Attempt to bring back affordable housing bill fails

Supporters of a proposal to remake the state’s affordable housing system failed today in an attempt to have the House Business and Industry Committee reconsider a bill it had previously tabled.

There’s a chance the bill will come back up for reconsideration, and two related bills have yet to be heard by the committee.

Minority Leader Tom Taylor, R-Farmington and a member of the committee, made a motion today to bring back House Bill 997, sponsored by Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, R-Albuquerque, for consideration. The bill was tabled last week on a vote of 6-5.

On the same 6-5 vote, Taylor’s motion was shot down today. Voting against it were Democratic Reps. Debbie Rodella of Ohkay Owingeh, the committee’s chair; George Hanosh of Grants, the vice chair; Andrew Barreras of Tome; Jose Campos of Santa Rosa; Thomas Garcia of Ocate; and Richard Vigil of Ribera.

The proposal would fund a probe by the Legislative Finance Committee to determine the extent of the mismanagement of money that led to the state housing authority system crumbling last year in scandal. It would also replace the authorities with a new system overseen by the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority.

There’s still a chance Arnold-Jones’ bill will be brought back. Vigil told Arnold-Jones just before today’s hearing that “we’ll look at it Tuesday,” the next time the committee meets.

In addition to the possibility that Arnold-Jones’ bill will be reconsidered then, supporters of the proposal are negotiating to try to get its mirror bill, Senate Bill 519, sponsored by Sen. Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces, heard by the committee on the same day.

Also outstanding is House Bill 1321, is sponsored by Minority Whip Dan Foley, R-Roswell, which would fund the LFC investigation but not remake the authorities. That bill was introduced last week in response to concerns that the Business and Industry Committee and Speaker of the House Ben Lujan are trying to kill the Papen and Arnold-Jones bills.

Lujan is a close ally of Vincent “Smiley” Gallegos, a lobbyist, former lawmaker and former director of the Albuquerque-based Region III Housing Authority, which defaulted on $5 million in bonds it owed the state last year.

In addition to that bond money, Arnold-Jones said the authorities have more than $88 million in outstanding bonds. She said the LFC review is necessary to determine where that money is or, if it is gone, where it went.