SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A $6.3 billion state budget with spending increases dominated by Medicaid, public schools and the state prison system is moving to the full House of Representatives for deliberations.
The downsized spending bill was approved by the House Appropriations and Finance Committee on Thursday in a 12-5 vote with full Republican support and Democrat lawmakers divided.
The state last week slashed its forecast for revenues next year by $200 million.
The House spending bill would sweep together $52 million in spare cash from agencies and reserve accounts to pay for roughly $81 million in spending increases.
Nearly half of the increased spending would go toward rising costs for Medicaid health care. Public Schools would get a 1 percent increase of $31.2 million. Funding for state universities would be trimmed.