After a marathon session, the New Hampshire Senate passed a $13 billion dollar state budget along party lines late Thursday night.
The Democratic-backed plan boosts funding for local schools by more than $100 million dollars, and would increase beds for people in mental health crisis. It also includes tax changes opposed by Gov. Chris Sununu.
Republicans offered numerous amendments to strip out spending proposals they said were unaffordable. But Senate Finance Chairman Lou D'Allesandro said the spending plan was a sensible approach to addressing the state's needs.
The Senate plan includes a mandatory paid family leave program, funded by a 0.5% withholding of employees' weekly wages.
Sununu says that amounts to an income tax, which he's promised to veto.
