The Chips Fall as "Send It Back" Fills the LOB

by: Zandra Rice Hawkins

Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 18:48:04 PM EDT

NH gov takes gaming off table in budget debate (Norma Love, AP)

CONCORD, N.H.-Gov. John Lynch is taking video slots off the table in hopes of wooing support from New Hampshire lawmakers disappointed gaming wasn't in the budget package they will vote on Wednesday. Lynch told reporters Tuesday he will appoint a commission to study gaming, but he won't support expanding gambling in New Hampshire this year.

The vote tomorrow is expected to be very close. Everyone knows Governor Lynch has been doing the rain dance the last few days to get the needed votes to pass the bill. On the other side of the issue is the State Employees Association/SEIU Local 1984, which held a press conference today calling for the budget to be sent back to the conference of committee.

SEA President Gary Smith:

"We are gathered here today to ask our State Legislators to reconsider the proposed State Budget.  This budget doesn't work.  It doesn't solve the real problem of providing adequate funding for public services.  It fails because it adds taxes and fees onto residents who can least afford them.  It fails because it adds to the burden of property taxpayers by downloading state obligations.  It fails because it hurts people who need help during this tough time."

What's interesting about the divide between Lynch and the SEA is that the budget the Governor passed onto the legislature encompasses a lot of anti-union language, but doesn't take into account any of the ideas generated by state employees, themselves.

For example, Governor Lynch kicked off his budget address with an announcement that the state would suspend "bumping rights" - rights that guarantee department heads can't purposely eliminate positions to get rid of employees who are, say, union activists or simply because they hate the smell of their egg salad sandwich in the office.

Lynch also called for $25 million in personnel cuts (part of the current budget proposal) that could eliminate 750-1,000 jobs by SEA's estimates, as well as jeopardize the safety at state correctional facilities and shut down places like the Tobey School for troubled youth. Cutting these jobs will no doubt put more families at financial risk, especially since the Governor intends to suspend personnel rules to avoid having to look at cuts in part-time staff before going after full-time positions.

What Lynch did not do was explore the SEA's proposal to move to a 4-day work week model that would allow state offices to stay open later and better accommodate NH residents but that would have overhead cost-savings from closing offices on the slow business day of Friday (some departments suggested other low-traffic days, depending on the ebb and flow of their work).

But, for some unknown reason, the Governor has refused to entertain this idea or others like it. Instead, he's attacked some essential worker protections and now has to push for support of the budget.

Tomorrow is going to be a bad day in any case - whether we pass a budget that doesn't sufficiently address the needs in this state or we send it back to conference and operate under a dark cloud for as long as it takes to rework it, there's mud all over it.

Which led me to think this was an interesting question posed in the NH Business Review last week, so I'm posting it here: