Maryland Senate Unanimously Approves $40 Billion Budget

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - The Maryland Senate has voted unanimously for the state's $40 billion budget.
 
The vote was 46-0 Thursday.
 
Lawmakers made extra cuts to restore scaled-back education funding initially proposed in Gov. Larry Hogan's budget. A 2 percent cost-of-living adjustment for state employees also has been restored.
 
Democrats and Republicans spoke positively about the bipartisanship that went into the Senate's budget work.
 
Part of the plan involves changing the state's pension funding system. Some Republicans criticized the tapping of about half of a $150 million extra payment into the pension system, designed to shore up the state's pension plan. But supporters of the idea say Maryland will still reach an 80 percent funding goal by 2023.
 
The House and Senate still need to work out some differences in the budget legislation.