Mar. 2—CONCORD — The trailer bill to the proposed two-year state budget emerged Thursday, a massive package that overhauls state licensing and aid to public school education while spending nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in state surplus on pet projects.

The long-awaited, catch-all bill contains a record 95,000 words, and 108 different sections that make 538 unique changes in state laws, all designed to carry out Gov. Chris Sununu's $13.9 billion spending blueprint.

State statutes compel the Legislature to spell out any changes in laws necessary to execute a state budget in a separate bill (HB 2).

Every two years, this process becomes a political feeding frenzy,as interest groups and volunteer advocates lobby lawmakers to include or eliminate these changes.

By definition, this bill often becomes the best way to adopt sweeping reforms that otherwise might not survive on their own.

Two years ago, the Republican-led Legislature included in that trailer bill a ban on abortions after 24 weeks, a voluntary paid medical leave program and the controversial outlawing of teaching discrimination in public schools.

As expected in this phase, Sununu's ambitious proposal to streamline and standardize licensing throughout state government dominates the bill, consuming more than half of its words in more than 250 sections.

Sununu's plan seeks to eliminate 14 professional boards and 34 permanent and temporary licenses while beefing up the budget and administrative power of the state Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC).

He has further proposed permitting anyone from outside the state with a comparable license to automatically practice here.

"New Hampshire is a wonderful place to live and work. The state's licensing requirements should not impose unnecessary barriers to workforce opportunities or be the reason someone decides not to move here," said OPLC Executive Director Lindsey Courtney in a statement.

Courtney said getting rid of the 14 boards alone would wipe 700 statutory provisions off the books.

Athletic agents, wetland scientists, hawkers and peddlers, itinerant vendors, landscape architects and shorthand court reporters would no longer need a state license to practice in New Hampshire.

The boards of allied health professionals, manufactured housing complaints, foresters, natural scientists, medical technicians and court reporters are among those on the proposed chopping block.

The reform goes much further than that, stripping another eight boards of their licensing clout by reducing them to advisory groups under the umbrella office's regulation.

These include boards that govern medical practices such as acupuncture, naturopathy and midwifery, along with nursing home administrators, guardians ad litem and the certification of family mediators.

Membership on the state's most powerful licensing boards, which oversee police, doctors, nurses, veterinarians, pharmacists, real estate appraisers and home inspectors, all would be reduced in the name of making them more nimble and efficient.

Sununu also wants to create a new Office of Regulatory Review, Reduction and Government Efficiency.

The office, with an annual $750,000 budget, would come under the Department of Business and Economic Affairs.

Sununu spelled out 32 different ways he wants to spend about 70% of the current surplus in this budget year, which ends June 30.

These include buying a new state office building for the Department of Justice ($21 million), a legislative parking garage ($15 million), down payments toward a new state prison for men ($10 million), revamped Whittemore Center ice arena at the University of New Hampshire ($8 million) and a new treatment center for troubled juveniles ($10 million).

Other surplus spending plans would include:

—$55 million for housing initiatives.

—$28 million for municipal water grants.

—$6 million to contain PCB contamination.

—$3.5 million to buy 52 state police cruisers.

—$1.4 million for a new program of enhanced law enforcement along the northern border.

—$7.8 million to upgrade the state's payroll system.

—$20.5 million toward a redesigned Medicaid information management system.

Sununu wants $94 million in remaining surplus go into the state's Rainy Day Fund, which would grow it to $253 million, slightly below an all-time high set in July 2021.

The House Finance Committee is likely to schedule a public hearing on this bill soon since the panel has until March 30 to make a recommendation on both the budget and trailer bill to the full House.

klandrigan@unionleader.com