Gov. Lujan Grisham eyes state spending options amid windfall

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Tuition-free college and more spending to secure abandoned oil wells are among the priorities from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The priorities for state spending come amid a windfall in state income linked to federal pandemic relief and petroleum production.

September marks the outset of the Legislature’s grueling budget writing process in a state still grappling with high rates of unemployment and childhood poverty.