Governor Maggie Hassan is moving the state in the right direction and solving problems the New Hampshire Way – bringing people together and working with independents, Republicans, and Democrats to build a stronger middle class and a brighter economic future for New Hampshire. Under Governor Hassan’s bipartisan leadership, the unemployment rate is at the lowest level since 2008 and New Hampshire has recovered nearly all of the jobs lost in the Great Recession. The Governor will continue working across party lines to support job-creation at innovative businesses, expand opportunity for middle class families, and keep New Hampshire’s economy moving forward. Governor Hassan was sworn in as the 81st Governor of New Hampshire on January 3, 2013. Governor Hassan is focused on bringing people together to build a stronger, more innovative New Hampshire, with more good jobs that can support a growing middle class and where all of our citizens are included in our shared success and prosperity.Working with legislators from both parties, the Governor successfully led efforts to develop and pass a fiscally responsible, balanced budget that protects New Hampshire’s priorities, without an income or sales tax. She has moved forward with implementing her “Innovate NH” jobs plan, seeking to build the best workforce in the country and strengthen the economy by freezing in-state tuition at public colleges and universities and restoring scholarship funding, doubling and making permanent the state’s research and development tax credit, and providing businesses with technical assistance to help them create jobs. Governor Hassan also worked across party lines to enact a bipartisan plan that expands access to health coverage to as many as 50,000 hard-working Granite Staters, the most significant piece of health care legislation that the State of New Hampshire has seen in decades. The bipartisan health care expansion plan is a fiscally responsible, uniquely New Hampshire solution that will boost the state’s economy, reduce cost-shifting on businesses, and improve the health and economic security of working families. And the Governor has worked to maintain New Hampshire’s high quality of life as one of the safest, healthiest and most livable states in the nation. Governor Hassan successfully worked to invest in a stronger mental health system, put more State Troopers on the road, restore the Children in Need of Services (CHINS) program, increase funds for services for people with acquired brain disorders and developmental disabilities, and restore funding for the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP). Known for her ability to bring people together to find common ground, Governor Hassan helped secure the most bipartisan budget vote in over a decade, following through on her pledge to restore the New Hampshire tradition of commonsense problem-solving in Concord.
Governor Hassan began her career in public service in 1999 when Governor Jeanne Shaheen asked her to serve on the Advisory Committee to the Adequacy in Education and Finance Commission. Her experience as a business attorney, along with her role as the parent of two children, one of whom experiences severe disabilities, enabled her to provide a unique perspective as the commission did its work. In 2004, Governor Hassan was first elected to the New Hampshire Senate, serving the people of the 23rd District, which included numerous Seacoast towns. During her six years in office, she was selected by her colleagues to serve as both President Pro Tempore and Majority Leader of the State Senate. As a leader in the Senate, she helped pass universal kindergarten so that every child has the same opportunity to succeed; helped lower the state’s dropout rate by increasing the legal dropout age to 18 and establishing alternative education programs; worked to pass New Hampshire Working, a nationally recognized effort to help businesses and workers during the recession; sponsored the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to reduce long-term energy costs, curb pollution, and create jobs; and was instrumental in passing marriage equality in New Hampshire. The Governor earned her B.A. from Brown University and her J.D. from the Northeastern School of Law. Governor Hassan and her husband, Tom, the principal of Phillips Exeter Academy, are the proud parents of two children, Ben (26) and Meg (21). They live in Exeter along with the family dog, Honey Mae.