Fairness was in the eye of the beholder at the State House last Wednesday when the N.H. House and Senate grudgingly voted in the 2010-11 budget. House Bills 1 and 2 contain the state’s General Fund spending and revenue, respectively. Earning few cheers, the legislation has been called everything from a legitimate compromise doing the “least possible harm” to an illegal “dung heap” along the way.
New Hampshire is one step closer to its budget for the next two years, although it still may be a long way off.
… if HB 392 is signed by Gov. John Lynch, cigar bars can start serving their stogies with a swig, starting in 2010. … And, Gov. Lynch is reportedly likely to sign a bill to study the death penalty in New Hampshire. There will be 13 public seats to fill for the commission.
… By late afternoon, Gov. John Lynch signed three bills into law that redefine marriage and re-affirm religious freedom regarding marriage. “It’s not new,” says Rep. Jim Splaine (D-Portsmouth), who sponsored House Bill 436, which he refers to as the marriage equality law. “Religions indeed do have the right in America to be able to discriminate in almost any way they want.”
Gambling on slot machines instead of two new taxes, the N.H. Senate Finance Committee last week completed its proposed two-year state budget, making significant changes to a House version. The full Senate will vote on the budget Wednesday, June 3, after which a Committee of Conference will be formed between the House and Senate to hammer out compromises and get a final version to Gov. John Lynch. His power to veto the whole package because of parts he doesn’t like is already holding sway.
