Lynch praises New Hampshire budget

In the Nashua Telegraph, Kevin Landrigan leads with Governor John Lynch's praise for a budget that raises 36 taxes and fees:

"I applaud the Legislature for passing the budget. I think it's a tough but responsible budget," Lynch told reporters.

For Lynch, the biggest challenge will be to come up with ways to cut state personnel spending by $25 million.

Lynch said his spending plan has 200 layoffs in it, and that he is open to furloughs rather than eliminating more jobs. Any furloughs should apply to all state workers – including himself, Lynch said. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted 202-183 for the budget bill (HB 1), about an hour after the state Senate adopted it on a 13-11 vote.