Political appointees included in payouts for unused vacation

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Top political appointees of the governor at agencies outside the field of health care were offered many of the largest payments to acknowledge skipped vacations during the pandemic in 2020.

Public records obtained by The Associated Press show that individual payouts of more than $4,000 were offered to the state secretary of finance and administration, investment officials and directors of the Public School Insurance Authority and the Expo New Mexico venue that hosts the state fair.

The initiative from the governor compensates workers for large balances of unused 2020 vacation time that might otherwise expire.