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"In a sign that the economic health of New Hampshire could be improving, the state is way ahead of where it expected to be in terms of April revenue.April revenue came in $42 million above projections. But Gov. Maggie Hassan said the money is already spent.\"It should allow us to get close to closing the current deficit in this fiscal year, but it doesn't address the challenges that we'll face in the next biennium,\" she said.About half of the revenue came in the form of one-time money from a tobacco settlement. A look back over the past six months shows volatile swings in revenue versus projections, sometimes in the tens of millions of dollars.As lawmakers continue to hash out the merits of legalizing a casino in New Hampshire and the $80 million license fee that comes with it, opponents said the believe April's numbers show the state can do without.\"This additional revenue makes it easier,\" said Lew Feldstein of Casino Free NH. \"It's a still a close vote. It's going to be a close vote, and I think people are seeing that siren song, the lure of the money, and this helps to reduce that pressure.\"As Senate budget writers take up the state's spending plan, Sen. Chuck Morse, R-Salem, said the House version holds no answer on how to restore millions of dollars in state aid to the university system and the completion of the expansion project on Interstate 93.\"Those things can't happen unless we do something like gaming to make them happen,\" Morse said. \"A positive month is a great thing.\"As good as April might have been, it has little to do with the governor's long-term plan or fulfilling promises made during the campaign.\"So I do think the additional revenues that I've identified in our budget are still really, really necessary,\" Hassan said.A House committee is expected to make a recommendation on the casino bill within a couple of weeks. A full House vote could occur before Memorial Day."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.wmur.com/article/april-revenues-up-but-long-term-challenges-remain/5181293>