Governor gets budget with time for veto overrides

The Legislature has sent the state budget to Gov. Bill Richardson for a signature in time to force him to act and still have an opportunity to override line-item vetoes before adjourning on Saturday.

The House agreed to the compromises reached in a secret conference committee on Saturday with no debate, the Associated Press reported. Richardson has three days to act on the $5.65 billion state budget, or it becomes law without his signature.

The quick approval of the budget was sought by some lawmakers so they would have time to override vetoes – a topic that has been a sore spot for many who have opposed Richardson and felt the wrath of his veto pen in the past.

The conference committee made minor changes to the bill, the news service reported, in adding $8 million in programs and trimming $2 million from other programs.

I’m still trying to find out whether lawmakers agreed to provide $500,000 to fund a state ethics commission, or killed the proposal by refusing to fund it. I could find no such funding in the bill, but have asked lawmakers and the governor’s office for confirmation.

Richardson’s office had pledged to seek the funding from the conference committee after lawmakers left it out of the Senate and House versions of the budget bill.