Gov. Bill Richardson drew criticism today when he vetoed a bill that would have created a state veterans museum in Doña Ana County.
In vetoing Senate Bill 349, Richardson said he will convene a task force to “fully consider the most appropriate location for a state veterans museum.”
“I strongly support building a museum to honor New Mexico’s veterans and rich military history,” Richardson said. “Unfortunately, this isn’t the bill to do it, because it discounts the input of our veterans statewide by designating a specific county as the location for the museum.”
The two lawmakers who most actively pushed the bill – Rep. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, and Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson, R-Las Cruces – have said Richardson promised to sign the bill. In addition, two of his cabinet secretaries testified in support of the bill during the session.
So the veto prompted harsh criticism from Rawson, who sponsored SB349.
“Governor Richardson’s word is meaningless. He made a commitment to me on behalf of the residents of Doña Ana County that he supported the veterans museum in Doña Ana County,” Rawson said. “I commend members of the public who contacted the governor’s office about wanting the museum in Las Cruces. I also appreciate the work of the entire Doña Ana delegation, especially Representatives Steinborn and (Nate) Cote, who worked alongside of me in passing this legislation.”
Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said in response that the governor “was very clear with Senator Rawson when he told him he should consult with other veterans groups and communities like Rio Rancho and Santa Fe. But Senator Rawson rammed this bill through without any consultation.”
Steinborn, who sponsored a mirror version of SB349 that passed the House but not the Senate, said lawmakers have been working on this project for seven years. That included a 2003 resolution approved by the House and Senate stating that the museum should be in Doña Ana County. He said his predecessor, former Rep. Ed Boykin, funded a feasibility study with his capital-outlay money, and local lawmakers have put well over $1 million into the project.
Rawson’s bill passed the Senate on a vote of 39-0 and the House on a vote of 63-3, with Steinborn carrying it for Rawson in that chamber.
“I feel clearly that the governor should have signed this bill,” Steinborn said. “… It’s the governor’s constitutional right to veto legislation, and amidst my disappointment and surprise, it’s my new mission to make sure Doña Ana County puts its best foot forward in making a case for the museum.”
Veterans’ Services Secretary John Garcia has heard from veterans across New Mexico that the bill was drafted without input from the state’s veteran community, Richardson’s news release stated. Cultural Affairs Secretary Stuart Ashman said in the release that it is highly unusual for legislation to dictate the location of a state museum.
“Both secretaries agree that the museum location requires further review,” Richardson said. “But I want to assure the veterans of Doña Ana County that the task force will strongly consider it as a location for the museum.”
The task force will be comprised of Garcia and Ashman and veterans from around the state, including Doña Ana County.
Guv vetoes Rawson’s capital-outlay projects
Rawson said the veto, after Richardson pledged to sign the bill, is one example of the governor’s “lack of honor,” and said that is what has caused “a breach in the relationship between the Senate and governor.” Rawson said in a second release that Richardson vetoed $583,000 in capital-outlay money today that he requested and the Legislature approved for projects in his district.
Rawson has been Richardson’s most vocal critic this year, and Richardson has a reputation for retaliating with the veto pen against those who speak against him. Projects Richardson axed for Rawson’s district included $50,000 for video cameras and radar speed detectors for the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department, $150,000 for drainage and road-improvement projects on the East Mesa and $75,000 for a new storage facility for a children’s homeless shelter in Las Cruces.
Gov. Bill Richardson drew criticism today when he vetoed a bill that would have created a state veterans museum in 
“Governor Richardson’s word is meaningless. He made a commitment to me on behalf of the residents of 
Steinborn, who sponsored a mirror version of SB349 that passed the House but not the Senate, said lawmakers have been working on this project for seven years. That included a 2003 resolution approved by the House and Senate stating that the museum should be in