By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – The one-point-six-five billion dollar General Fund budget has made it through the Senate. It increases overall spending by six percent from this year's budget. It includes a five percent raise for state workers and restores money to some non-state agencies, such as museums. Those agencies lost funding during some of the recent lean economic times. The chairman of the Senate budget committee, Senator Hinton Mitchem, says he's pleased the Senate passed the budget before lawmakers take the spring break holiday next week. The budget now goes to the House. Governor Bob Riley's finance director, Jim Main, says the administration supports the budget.