SPECIAL SESSION OVER IN 5 HOURS: Lawmakers in House and Senate Fail To Act on Any of Governor’s Crime Bills

 

We at the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, like Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, were hopeful going into the special session this afternoon that there would be three or four good days of substantial and meaningful discussion and debate on her package of anti-crime bills.

And those hopes were dashed in a matter of hours.

The governor issued this statement at 6:24 p.m.:

“This Legislature just demonstrated that it has no interest in making New Mexico safer. Not one public safety measure was considered. Not one, despite the bills having the backing of police chiefs, public safety unions, mayors, prosecutors, businesses, tribal leaders, crime victims and others who have seen firsthand the erosion of public safety that has deeply damaged the quality of life in our state.

“Today I visited a neighborhood that is being ravaged by dangerous activity and everyday petty crime. Families can’t walk in the park, employees are scared to go to work, and businesses are shuttering. For the legislature to ignore these stark realities is nothing less than a dereliction of duty.

“The Legislature as a body walked away from their most important responsibility: keeping New Mexicans safe. But it is noteworthy that a majority of Republicans would have passed many or all of these bills — they were blocked.

“The Legislature should be embarrassed at their inability to summon even an ounce of courage to adopt common-sense legislation to make New Mexicans safer. For those of you who go home to the sound of gunshots, who see hypodermic needles in your parks, and the families desperate to get a loved one living on the street the help they deserve, I’m sorry that most of our elected officials didn’t even try.

“This was one of the most disappointing days of my career, and the public should be outraged. My promise to you is that I will not stop fighting to protect you and your families.”

Thank You, Governor

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham

Del Esparza, GACC Chairman of the Board, and Terri Cole, GACC President and CEO, had this to say when the session ended abruptly:

“Governor, on behalf of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, thank you for your courage and dedication toward making our state safer for our businesses and families. We appreciate your recognition of the crisis and your pledge to do something about it. We look forward to your next effort, because you know you won’t quit.”

How It Broke Down

A full recap of the governor’s public safety proposals, which the Chamber unanimously endorsed, can be found in our Legislative RoundUps from Wednesday and earlier today.

Here’s how the disappointing day played out:

In the House

The House convened at 12:10 p.m. today and made quick work of approving House Bill 1, aka the “feed bill” that funds the session. This bill contains three appropriations totaling $103,211.900 and breaks down this way:

  • $211,900 for the 2024 First Special Session of the Legislature
  • $100 million to four state agencies for various costs and claims related to wildfires in Ruidoso and Mescalero Apache Tribe
  • $3 million appropriation to the Administrative Office of the Courts for Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) programs and competency diversion pilot programs.

The House dispensed with HB 1 quickly, sending it to House Appropriations and Finance and recessing at 12:32 p.m. HAFC passed HB 1 with two dissenting votes, sending the bill to the Senate, and the House reconvened at 2:45 p.m. only to sine die on a vote of 57-7.

Sen. Craig Brandt, R-Sandoval, explains his vote against adjournment and the duty he felt lawmakers had to honestly try to tackle crime in New Mexico.

In the Senate

The Senate convened at 12:08 p.m., and after several senators shared stories about the devastation of the fires in southern New Mexico and crime (Sen. Crystal Brantley, R-Dona Ana, Hidalgo, Luna and Sierra, said she found her vehicle broken into this morning as she went out to head to the Roundhouse ) they introduced 16 bills, including the governor’s public safety measures.

Each of the governor’s bills was assigned to a committee – Senate Judiciary or Senate Finance, with bills not on the governor’s list assigned to the Senate Committee’s Committee for germaneness determination. Interestingly, when the Senate recessed at 1:42 p.m., there were no announcements of when those committees would meet. (Most veterans of this Legislature knew that was code that none of the bills would be heard.)

The Senate reconvened at 3:21 p.m. to announce HB 1 was headed to Senate Finance, which convened at 3:19 p.m. and passed it 11-0 in short order.

The full Senate was back on the floor at 4:23 p.m. and passed HB 1 with little discussion or debate on a 38-0 vote. Immediately thereafter, a motion was made by Sen. Linda Lopez, D-Albuquerque, to sine die. After a roll call vote of 25-13 along party lines, they adjourned at 4:57 p.m. All the Republicans voted against leaving work undone.

House Republicans’ Reaction

In a news release Thursday evening, Minority Leader Rod Montoya released the following statement:

“Year after year, House Republicans show up ready to work on real solutions to New Mexico’s drug and violent crime epidemic. When the Governor’s Office decided to address this urgent need in our communities to keep the fatal consequences of fentanyl off our streets, House Republicans were ready to work.

“We are deeply disappointed to see Democrats so divided on common-sense solutions to the gravest problems facing New Mexicans. It is unfortunate to see the House Majority fail to put public safety over progressive politics and leave Santa Fe without a single public safety bill passed.

“Although we feel that this special session amounted to a missed opportunity to address New Mexico’s crime problems, we are encouraged to have been able to pass legislation to help our friends and neighbors in Ruidoso begin to restore their community.

“House Republicans will continue to show up every year with solutions to our crime problem. We hope to see Democrats join us in meeting the needs of every New Mexican during the 60-day session next year.”

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