SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Capitol will be off limits to the public as a health precaution against the coronavirus as the Legislature gathers next week to plug a hole in the state budget, leading lawmakers decided Tuesday.
A panel of lawmakers approved safety restrictions and procedures for a special session on June 18 and related financial arrangements. The Democrat-led Legislature is meeting to rewrite the state’s spending plan for the fiscal year that starts on July 1 as state government income falls sharply amid a U.S. recession and a downturn in the state’s crucial oil and natural gas sector.