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Dear Friends,
I hope you enjoyed the 4th of July despite the challenging weather conditions. June brought a lot of rain, and it also brought the end of the 2023 legislative session. Even though Democrats are the minority party in both the State Senate and the House, we were able to work together in a bipartisan way. Our ability to find common ground and make compromises helped us bring about victories for working families, and it is encouraging to see that bipartisanship is still possible.
At our final Session day, Senate President Jeb Bradley recognized the hard work of each Senator, and I was touched by his words:
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"Senator Prentiss - You got a wonderful award recognizing all of your efforts for first responders but you've also worked to make state buildings safer. You also worked long and hard to make sure that prescribers are able to use telemedicine for mental health issues. There was a lot of hard work and compromise that went into that, so thank you for that. Great job."
Senate President Jeb Bradley, June 29, 2023.
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One of the greatest victories for New Hampshire working families in the 2023 legislative session is the state budget. Here are some of the key highlights:
- $134M toward raising Medicaid rates, addressing mental health, healthcare, and other workforce shortages and opening access to a workforce pipeline
- Housing Champions - $5.25 million and another $5 million into the affordable housing fund
- $10M to address homelessness
- $170M for public education - an $80M increase in FY24 from FY22
- 12% raises for state employees
- $147M back to towns and cities including funds for wastewater, clean water, and $20 million for roads & bridges
- $16M for moms, babies, and investments in childcare including passing the "Momnibus" package
- $245M back to towns & cities in Rooms & Meals distributions
I am proud to have been a key cosponsor of SB 175, the "Momnibus" package which was included in HB 2 (the state budget). In addition to other provisions, this bill supports NH working mothers and their families by extending postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 to 365 days for eligible moms who had previously been left out of coverage. This work was built on my 2022 legislation, SB 407. To learn about the entire Momnibus package click here. Special thanks to Senator Becky Whitley (prime sponsor) for leading this effort.
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This year, I was the prime sponsor of 11 bills. My background as a 30-year Paramedic and former Bureau Chief of Emergency Services at the Department of Safety has taught me that healthcare and safety are some of the most important issues for New Hampshire families, businesses, and communities, and this is a major focus of my legislative initiatives. To date, three of my bills have been signed into law, and four are awaiting the Governor's signature. The remaining four have been retained in committees, and I will continue to work on them in the 2024 Session.
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The [State Budget] includes more funding for enrollment-based child care and increases reimbursement rates for health care providers. It also invests millions to incentivize developers to build much-needed housing across the region.
“By building out and funding the Housing Champions program. We hear constantly about the shortage of housing which impacts families, it impacts workforce. It impacts our ability to bring families here and have them grow here,” said Sen. Sue Prentiss, D-Lebanon.
WCAX, June 8, 2023
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Sen. Suzanne Prentiss, a West Lebanon Democrat, told colleagues a loan forgiveness program for those who have completed school was recommended by a legislative study commission as one way to reduce vacancies.
“I have never seen help wanted signs outside of schools and outside of fire stations,” said Prentiss. “And now I see both of those. This, again, is a way for us to deal with this.”
New Hampshire Bulletin, June 7, 2023
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Recently, I attended the Lebanon Democrats annual social. As the summer continues, I will be attending events and visiting with people throughout the district, talking about the work we accomplished in Concord this year - and the work that remains.
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I am also preparing legislation that I will introduce for the 2024 Session. If you have issues that you would like to see addressed in New Hampshire law, please let me know. Our working families in Senate District 5 and throughout the Granite State are always on my mind as I strive to be a "Senator for All of Us."
Best wishes,
Sue
Senator Sue Prentiss
New Hampshire State Senate, District 5
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