SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico legislators approved about $500 million in tax rebates and a broad suite of crime-fighting initiatives Thursday at the end of the 30-day legislative session — as the state grapples with the economic whiplash of the coronavirus pandemic and concerns about the violent crime surge in Albuquerque and beyond.
Final votes responded to calls by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for economic relief and a hardline response to frustrations with crime as she campaigns for reelection in November. The state House worked through the night and into daylight, racing against a 12 p.m. adjournment deadline.
New Mexico state government is awash in cash linked to a surge in oil production and an infusion of federal pandemic funding, allowing lawmakers to provide individual income tax rebates of $250 — and more for parents. State legislators also approved unprecedented new investments in public schools, Medicaid, public safety initiatives and an array of grants, loans and tax breaks to private industry.
The Democratic-led Legislature on Wednesday approved a record-setting $1 billion annual budget increase that provides for $8.48 billion in general fund spending during the fiscal year starting on July 1 — a 14% increase over current-year spending. Lujan Grisham supports major provisions and can veto any part of the spending plan.
Salary increases of at least 7% are scheduled for school district and state government staff across the state, with a minimum...
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