Legislative Letter: The State Budget - August 14, 2026 Windham Independent
Legislative Letter: The State Budget
To keep New Hampshire income and sales tax free, the state must be disciplined about spending and insist every dollar in the budget is justified. Fortunately for Windham, we have two representatives who are in the right committees to achieve those goals.
Rep. Soti is doing a great job on the Ways and Means Committee, which controls state revenues (taxes, fees, dedicated funds, etc.).
I am on the Finance committee, which puts together the state budget. My position there allows me not only to work on statewide financial matters, but to also pay close attention to and work to correct any provision that would have a negative impact on Windham.
Our remaining colleagues have been doing important work (with minimal impact on state spending) in the Judiciary and Children and Family law committees.
As a newly elected representative, I was fortunate to be assigned to the Finance Committee due to my strong financial background. I worked hard in my first term to reward Speaker Packard’s trust, spending every day in Concord in public hearings and Finance work meetings, and in my second term, I got promoted to Vice Chairman of Finance 2.
I also convinced leadership to let me serve on a second committee (Education Funding - any bill they pass goes to Finance 2). I am now spending 5 days a week in Concord from early January until late in April, working through budget hearings, education funding bills and other finance matters.
The budget process is complex, but my focus is simple: keep expenditures under control, protect the New Hampshire Advantage, and protect taxpayers.
The Finance committee also works on any bills passed by the House that contain spending provisions (past a certain amount), and we have been successful in stopping bills that passed through the policy committee in the Finance committee because the proposed expenditures were not justified.
The state budget consists of HB1 (a 1,000+ page spreadsheet with every account in the state budget) and HB2 (statutory changes to make the budget work). Both need to pass the House. Once the budget is out of committee, everyone’s vote counts on the floor… and this term’s budget barely passed in June by a 184-183 vote.
While voters were promised fiscal restraint, on April 10, some Republican representatives voted for HB2 amendments that drove spending higher. I voted for lower spending, to protect taxpayers.
The state budget is key to preserving the New Hampshire Advantage and growing our economy - I will never stop working to adopt the most fiscally conservative budget possible. To keep protecting your paycheck, I need your support in the September 8 primary elections.
Please reach out to me at 603 267 4142 (call or text) or at dpmwindham@gmail.com (a quick call or text after emailing me would greatly help ensure I see your email) with any questions or concerns.
Daniel Popovici-Muller
Windham State Representative,
Vice Chairman, Finance II Committee