To the Editor:

This session I served as chair of the Senate Finance Committee, where we produced the operating budget for the state for the next two years, focusing on our state’s most pressing issues while ensuring financial stability and continued economic growth into the future.

The budget we produced increased funding for mental health care, restructured the Department of Child, Youth and Families in light of serious child safety concerns, and doubled funding for heroin and opioid prevention, treatment and recovery efforts.

We increased the Rainy Day Fund to $100 million, ensuring that we can meet any economic challenges in the future while also continuing to spend within our means. We also reduced the burden on New Hampshire businesses by providing business tax relief and provided tax relief to all citizens and businesses by eliminating the energy consumption tax.

In addition, we passed legislation important to our growing wine industry, which will allow small wine makers the opportunity to establish a remote tasting location and sell their product directly to consumers at that location, giving them another avenue to grow and expand.

We took steps in the capital budget to address the local need for a new courthouse in Milford, which will be a positive addition to our local community, as well as surrounding towns.

We made significant progress on these and many other issues facing the communities that make up District 11 and the state as a whole, and I look forward to continuing to work hard on your behalf for the remainder of the term.

Sen. Gary Daniels (R-Milford) represents District 11 including the towns of Amherst, Merrimack, Milford and Wilton and chairs the Senate Finance Committee, is vice chair of the Senate Capital Budget and member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

– Sen. Gary Daniels (R-Milford)