State lawmakers have been out of session for about two months, but hard feelings over the fiscal 2018-2019 state budget continue. The conservative New Hampshire House Freedom Caucus is livid this week over what one of its leaders calls “an outrageous abuse of the legislative process.”

The Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee held its first meeting since the close of the legislative session Friday. Its 10 members unanimously approved about $90 million in “off-budget” spending of federal grant and revolving loan funds that had traditionally been included in the budget in past years. This year, the items were taken out by the House and kept out by the state Senate. | More…

| WMUR