CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Outrage over the firing of a convenience store clerk who refused to sell cigarettes to a welfare recipient prompted House Speaker William O’Brien to call for tighter restrictions on New Hampshire welfare benefits Friday, though he stopped short of proposing specific legislation.

O’Brien met with reporters in his Statehouse office along with Jackie Whiton, who was fired in May from a Peterborough store after turning away a customer who tried to buy cigarettes using a welfare benefits card. Since going public with her story, Whiton has been featured in media around the country, sparking considerable ire among those who view such purchases as an affront to taxpayers.

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