Gov. Bill Richardson (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
Gov. Bill Richardson announced today that the special session to deal with the state’s budget shortfall will begin at noon on Oct. 17.
“After meeting with education leaders, I am more convinced than ever that we must fight against attempts to cut school spending,” Richardson said in a statement, according to The Santa Fe New Mexican’s Kate Nash.
“The superintendents reiterated their strong opposition to drastic cuts that some legislators have proposed,” Richardson said.
Lawmakers are struggling to figure out how to plug a shortfall in the current fiscal year’s budget currently estimated to be $433 million. Some say the shortfall could grow to as much as $700 million. Members of Richardson’s staff have been working with a group of lawmakers to try to build consensus behind a plan, but no agreement has been reached.
Richardson is not estimating how long the session will last, Nash is reporting. The governor had originally said he wanted it to be one day, but several lawmakers and the lieutenant governor have said that’s not likely.