SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – With less than a day left in the 2022 legislative session the battle over the state’s 8.48 billion budget ended this afternoon. Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted no on amendments made from the Senate to House Bill 2.
A conference committee was held Wednesday, listing things that were still being compromised. The last time the budget went into a conference like this over disagreements was in 2019.
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The state budget includes raises for educators and state police as well as funds going towards initiatives for local economic development projects and housing programs for homeless people. But there were seven specific items that were heard and voted on during the conference meeting that still needed work.
Ranging from 1 million in funding to the Regulation & Licensing Department for cannabis control program operations, $500,00 from the general fund for crime victims reparation commission, and more.
The two items that failed to make it onto the conference report include an item that would appropriate 30 million dollars from the general fund for expansion of health care delivery systems and rural health care delivery systems in the Human Services Department. As well as NMSU getting 5 million dollars for soil and water conservation.
The conference report was introduced and heard on both Senate and House floors and the committee report was adopted in both chambers. It now goes to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk for signing.
