIv4Di9UHAK00oF-xfq6oPGHC5BpqknDGSE6370JiQGVIQAicT3FIntOFKD1D5o0c1~yLejTxRLics0BwHh8KZePTPyJAdHMZh9ZV9ipb5bBJKA0gvh-c-SCxNTsctMkHGuepRo2EOzlSbbMUhhYSCnXH1IkiZuZ7fxQ3OtbWq2NR3USkqw3qktaLnA5fzIlda6l5k-3XaC~j6mkoyLX0LsfruFWcpnwudcgmfZTrmq2HZYcsuwuRtEvwmTbNY8Q1z0aOc-EaoNwkG3uQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Catherine Provencher, chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire, told the House Finance Committee Division II on Feb. 19 that the system faces a roughly $16.5 million reduction in the governor's proposed budget — about an 8.3% cut — and that the campuses are already planning roughly $20 million in savings for fiscal 2026.

“This is our mission and we take it very seriously,” Provencher said, reading language from RSA 1:87-a that defines the system’s public purpose. She said the system has reduced headcount, cut retirement contributions, raised employee premiums for medical benefits and sold property to respond to lower enrollment.

Provencher told lawmakers that total enrollment in fall 2024 was about 23,000 students across the system, with UNH comprising about 69% of that total. She said research and federal grants have grown substantially in recent years and that “a dollar in is a dollar out” for grant-funded positions and expenditures. She also described a large endowment — about $988 million across the system and affiliated foundations as of June 30, 2024 — and said the system uses a multi-quarter smoothing method to set endowment payouts, which currently average about 4.5% annually.

“State appropriations … have helped keep New Hampshire tuition flat,” Provencher said, and she asked lawmakers to hold funding at the governor’s recommended level rather than cut deeper.

Committee members asked for additional detail. Representative Steve Murray asked how the endowment payout is calculated; Provencher said it is based on a 12-quarter rolling average of market value. Representatives asked for breakdowns of administrative compensation, head count, compensation per student and grant-funded staffing; Provencher and staff agreed to provide those details after the hearing.

Provencher reviewed recent capital investments tied to workforce strategy, including state-supported capital for a UNH life sciences building, a new advanced manufacturing center (the Olson Center) with corporate partners and a NOAA facility on the UNH campus. She said the system is pursuing program-sharing, online coursework and other measures to reduce footprint and costs as enrollment declines, and that the board’s operating-margin target is 1% in the current budget climate with a longer-term goal of 3%.

The chancellor also addressed federal actions and compliance: she told the committee the system monitors a February “dear colleague” letter from the U.S. Department of Education and is reviewing federal grant language and campus websites with general counsel to ensure legal compliance on DEI-related guidance. She further said the system had received stop-work notices on four federal grants totaling roughly $700,000 and learned late in the process that an additional food-safety award would not be renewed. Provencher said the system is watching possible changes to federal indirect-cost rules and that an NIH limit could cost the system about $1 million on NIH-funded indirect costs.

Provencher closed by reiterating the request that state funding not be cut more deeply than the governor’s recommendation and agreed to follow up with requested breakdowns of compensation, head counts, peer endowment-payout benchmarks and details on legal compliance work.

Ending: The committee accepted the UNH materials and asked for follow-up detail on administrative compensation, compensation per student, vacancy and head-count breakdowns, an endowment-payout peer benchmark, and documentation of general-counsel work on grants and DEI-related compliance.","The University System of New Hampshire told the House Finance Committee Division II that a governor-recommended reduction of roughly $16.5 million (about 8.3%) would force $20 million in cost reductions in fiscal 2026, and described rising research funding, stable endowment payouts and ongoing compliance work around DEI and federal grants.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Fish and Game warns of unrestricted-fund shortfall; OHRV online sales and transfers to DNCR draw scrutiny

Community College System highlights workforce training, capital needs and budget treatment

UNH System warns of budget cuts, enrollment decline and federal grant risks