Gov. Bill Richardson (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
Gov. Bill Richardson announced today that the special session will start Monday, not Wednesday as previously announced.
Richardson agreed to delay the session at the request of legislative leaders, he said in a news release.
“Since the end of the regular session last week, lawmakers have been working on a budget compromise and have seen progress,” Richardson said. “However, the legislative leadership has requested that I give them a few more days of negotiation ahead of a special session and I am granting their request. I believe giving lawmakers this extra time to build consensus is the best thing for all New Mexicans.”
Lawmakers are working to address a budget shortfall of several hundred million dollars. The regular session ended last week without them agreeing on a plan to deal with the situation.