Budget kerfluffle is business as usual

The current fuss over budget negotiations is a normal part of the process at the Roundhouse; lawmakers sound confident they’ll reach a deal.

The budget was moving through the House at about the usual speed until Monday afternoon, when Republicans on the House Appropriations and Finance Committee suddenly balked at what had been a tentative deal. As the AP reported, the stumbling point was a contingency plan that would have left some of Gov. Susana Martinez’s proposals unfunded if the state’s revenues aren’t as high as hoped.

Democrats said they were shocked and disappointed that their deal fell through; Republicans were forced to awkwardly backtrack. So what was behind all the sturm und drang?

The governor’s office apparently didn’t like the deal and asked committee members to put a stop to it.

“The governor is optimistic that we will be able to work together in a bipartisan way,” Martinez spokesman Scott Darnell explained in an e-mail, “…but does have some concerns over the putting other education-reform funding and money to keep nursing homes from closing in New Mexico in a contingency status.”

“Helping our seniors and investing in education reform are top priorities, as is ensuring that we are able to invest in tax reforms that make New Mexico more competitive so that we can create jobs,” Darnell said.

‘Pretty hard to figure out’

Still, the Republicans’ sudden move came as a surprise, said the chair of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, Rep. Henry “Kiki” Saavedra, D-Albuquerque. Saavedra said he’d only had three hours of sleep, and his nerves were clearly frayed.

“It’s pretty hard to figure out. … We met for two days, at least three days, back and forth. They all voted for the budget, they all stuck in their little amendments… and so everything was perfect,” he said. (See the video for more.)

Saavedra said there would be a cooling off period before the parties can make a compromise.

Asked who is to blame for the slowdown on the budget, Saavedra replied with a smile: “Not me, said the little red hen.”

Rep. Luciano “Lucky” Varela, D-Santa Fe, who serves on House Appropriations and Finance as well as the bicameral Legislative Finance Committee, expressed frustration with the changes this late in the game; in a 30-day session, moving the budget along is the primary concern.

“Any changes to the bill will have to go back for printing and the bill’s already been printed, so it’s almost impossible to do any kind of changes in the House,” Varela said. “But we could still carry those forward to the Senate and, if there’s agreement on that, we can have the Senate consider our concerns about additional changes.” (See the video for more.)

‘Working out the details’

Although a sleep-deprived Saavedra said nobody’s talking to him about a compromise, one of the Appropriations Committee’s Republicans says he’s sure it’s happening.

“We’re working out the details,” Rep. Don Tripp, R-Socorro, said Wednesday, referring not exactly to himself, but to legislative leaders. “I think we all want to move the budget forward… and there will be give and take.”

“It’s awfully hard to budget a new initiative when you’re not sure if the money’s going to be there,” Tripp said.

This kind of back and forth is typical of the budget process, and a compromise will likely come in the next day or so, said the House minority leader, Tom Taylor, R-Farmington.

“The fact of the matter is it’s always those few dollars that it comes down to and how we’re going to spend them,” he said.

When wil the compromise happen? “Yes,” Taylor replied with a grin.