(Combined Sources) The Massachusetts Senate has approved its version of a $46 billion proposed state budget, about a 5.5 percent increase over the prior fiscal year, The spending plan, approved Wednesday evening, aims to move the state towards a more equitable recovery from the pandemic by making key investments in early education and childcare, food security, housing supports, and public health, Senate leaders said. The budget is for the fiscal year that began back on July 1. The state has been relying on temporary budgets to keep the government up and running.