Budget committee approves money for state employee raises, boost for some prison guards

The Joint Finance Committee approved a package Thursday that would provide the funding for state employees to get raises of 2 percent in each of the next two years. The package, approved 11-4 along party lines, also included $3.5 million to fund a $5-an-hour increase for correctional officers working at prisons with high vacancies. The general state employee raises, which are planned for Jan. 1, 2...