CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - The latest on New Hampshire lawmakers voting on a budget deal, including tax cuts for businesses and a pay raise for state employees, and on other bills vetoed by the governor.
4:35 p.m.
New Hampshire’s budget stalemate is over.
A fractured New Hampshire House on Wednesday passed a compromise agreed to by Republican legislative leaders and Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan, sending it to Hassan’s desk for her signature. The House’s vote of 291-73 comes after nearly two hours of debate in which a group of conservative Republicans tried to derail the deal at every turn.
After Hassan signs the deal, both chambers will vote to override her earlier veto of the state budget so the spending plan can take effect. Both chambers have enough votes for an override.
The new plan is little different than the original $11.3 billion plan passed in June, but marks a compromise between Hassan and Republicans on business tax cuts. The deal includes the cuts but puts in place a trigger that will halt them if state revenues drop too low, easing Democrats’ concerns that cuts would blow a hole in future state budgets.
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3:10 p.m.
The state budget deal has cleared a major procedural hurdle in the New Hampshire House despite efforts from a small contingent of conservative Republicans.
The group, led by former Speaker Bill O’Brien, attempted to block the deal from coming up for a vote. The efforts fell short by a vote of 285-93 after a more than 30 minutes of debate. O’Brien and his backers say the deal should have gone through a public hearing process.
The chamber will now begin debating the merits of the budget deal.
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2:45 p.m.
Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan has been handed another victory by the Senate.
Democrats in the upper chamber joined together to uphold Hassan’s veto of a bill that would’ve created a 30-day residency requirement for voters. Republicans backing the bill said it would crack down on voter fraud, but Democrats say it would unnecessarily restrict the right to vote. Senators also upheld a veto related to letting school districts opt out of the Common Core state standards.
In the House, Democrats successfully upheld Hassan’s veto of a tax law change sought by gym company Planet Fitness.
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2:30 p.m.
Gun owners will still be required to get a license if they wish to carry their weapons concealed.
The Senate voted along party lines to sustain Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan’s veto of a bill that would’ve removed the licensing requirement. Republicans say anyone who can legally carry a gun openly should have the same right to carry in concealed. Democrats, meanwhile, say the licensing requirement adds a necessary check to keep hidden weapons out of the hands of dangerous people.
To carry a gun concealed, such as in a purse or under a coat, a person must obtain a license from local officials.
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2 p.m.
All 24 New Hampshire senators support the compromise budget deal finalized this week.
The Senate voted unanimously on Wednesday to pass the budget deal, which includes business tax cuts sought by Republicans and a pay raise for state employees. The plan now goes to the New Hampshire House.
The bill passed after brief debate during which members of both parties praised the body for coming together on the deal. Democratic and Republican leaders say the deal is positive for the people of New Hampshire and is the product of a hard-fought compromise.
The bill is likely to face some opposition in the House.
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1:30 p.m.
New Hampshire lawmakers are preparing to vote on a compromise budget deal and a host of other bills vetoed by Gov. Maggie Hassan.
The deal begins in the Senate and will then move onto the House, where a number of Republicans are trying to thwart its passage. If it passes both chambers, Hassan will then ask Democrats to join Republicans in overriding her budget veto so the spending plan can take effect.
The deal comes three months after Hassan vetoed the Legislature’s $11.3 billion spending plan, largely over business tax cuts. The tax cuts are included in the final deal, but are contingent in part upon state revenues hitting a certain target. The deal also includes a pay raise for state employees that lawmakers removed from Hassan’s initial budget proposal.
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