Monitor goes to bed before lawmakers

Lauren Dorgan had to send her budget story to the Concord Monitor printing presses before the final vote was taken, but it still contains good information on the major changes adopted by the Conference Committee:

A $25 million cut in personnel lines that calls on the governor to figure out how to make up the difference, through layoffs or other means. Lawmakers said they hoped state employees would accept unpaid furloughs. But the Legislature cannot mandate furloughs; they must be negotiated between the governor and unions. If a furlough or other deal isn't reached, the state would have to lay off about 750 employees to reach that target. That would come on top of the scores of employees already expected to be laid off in 2010-2011; a net of about 60 positions were cut in the Senate version of the budget.

Roughly $23 million in fresh cuts, primarily to Health and Human Services programs. They trimmed $6 million by adjusting downwards their expectations for Medicaid caseloads; a $1 million payment to the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth for specialty care; and $3 million in catastrophic aid the state uses to help local school districts facing hefty special education bills.

About $75 million from rosier revenue estimates from existing revenue sources, approved by Revenue Commissioner Kevin Clougherty, who said that recent tax receipts prompted reason to adjust estimates upward.