Results tagged “JUA” from Belknap County Republican Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ryan Williams
August 5, 2009   
(603) 225-9341


State Court Filings Admit Budget “Uncertainty” Threatens Bond Rating, Lynch And Democrat Leadership Still Won’t Consider “Plan B”


CONCORD – As Governor Lynch, Senate President Larsen (D-Concord) and Speaker Norelli (D-Portsmouth) continue to ignore the JUA budget crisis, the State admitted in court papers filed today that the “uncertainty” created by their refusal to develop a “Plan B’ is threatening New Hampshire’s bond rating. According to a motion for an expedited appeal filed with the State Supreme Court, the chaos created by Governor Lynch’s inaction is causing “bond rating agencies that regularly evaluate the State’s finances,” to lose confidence in New Hampshire.

“Governor Lynch, Senate President Larsen and Speaker Norelli need to take their heads out of the sand and finally admit that the State is facing another fiscal crisis created by their irresponsible budget,” said NHGOP Communications Director Ryan Williams. “Their inaction and failure to provide leadership during this crisis is creating uncertainty that threatens New Hampshire’s bond rating and the State’s long-term fiscal stability.”

The State’s court motion also admits that "the Legislature needs as much time as possible... to consider alternative budget reductions and funding options." Despite calls from the Union Leader (8/3), Concord Monitor (8/3), Nashua Telegraph (8/2) and Foster’s Daily Democrat (8/2) to develop a “Plan B,” Lynch and the Democrat Leadership are currently refusing to address the budget crisis. They are even refusing to acknowledge the Superior Court’s recent ruling that blocked their attempted theft of $110 million in private funds from the JUA.

“We have no crisis,” claimed House Finance Chairperson Marjorie Smith (D-Durham) yesterday in an interview with NHPR’s The Exchange. “There is no talk at all that I am aware of [about a ‘Plan B’] because the people who made the decision that this was a legitimate way to proceed continue to believe that it is a legitimate way to proceed…There is no ‘Plan B.’”

Republican leaders in the House and Senate repeatedly warned Governor Lynch that his attempt to steal private money to balance the state budget was unconstitutional and would likely be overturned by the courts. After the Superior Court initially froze the JUA money on June 29, 2009, Republican senate minority leader Peter Bragdon immediately called on the Governor to veto the budget and work on a new plan that excluded the disputed funds. Lynch ignored Bragdon’s warning and signed the Democrats’ irresponsible budget on June 30 – knowing full well that it would be out of balance on day one. Senate President Larsen has also brushed off calls for a special session to address the crisis, saying that she sees “no immediate need,” for it (Larsen Statement, 7/31).


CLICK HERE FOR STATE’S MOTION FOR AN APPEAL TO THE SUPREME COURT

CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO OF REP SMITH DENYING THE JUA BUDGET CRISIS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ryan Williams
August 3, 2009   
(603) 225-9341


Concord In Chaos As Lynch And Democrat Leadership Refuse To Address – Or Even Acknowledge – Budget Crisis

CONCORD – Six days after a Superior Court ruling blocked the attempted theft of $110 million from the New Hampshire Medical Malpractice Joint Underwriting Association (JUA), Governor John Lynch, Senate President Sylvia Larsen (D-Concord), and House Speaker Terie Norelli (D-Portsmouth) are refusing to address, or even acknowledge, the state’s critical budget crisis. According to published reports, Lynch and the Democrats are rejecting calls to develop a “Plan B,” and are pinning their hopes on the unlikely scenario that the state will somehow be allowed to steal the private funds to balance the state budget.

“No one is talking about how to fix a problem, because none of them acknowledge one exists,” reports the Union Leader (8/2).

“John Lynch and the Democrat Majorities are failing the people of New Hampshire by refusing to acknowledge – much less address – the serious budget crisis facing the state,” said NHGOP Communications Director Ryan Williams. “It’s time for the Democrats in power to swallow their pride, admit that they made a serious error in proposing this irresponsible and unconstitutional revenue scheme, and work with Republicans to fix this problem immediately.”

Republican leaders in the House and Senate repeatedly warned Governor Lynch that his attempt to steal private money to balance the state budget was unconstitutional and would likely be overturned by the courts. After the Superior Court initially froze the JUA money on June 29, 2009, Republican senate minority leader Peter Bragdon immediately called on the Governor to veto the budget and work on a new plan that excluded the disputed funds. Lynch ignored Bragdon’s warning and signed the Democrats’ irresponsible budget on June 30 – knowing full well that it would be out of balance on day one. Senate President Larsen has also brushed off calls for a special session to address the crisis, saying that she sees “no immediate need,” for it (Larsen Statement, 7/31).

Lynch has “deflected repeated questions from reporters about contingency plans,” (AP, 6/30) in the event that the court would halt his irresponsible revenue scheme. Despite obvious indications that the state wouldn’t be able to claim the surplus funds, Lynch has “repeatedly declined to detail alternatives and instead emphasized his belief in the rightfulness of the state's claim to the money.” (Concord Monitor, 7/30) Since the decision was announced, Lynch has continued to dodge questions about how he plans to address the staggering deficit and has merely stated that he hopes the State Supreme Court would overturn the Superior Court’s decision.

“John Lynch needs to realize that while ‘hope’ may be a successful Democrat campaign slogan, it’s not an effective or responsible governing strategy,” said Williams. “The State of New Hampshire cannot afford for this Governor to sit on his hands and avoid developing a contingency plan while the court reviews his risky revenue gambit. That’s the same failed approach that got us into this budget mess in the first place.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ryan Williams
July 30, 2009   
(603) 225-9341


Embattled Governor Without A Backup Plan As Court Decision To Block JUA Theft Plunges State Into Another Budget Crisis

CONCORD – One day after a Superior Court ruling blocked his attempt to steal $110 million from the New Hampshire Medical Malpractice Joint Underwriting Association (JUA), Governor John Lynch is frantically scrambling to address the state’s latest budget crisis. Despite repeated warnings that the court would rule against the state’s claim, Governor Lynch has failed to develop a contingency plan since the court initially froze the funds in June.

“Its time for Governor Lynch to finally stand up and take responsibility for his failure to produce a balanced and fiscally responsible budget. The Governor was fully aware that his attempted theft of the JUA funds would likely be blocked by the courts - even before he approved this disastrous budget,” said NHGOP Communications Director Ryan Williams. “His irresponsible actions further prove that during these challenging times, John Lynch is incapable of providing responsible and effective leadership for the State of New Hampshire.”

Republican leaders in the House and Senate repeatedly warned Governor Lynch that his attempt to steal private money to balance the state budget was unconstitutional and would likely be overturned by the courts. After the Superior Court initially froze the JUA money on June 29, 2009, Republican senate minority leader Peter Bragdon immediately called on the Governor to veto the budget and work on a new plan that excluded the disputed funds. Lynch ignored his warning and signed his irresponsible budget on June 30 – knowing full well that it would be out of balance on day one.

Lynch has “deflected repeated questions from reporters about contingency plans,” (AP, 6/30) in the event that the court would halt his irresponsible revenue scheme. Despite obvious indications that the state wouldn’t be able to claim the surplus funds, Lynch has “repeatedly declined to detail alternatives and instead emphasized his belief in the rightfulness of the state's claim to the money.” (Concord Monitor, 7/30)

Lynch’s silence has drawn criticism from non-partisan budget watchers including New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies executive director Steve Norton, who said that as a result of the court ruling, “Plan B needs to be developed, and to date, we haven't heard any Plan B," from the Governor. (Concord Monitor, 7/30) Since the decision was announced, Lynch has continued to dodge questions about how he plans to address the staggering deficit and has merely pledged to appeal the decision to the State Supreme Court.

“John Lynch’s only solution to this budget crisis is to cross his fingers and hope that it will somehow fix itself. That’s not leadership – that’s a dereliction of his duties as New Hampshire’s chief executive,” said Williams. “During these tough economic times its becoming increasingly obvious that now more than ever New Hampshire needs a new governor.”

Governor Lynch’s crumbling state budget faces additional challenges as even more lawsuits threaten to unravel his irresponsible revenue schemes. Local government leaders are moving forward with a separate lawsuit to stop the Governor from reducing the state’s share of the retirement contribution rate for municipal employees and downshifting costs to local taxpayers. A court has also issued an injunction requested by the New Hampshire Health Care Association that halts Lynch’s attempt to rescind an $8.8 million dollar payment to Granite State nursing homes.

As a result of his failed leadership and fiscal mismanagement, Governor Lynch’s favorability ratings have plummeted in recent months and his disapproval ratings have reached all time highs. Governor Lynch’s problems only look to get worse in the future as he begins to make plans for the FY 2012-2013 budget. This budget will start off with an immediate $500 million deficit due to his irresponsible use of one-time money in the current budget, and will present the Governor with an even worse fiscal crisis than the one he currently faces.

Concord, NH – Today, Senate Minority Leader Peter Bragdon released the following statement regarding the Belknap Superior Court ruling that Governor Lynch's plan to seize $110 million dollars from the private Joint Underwriting Association (JUA) to balance the budget was unconstitutional.

"Senate Republicans applaud the Court's ruling to prevent the unconstitutional raid on private funds.

"Responsible leadership would have held the line on spending, just as New Hampshire families are doing with their own budgets.  Instead Governor Lynch and the Democrat-controlled legislature raised total spending by $1 billion.  If tough but necessary spending cuts were made, there would have been no need to try to steal money from a private organization.

"I once again call on Governor Lynch and the Democratic Leadership to immediately bring the legislature back into session to deal with this $110 million hole in the state budget. Delaying this process through appeals will only exacerbate disastrous fiscal problems facing the State of New Hampshire.”

Statement from Rep. Sherman Packard, House Republican Leader:

“I am obviously not surprised by the ruling for the JUA today.  Questions about the raiding of this fund came the moment Governor Lynch suggested it in February and has been echoed by Republicans ever since.  It once again shows that Democrats could not make the tough decisions to cut spending and instead relied on more than $400M in one-time money to balance their outrageous budget.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ryan Williams
June 29, 2009   
(603) 225-9341


CONCORD – Today, former New Hampshire Governor and Republican State Committee Chairman John H. Sununu released the following statement on the Superior Court’s decision to block Governor Lynch’s attempted raid on the New Hampshire Medical Malpractice Joint Underwriting Association (JUA) Fund:

“It’s not surprising that the court did the right thing and blocked Governor Lynch’s attempted theft of the JUA surplus funds. The court’s decision confirms that the Democrats’ budget is a real disaster for the State of New Hampshire.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE COURT’S DECISION TO BLOCK LYNCH’S THEFT OF THE JUA FUNDS