(The Center Square) – Gov. Kelly Ayotte touted New Hampshire as the best-run state in New England in a speech to lawmakers Thursday that laid out an ambitious agenda for the year ahead.
In her State of the State, the first-term Republican touted her administration’s efforts to overhaul the state’s “broken” bail system, pass a bell-to-bell cellphone ban in school, pass a housing construction law, and craft “a responsible, balanced budget that protects services for our most vulnerable.”
“I stand before you today, convinced that the state of our state is strong, that our shared prospects for tomorrow are bright, and proud that our work is making New Hampshire even stronger, safer, and more prosperous than ever before,” she said in her remarks.
Ayotte took aim at neighboring states, including Massachusetts, over high taxes and embrace of green policies she said are driving up energy costs in the New England region. She said New Hampshire “is the envy of New England and a beacon for good governance nationwide” because “we have not succumbed to the lie that more money for the government is better.”
“We are the Live Free or Die state … but when you look at the states around us, we also show them what it looks like to live free and prosper,” Ayotte said. “But make no mistake – we are never more than one election from giving it up, from going the way of our neighbors, from massing up our Granite State.”
Ayotte, of Nashua, was elected governor in 2024. She is a former U.S. senator and former New Hampshire attorney general.
As part of her energy policy, Ayotte said she is directing the state Department of Energy to “build pathways to foster the next generation of nuclear power generation” in New Hampshire.
“I have asked the department to bring together stakeholders, lawmakers and organizations focused on nuclear generation to ensure our state is at the forefront of this pivotal technology,” she said.
On education, Ayotte said she is directing the state Department of Education to conduct a study of disparities between school districts in reading and literacy scores.
“Low reading scores are a challenge here and across the country, and I believe a smart first step for us in addressing this is to dig into our districts that are standouts and ask them what are they doing differently,” Ayotte said. “What can we learn and apply from their example? How can we help all of our schools raise the bar for reading?”
Ayotte also highlighted her public safety agenda for the coming year, including support for legislation to double driver’s license suspension, from six months to one year, for those refusing to take a blood alcohol test.
“Keeping New Hampshire the safest state in the nation also means making our roads safer,” she said. “We will keep working together to address the dangers of impaired driving, distracted driving, wrong-way driving, and other issues that put Granite Staters at risk.”
