The "Protect Our Money Act" mandates that the Commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services withhold payments owed to the federal government if federal aid to New Hampshire is suspended or withheld through an executive order or in violation of a court order. The bill requires the Commissioner to assess the amount of federal aid being withheld and report this information to key state officials within 60 days. Based on this assessment, the Commissioner is authorized to withhold an equivalent amount of state payments to the federal government and to release these funds only upon receipt of the previously withheld federal aid.

The bill introduces new legal language to RSA 21-I:13, specifically adding a new paragraph that outlines the procedures for withholding state payments in response to suspended federal aid. It does not provide additional funding or authorize new positions, but it may lead to an indeterminable increase in state expenditures due to potential penalties from the IRS and risks to the state's cash flow and federal funding access. The bill's implementation could also have an indeterminable impact on county-level funding, particularly concerning the Medicaid program.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 21-I:13
SB602 text: 21-I:13