Richardson calls lawmakers back, then leaves state; House members ponder possible end to session

Many lawmakers are furious that Gov. Bill Richardson forced them to rearrange plans and return to Santa Fe for a special session while he spends much of the week campaigning in California.

Richardson’s two trips this week to that state were a factor in the Senate’s decision to adjourn sine die on Tuesday. A number of sources indicated there will likely be a similar attempt in the House today, in part because of the news of Richardson’s travels. Most did not want to be named because they fear retaliation.

It may not be a public attempt. Members might meet with others to gauge interest in calling an end to the session. If they don’t have the votes, it will all be over before anything is done publicly.

If they think they have enough support, there will likely be a motion and a public vote.

Meanwhile, a number of lawmakers, including Democratic Sen. Mary Kay Papen and Reps. Joseph Cervantes and Mary Helen Garcia, all of Las Cruces, skipped the opening day of the session altogether. Papen and Garcia are out of the country, and Cervantes is in Las Cruces, so Richardson isn’t the only one who didn’t rearrange his plans.

But he’s the one who called everyone back. Richardson said Saturday that he gave lawmakers until noon Tuesday to rest because they needed some time. That break also happened to give him time to attend previously scheduled presidential campaign events in Oklahoma and Texas on Sunday and Monday. He left late Tuesday for events in California, and will return Thursday evening before leaving again for Saturday’s gay-rights event in California.

Many suspect that event is driving his demand that the legislature approve domestic partner benefits and the call for a special session. Richardson’s campaign stands to benefit financially if the state approves the benefits.

Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson, R-Las Cruces and the minority whip, said the news that Richardson was leaving the state, which became known to lawmakers Tuesday afternoon, was “a big factor” in the Senate’s decision to call an end to the session.

“He’s asking us to change our plans, to come up and do work just for him, to pass his agenda, but his agenda isn’t important enough for him to stay,” Rawson said. “He should have called a special session when he could be in town.”

What necessitates immediate action?

That again begs the question: What was so urgent that it had to be done this week, when lawmakers planned to rest, spend time with their family or get back to their businesses, and Richardson planned to be out of the state?

In addition to domestic partner benefits, Richardson wants public financing of judicial campaigns, campaign contribution limits, a state ethics commission, a registry for methamphetamine laboratories, tougher penalties for domestic violence and $208 million for road projects.

Ethics reform could be addressed in the 2008 session and still take effect before the 2008 election season really gears up, several lawmakers said. The crime bills are important, several lawmakers told me, but not emergencies, and the state is still working on projects approved in its last road bill, so putting off the new road bill is probably not a big deal.

The only exception is the $25 million in the bill to fund a road from Interstate 25 in Doña Ana County to Spaceport America in Sierra County, but lawmakers already approved during the regular session other money to build that road, so it’s also not an emergency.

Several lawmakers, including Rawson, pointed out that the domestic partner benefits bill appears to be the only one that has any urgency, be it in the interest of the state or Richardson’s campaign.

Richardson has previously said that’s not why he called the special session. His campaign didn’t respond to my request for comment Tuesday evening, but spokesman Pahl Shipley had this to say to Steve Terrell of the Santa Fe New Mexican:

“The governor has previously scheduled campaign commitments in California that he was unable to reschedule,” Shipley said. “He met with legislative leaders today, as he did during the highly productive regular session, will remain in constant contact and will be deeply involved in the special session.”

‘What master are we to serve?’

Many were still furious.

“If we have to be here, where is he?” asked Sen. Tim Jennings, D-Roswell, according to the Albuquerque Journal. “What master are we to serve? Are we here to serve the future political ambitions, or are we here to serve the needs of New Mexico?”

“He tells us we have to stay here and then he flies off, Sen. Diane Snyder, R-Albuquerque, said, according to the Journal. “I can’t believe it.”

But Sen. Rod Adair, R-Roswell, told me he’s not upset.

“We do what a majority wants to do, anger or happiness being irrelevant to any given circumstance as well as being unhelpful emotions in a deliberative process,” he said.

Adair doesn’t expect the House to follow the Senate and adjourn sine die, saying “until the House Democrats actually demonstrate some degree of independence from the thumb of the speaker, it must be assumed that they will not show it.”

Adair said, assuming the House keeps working, he thinks the Senate will convene Saturday, as required, and vote to again adjourn sine die, setting up another deadline to reconvene a week from today.

Rawson has another view, saying he believes a number of House Democrats are upset by Richardson’s departure from the state. He expects action in the House today.

“I think they’ll adjourn because we adjourned and the governor’s not sticking around,” he said.

Two told me that’s what House Democrats want to do. Another predicted they’ll keep working. We’ll see.

Update, 12:10 p.m.

Rep. Nate Cote, D-Las Cruces, said he isn’t upset that the governor called the special session, but is “unhappy with the Senate, especially their lack of support for the ethics legislation.”

“As a freshman representative, I fully expected some of the legislation regarding the issues that the governor brought us back into session for to pass during the regular session; however, a couple of the senators appear to control that body based on their own agenda,” Cote said. “I hope that the voters remember this when voting for a Senate candidate in 2008. What this special session is costing the taxpayers could build a road or go toward education.”