Amid a statewide gonorrhea outbreak, Republican Senate budget writers voted not to spend $400,000 to expand testing for sexually transmitted diseases. But they gave initial approval to a $7 million expansion of mental health treatment beds and the launch of an independent office to oversee child protection.
The Senate Finance committee tackled funding decisions Friday for health and human services, the biggest department that accounts for roughly 40 percent of state spending.
With a limited number of dollars, budget writers are grappling with a number of department challenges, including a struggling child protection division, a overburdened mental health system and an ongoing opioid crisis.
“We want everybody to get everything they need, it’s just what are the priorities?” said Deerfield Sen. John Reagan, one of four Republicans on the six-person committee. “It falls on us.”
The committee is making preliminary recommendations before finalizing its entire budget next week. Then, the spending plan will go to the full Senate for a vote.
Because of its size and broad impact on residents’ lives, health and human services is one of the most contentious budget areas. The finance committee approved most spending areas unanimously, including the addition of 68 mental health beds at time when dozens of people often sit in emergency rooms for days awaiting treatment. The group also signed off on converting part of the state’s only juvenile detention center into addiction treatment for minors.
“There’s no facility in New Hampshire that is dedicated to substance abuse treatment for youth,” said Jeff Meyers, head of the health and human services department.
Other decisions were split.
The Republican-led committee voted to double the dollars going to a state addiction treatment fund, but denied Democrats’ efforts to further increase the money.
The Governor’s Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, Treatment and Recovery was intended to get 5 percent of state liquor profits, but the formula was slashed in the last state budget to 1.7 percent. Committee Republicans voted to raise the percentage to 3.4 percent, but killed Democrats move to bring it back up to five percent.
“I just don’t think we can afford to do it,” said Senate President Chuck Morse, a Salem Republican.
The committee-passed plan would give the so-called state alcohol fund roughly $14 million over the two-year biennium, but some of money would be earmarked. For example, the Senate Finance Committee approved funneling $150,000 a year of fund money into the Boys and Girls Clubs’ “Smart Moves” program.
Four years after state lawmakers eliminated the departments’ STD Program, Democrats unsuccessfully tried to appropriate $400,0000 to expand HIV and STD testing.
“This testing is very important,” said Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, a Manchester Democrat. ‘This is appropriate, we suspended it, it’s important we restore it.”
The state saw a 250 percent spike in the number of reported gonorrhea cases last year.
Currently, no state general funds are available for such testing services, according to Patricia Tilley, Chief of the Bureau of Population Health and Community Services. The proposal went down 4-2 along party lines.