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MD Lawmakers Cut Deal on State Budget

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Maryland lawmakers who have been negotiating the finishing touches on the state's $46.6 billion budget have wrapped up their work.

The budget conference committee reached agreement Monday on the state's budget measure and a separate bill that is working in tandem to balance the budget.

One of the key differences the House and Senate negotiators worked out involved additional education funding to begin implementing a state commission's recommendations to improve schools. They settled on $255 million in additional funding for the next fiscal year. It will go toward expanding pre-K and increasing special education funding. Some also will be set aside for teacher pay increases.

The panel also settled on $500 million for school construction funding.

The committee's work now goes back to the House and Senate for final approval.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.