The Roundhouse in Santa Fe (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
A deal to balance the state’s budget fell apart in the early hours of the morning, and now some senators say that chamber has the signatures to call the Legislature into extraordinary session so lawmakers, not the governor, control the agenda.
The question is whether the House will agree.
“We have enough signatures to call ourselves back. We prefer that but the House must concur. We have to agree on a date. Probably March,” Sen. Eric Griego, D-Albuquerque, wrote in an e-mail.
“There may be a Special Session…the Senate is willing…now up to the House. The Senate wishes to call itself into Session so that the Legislature may drive the agenda,” Sen. Linda Lopez, D-Albuquerque, wrote on her Facebook page.
“The main reason for extraordinary instead of special is to avoid the guv putting unwanted restrictions on what can be considered,” Sen. Steve Fischmann, D-Las Cruces, wrote in an e-mail. “So long as the extra session looks at the whole budget & removes any consideration of ‘messaged’ bills, we’ll be on the right track.”
The governor has already promised to call a special session for next week if lawmakers don’t pass a budget-balancing package of bills before the regular session expires at noon today. And lawmakers have given up on working out a deal today.
The governor can call a special session, and he would control the agenda by setting it in his proclamation. An extraordinary session can be called if three-fifths of House members and three-fifths of senators agree to it. Any topic would be germane in such a session.
The Legislature has only called itself into extraordinary session once – in 2002, after then-Gov. Gary Johnson vetoed the state budget.
Rep. Karen Giannini, D-Albuquerque, said on the New Mexico Independent’s liveblog that she doesn’t know what the House will decide.
“Have no idea which will happen – I’m not in the leadership, and that’s where decisions will be made,” she said.
Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, R-Albuquerque, said New Mexicans should be “furious” that the 30-day regular session is about to end without a budget fix.
“The one thing we were supposed to accomplish was a budget,” she wrote in an e-mail. “If I got to choose – it would be a special session. An extraordinary session is completely open, just like a 60-day session,” she said.
Update, 10 a.m.
“I favor a special that is limited 2 only the budget to include taxes. I think it should be held after a brief, say a week or two, cooling-off period,” said Rep. Elias Barela, D-Belen.
Update, 10:15 a.m.
“Extraordinary. It’s good politics for those saps having to run for re-election,” Rep. Antonio “Moe” Maestas, D-Albuquerque, said. He added that such a session could come in mid or late March.
Update, 11:15 a.m.
“A special would probably be best to deal with the budget as long as the governor’s message allows us some flexibility. Anything goes in an extraordinary, therefore there is a possibility of it getting out of control and getting distracted from the primary reason for the session,” Rep. Nate Cote, D-Las Cruces, wrote in an e-mail. “Hence, it may not be in the best interest of the taxpayer to come back in extraordinary session. I am disappointed we could not mesh the Senate and House bills for an acceptable budget bill.”