Reproductive Equity Now Statement on the Passage of Senate Budget
Senate Budget includes Momnibus 2.0 and partial funding of the New Hampshire Family Planning Program
CONCORD (June 5, 2025) – Today, the New Hampshire Senate passed its version of the biennial state budget for State Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027, which included language from Senate Bill 246, commonly referred to as “Momnibus 2.0, and partial funding of the New Hampshire Family Planning Program.
“We are grateful to see two major reproductive equity priorities make it into the Senate budget,” said Christina Warriner, New Hampshire State Director for Reproductive Equity Now. “By including core components of Momnibus 2.0 in the Senate budget, we are one step closer to addressing widespread maternal mental health challenges that are the leading cause of maternal mortality in the Granite State and to supporting moms in the wake of maternity ward closures across New Hampshire.
“While we are glad that the Senate budget does not eliminate the New Hampshire Family Planning program entirely, we are disappointed that the program will suffer a significant reduction in state funding. Sadly, this funding is not nearly enough to support our trusted New Hampshire Family Planning Program clinics, which rely on these funds to provide low-income Granite Staters with access to birth control, cancer screenings, and comprehensive preventative sexual and reproductive health care. Once again, we are asking our health care providers to do more with less, and Granite Staters – especially the most vulnerable in our communities – will shoulder the cost of these cuts.”
Background on Momnibus 2.0
This February, bipartisan lawmakers joined Reproductive Equity Now and a coalition of maternal health advocates to introduce Senate Bill 246, commonly referred to as “Momnibus 2.0.” This legislation aimed to improve maternal mental health, strengthen workforce protections, expand family supports, and support moms across New Hampshire.
The Senate budget includes core components of Momnibus 2.0 and will directly allocate general funds to train rural emergency responders on perinatal and birthing emergencies, as well as study regulatory burdens for independent birth centers. The budget also includes policy components of Momnibus 2.0, including increased access to home visiting for commercially insured pregnant and postpartum moms, increased access to depression screenings during well-child visits for pregnant or postpartum patients, and the ability for insurers to waive copays for mental health and substance use treatment for perinatal patients.
Momnibus 2.0 is part of Reproductive Equity Now’s New Hampshire 2025 legislative priorities, which include improving maternal health outcomes, as well as affirming abortion as health care and fighting back against anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ attacks.
Background on New Hampshire Family Planning Program
The New Hampshire Family Planning Program (NHFPP) is a program with a 53-year history of serving thousands of Granite Staters every year, by providing low-cost, preventative sexual and reproductive health care, such as no-cost or low-cost contraception, pregnancy tests, cancer screenings, STD testing, and more. New Hampshire has one of the lowest teen pregnancy rates in the nation, due largely to the availability of preventative services to those who need it most, provided through this program. In 2022, New Hampshire saw the highest incidence of gonorrhea and syphilis ever recorded.
On April 10, the New Hampshire House of Representatives passed its version of the budget, which entirely eliminated the New Hampshire Family Planning Program. Reproductive Equity Now testified before the Senate Finance Committee in strong support of restoring funding for the New Hampshire Family Planning Program. Today, the Senate passed a budget proposal that restores partial funding for the Program. While the Senate budget fully restores federal funds for the New Hampshire Family Planning Program, it appropriates general funds at only $500,000 per year, which is still significantly less than the funding level requested by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.
###
