SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico legislators forged a budget agreement Thursday that increases annual spending on government programs and school districts more than a half-billion dollars.
The spending includes new investments in early childhood education and college scholarships in a state afflicted by high rates of childhood poverty.
In the predawn hours, the state House endorsed a $7.6 billion general fund budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. It raises annual spending by $536 million, or nearly 8%.
In the final hours of the session, lawmakers approved the reinstatement of a rooftop solar tax credit that expired in 2016.