State agency openly lobbies for ‘second stimulus’

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation is openly asking for a ‘second stimulus’ from the federal government in a press release issued on Wednesday.

“This past year virtually doubled the NHDOT’s annual federal funding for transportation improvement projects,” said Commissioner George Campbell. “New Hampshire’s needs still far outweigh available funding, and we would welcome passage of a second federal stimulus initiative (‘Jobs for Main Street Act’), which would invest $48 billion in infrastructure spending that includes rebuilding roads and bridges.”

The state relied heavily on stimulus money to balance this year’s budget.

It’s worth pointing out that DOT’s appeal for a second stimulus would go above and beyond the federal transportation bill, which is slated to be drafted in Washington during the first quarter of 2010.

Does DOT’s beg indicate a looming lobbying effort on behalf of Gov. John Lynch’s administration to get more federal funding?

His office isn’t saying. NowHampshire.com’s request for comment went unreturned yesterday.

Nevertheless, this hat-in-hand request is an unorthodox admission that New Hampshire’s finances are in a troubled state.