NH Gov. Sununu Establishes Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR)

On Tuesday, April 7, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu sent a letter to Senate President Donna Soucy and House Speaker Steve Shurtleff outlining the formation of the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR). This office will be similar to former Governor John Lynch’s New Hampshire Office of Economic Stimulus.

Unlike the 2009 stimulus investment process that used the budget to ensure legislative input, the urgency and timing of this crisis does not allow for that course of action,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “We are creating a bipartisan Legislative Advisory Board within GOFERR to ensure transparency and input to the process. It is important that this process has as much accountability, transparency, and integrity as possible, and I look forward to having legislative leadership advise this critically important office.

GOFERR will be charged with the investment and oversight of COVID-19 relief and stimulus funds provided to New Hampshire by the federal government. The office will manage the accounting, auditing, legal, and IT requirements surrounding these investments and will ensure transparency and accountability metrics to the citizens of New Hampshire for all relief and stimulus efforts.

According to an earlier statement by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire will receive a minimum of $1.25 billion in relief from the State and Local Coronavirus Relief Fund, which the Senate passed March 25.