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N.H. House Struggles to Pass Budget Plan Without Full Republican Support

Allegra Boverman for NHPR

A major vote on the state’s new spending plan has been postponed in the House until Thursday.

That’s after the Republican-backed budget failed Wednesday in the House with more than 60 Republicans voting against it.

For months the House Finance Committee has been crafting a new two-year budget based off the governor’s proposed plan.

Changes by the House include removing funding for full-day kindergarten, more designated money for infrastructure and adding revenue from the electronic bingo game Keno.

Click here o better understand how the two versions differ.

But on Wednesday the House overwhelmingly rejected that plan by a surprising margin: 220 to 134. Critics on the right argue the $11.9 billion plan spends too much.

Majority Leader Dick Hinch says leadership is willing to negotiate.

“If you want to take a 100 million dollars out tell me you want to take it out of x, y, z and then I can examine it to see if that makes sense,” Hinch told reporters after the House recessed early Wednesday.

The House has until the end of Thursday to pass a budget.

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