New Hampshire has been spending federal stimulus money on transportation faster than most states. And part of the reason is that it’s using green paper to cut red tape.
The U.S. Transportation Department says the state is among the top 10 in the percentage of stimulus money for transportation already put to work. So far, more than $145 million has been contracted for everything from road and bridge work to insulating homes and boosting unemployment benefits.
To get there, the state has sped up contract approvals, changed laws and designated a statewide stimulus director, Bud Fitch. Under Fitch’s direction, every stimulus-funded proposal must be topped with a green cover sheet signifying "Go."
Fitch says everyone’s been instructed to grab the green ones and get them to the top. He says the goal is to speed the process by turning them around in a day.