Gov. Bill Richardson’s office just put out a news release saying he vetoed the capital outlay bill because lawmakers didn’t give him enough time to consider it and other funding bills at the same time.
“It is unreasonable for the Legislature, which took four weeks to pass the capital outlay bill, to demand that the governor review and take action on it in just three days – while simultaneously taking action on the GO bonds, the budget bill and junior budget bills,” Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said in a news release. “This political gamesmanship is a disservice to New Mexicans who expect their elected leaders to work together to move the state forward.”
“The 332-page capital outlay package includes 1,959 projects totaling more than $348 million. The governor chooses to take the appropriate time to not only evaluate the worthiness of the projects, but also to consider those projects in the context of his obligation to balance the overall state budget,” Gallegos said.
Then this gem:
“There is still sufficient time for the Legislature to present the governor with a capital-projects bill so he will be afforded the opportunity to fulfill his responsibility to New Mexicans to balance the budget in a fair and fiscally responsible manner,” Gallegos said.
Could that be a reference to the other capital-outlay bill, Senate Bill 471, that’s already been approved by the Senate and only needs the approval of the House?
Stay tuned.