the legislative session is in its final hours ... state lawmakers have balanced the unbalanced state budget - and now they're hoping the governor will put away her veto pen. stuart dyson is live at the capitol where the sixty day legislative session is winding down. high noon saturday is the deadline - lawmakers have balanced their budget bill by shrinking the take home pay of state employees - and not everybody is happy about it. governor susana martinez vowed to veto the budget thursday because the books didn't balance - it was at least 111 million dollars in the red. lawmakers in the house and senate have now agreed on a bill that reduces what the state pays into the state employees retirement plan - but increases the amount the employees pay into it. " public employees think they shouldn't bear the burden - 75% of the taxpaying public in new mexico is nongovernment and they don't have the same generous plans that state employees have." " any economist will tell you that you don't want to take money out of people's paychecks in a recession - it hurts the people that are working - it hurts their families - it hurts the businesses where they spend that money." the contribution changes are temporary - but the governor and many republicans believe they should be made permanent - to help make the budget structurally sound for years to come. most lawmakers do expect the governor to sign the bill even though it's a temporary fix - one senior republican telling me at least it'll fix this budget - we can come back and fight for permanent changes next year - at the capitol stuart dyson k-o-b eyewitness news four. our coverage of the state legislature continues tonight at 6 with the last minute push to get some bills through... including the state's paddling policy for public schools
