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Senate Approves State Budget That Cuts Nearly 3%

KRWG News – SANTA FE, N.M. (KRWG) The Senate has approved a more than $5 billion budget proposal that will cut state spending by nearly 3 percent next year.

Senators worked past midnight to debate the budget and several other bills needed to balance the spending plan.

The budget will allocate $5.4 billion for education and general government programs in the fiscal year that starts in July. That's a reduction of about $152 million or 2.7 percent from spending in the current fiscal year.

Public schools account for the largest portion of the proposed budget, nearly $2.4 billion. Schools will be cut about 2.5 percent next year.

The budget cleared the Senate on a 24-17 vote early Wednesday. The measure returns to the House for consideration of Senate changes.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. KRWG