Lawmakers are putting the finishing touches on a bill to provide $21 million for hundreds of projects earmarked by legislators and Gov. Bill Richardson administration.

However, Richardson is threatening to veto the so-called junior budget.

Gilbert Gallegos, a spokesman for the governor, said the bill is "packed with unnecessary budget pork." For example, money is provided to "clean, deodorize and sanitize" trash containers in some communities.

Richardson "is inclined to veto the bill if and when it reaches his desk," Gallegos said in a statement.

Overall, the bill allocates $7 million for projects earmarked by House members, $7 million for projects of senators and $7 million for programs designated by Gov. Bill Richardson's administration.

Money is allocated for a wide range of projects, many in the home districts of legislators. Included in the bill is $127,800 for the attorney general to pay for enforcement of animal cruelty laws through the animal cruelty task force; $25,000 for promotion of the Santa Fe Fiesta, $39,500 for a summer ballet festival in Albuquerque; $200,000 for development of a state Veterans Museum in Las Cruces; $30,000 for salaries in the Mora County sheriff's office; and $60,000 for an education and sports program in Farmington.

Money is provided for two dozen projects earmarked by the governor, including $1 million for a statewide program that provides breakfast for elementary school students, $1 million for a dental residency program; $300,000 for rodeo programs and $189,000 to restore budget cuts made by legislators in the state's Oil Conservation District, which has proposed tougher environmental rules on the oil and natural gas industry.

The measure also includes a provision to address the governor's objections about state employee salaries in a $6 billion budget measure.

The junior budget bill will allow an additional 0.5 percent pay increase for employees in Richardson administration agencies. However, the extra increase isn't fully funded and some agencies will have to cover the costs through budgetary savings from unfilled staff positions.

Gallegos said the governor was "concerned because the Legislature has yet to fully fund the salary package promised to and negotiated with state employees."

The main budget bill provides money for 2.4 percent pay raises for most state employees and an increase of 0.2 percent in the employer contributions to the retiree health care program.

The House approved the junior budget measure unanimously Friday. The bill goes to the Senate for consideration.




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