(Update, 2:25 p.m.) NMPolitics.net’s liveblog of the opening day of the 2012 legislative session included discussion about House Speaker Ben Lujan’s announcement that he is battling cancer and Gov. Susana Martinez’s state of the state address. You can read the liveblog archive here:
Earlier post:
A 30-day session of the New Mexico Legislature begins today with the governor’s state of the state address, and NMPolitics.net is liveblogging the event.
The session is scheduled to begin at noon, and I’m guessing that Martinez’s speech will begin sometime between 12:30 and 1 p.m. You can watch the speech by clicking here.
NMPolitics.net’s liveblog will begin around 11:45 a.m. You can join the liveblog right here:
(Liveblog used to appear here instead of in the above text.)
NMPolitics.net legislative correspondent Gwyneth Doland will moderate the liveblog, and I’ll help her set the stage for the session and discuss the governor’s speech and other issues. Join us to learn about the day’s developments, get instant analysis, and take part in the discussion.
We’ll be liveblogging quite a bit during the session, so check in regularly to find out what’s happening.
The issues
Lots of weekend articles set the stage for the session. The big issue is, of course, the budget. From the Albuquerque Journal:
“After three miserable years of budget-whacking that reduced state spending by about $800 million, there’s a glimmer of light. About $250 million more is expected to be collected in the fiscal year that begins July 1 than was budgeted for the current year.”
The primary point of debate:
“… Martinez, while cautioning that the economy is still fragile and the state must carefully watch its spending, also wants to use $55 million for tax breaks for businesses and military veterans.
“…There aren’t any tax cuts in the Legislature’s $5.7 billion budget proposal; instead, it shores up programs and services.
“It also proposes the first pay increase for state workers in three years: one-half percent.”
Reform is also on the agenda. As NMPolitics.net reported Friday:
“Gov. Susana Martinez will allow lawmakers to consider bills related to fixing New Mexico’s Campaign Reporting Act during the session that begins next week.”
And from The Santa Fe New Mexican:
“Two years from now, will the state Public Regulation Commission look the same?
“New Mexico’s 112 state lawmakers will likely answer that question in this year’s 30-day legislative session, which starts Tuesday.
“While an extensive makeover of the commission is not a sure bet, it is a distinct possibility as legislators grapple with the fallout from last fall’s resignation and guilty plea to felony charges by former Public Regulation Commissioner Jerome Block Jr.”
One of the big issues, again, will be a proposal to repeal the law that allows undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. From the Journal:
“Debate over driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants stirred passions and dominated headlines in 2011 as state lawmakers locked horns over whether to overturn, strengthen or leave alone the controversial New Mexico law.
“While backers of the law — including legislators and immigrants’ rights advocates — ultimately thwarted repeal efforts, it’s about to start all over again in 2012.”
As the Las Cruces Sun-News reported this weekend, school reform and a proposed voter ID law will also be discussed.
And you can read more about some of the issues that will be discussed from The New Mexican.
The Roundhouse in Santa Fe (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
Setting the stage
Behind everything is the political reality. As the Journal put it:
“This year, (the session) will play out against the backdrop of elections: All 42 Senate seats and all 70 House seats are on the ballot, and lawmakers will go from the Capitol to the campaign trail when the session ends.
“That could mean even more politics-as-usual than usual.”
The New Mexican also pointed out other shifts in the dynamics in the Roundhouse, including the newly redrawn boundaries of lawmakers’ districts. And in a separate article, the newspaper highlighted Martinez’s pledge to do things better than last year. Here’s what she was quoted by the newspaper as saying:
“What we’re trying to do differently this time is really communicate with legislators, more in advance. Where can we come to a consensus? Where can we agree on the bills and the language of those bills before those bills are filed?”
What would a session be without protests and rallies? The New Mexican has the goods on those:
“Even before the New Mexico Legislature is gaveled to order around midday Tuesday, the politics will be firing up outside the Roundhouse.
“On your right, various tea-party organizations from around the state plan a 10 a.m. rally. These grass-roots conservatives want the Legislature to repeal the law that allows undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses. They want a law requiring photo identification to vote. And, in general, they want to hold the line on state spending.
“On your left, various Occupy movements from around the state will have a separate rally beginning at 10:30 a.m. These grass-roots progressives want to convince lawmakers to adopt a bill sponsored by Sen. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, that would require all corporations to pay state income tax. They also support a bill to require all political action committees to disclose their contributors, and a bill that would define rights for homeowners in the foreclosure process.”
Last, make sure you read The New Mexican’s article on deciphering “legispeak.”
Now you’re ready for the session.