Saying she’s tired of political games, Gov. Susana Martinez announced Wednesday evening that she will call lawmakers to Santa Fe on Friday to address the state’s budget shortfall and consider three crime-related bills.
Heath Haussamen / NMPolitics.net
Gov. Susana Martinez
“The governor has worked for over 60 days to negotiate a budget deal with Senate Democrats. However, it appears that Senate Democrats would rather play political games that could shut down the government rather than solve our budget challenges,” Martinez spokesman Michael Lonergan said.
“The governor believes we need to act now, and will therefore call a special session for Friday,” Lonergan said. “We hope it will be short, but that all depends on whether the Senate will take our pressing challenges seriously, including our crime issues, or if they will continue to play games.”
One Senate Democrat was quick to fire back. In a comment posted on NMPolitics.net, Bill Soules of Las Cruces repeated a line he’s been posting on social media frequently: “Governor, where is the plan?”
“We have been waiting and nothing has been presented,” Soules wrote. “Have there been any discussions with the House? Any budget bill would require an emergency clause and that means a supermajority of both chambers. When cuts are made, real people will be hurt.”
The supermajority Soules refers to is a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate. At least some of the proposals being discussed would require such a vote for approval rather than a simple majority.
Legislative leaders and the governor’s administration have been negotiating behind closed doors on how to address the massive budget shortfall, but no deal is in place. The governor has insisted she won’t consider tax increases. Soules and many other Democrats, meanwhile, have called for a plan that mixes cuts with tax hikes.
The newest revenue projections leave the state short almost $600 million to pay outstanding bills from the last fiscal year and fund its budget for the current year that began July 1. Lawmakers and Martinez’s administration are discussing taking money from the $219 million Tobacco Permanent Fund to address the shortfall. But that’s not nearly enough.
Negotiators have considered several budget proposals in recent days. In at least some of them, higher education would face the steepest cuts. New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico have already been preparing for a mid-year funding reduction from the state.
The judiciary and public K-12 education would also face significant cuts in several of the proposals. In anticipation of possible cuts, the courts announced Tuesday that they would cut mileage reimbursement rates for all employees to save $500,000.
Martinez has already directed state agencies under her direct control — which don’t include universities, schools or the judiciary — to reduce spending by 5 percent. She’s urged agencies not under her control to do the same.
Shortly after the governor made her announcement on Wednesday, the National Education Association-New Mexico circulated a petition calling for no cuts to higher education or K-12 schools. The group said it would present signatures to leaders in Santa Fe on Friday.
“The success of New Mexico students is undermined by any further cuts,” the petition states.
Crime bills
During the special session, the governor will also ask lawmakers to consider reinstating the death penalty, approving a bill to require life sentences for people convicted of three violent felonies, and legislation that would allow a life sentence for those convicted of intentional child abuse resulting in the death of a child of any age.
Current law in New Mexico allows a life sentence for intentional abuse resulting in the death of a child under 12; the maximum penalty for intentional abuse resulting in the death of a child ages 12-17 is 18 years.
In New Mexico, a life sentence is defined as 30 years in prison.
The bills are sparked by recent crimes that have shocked many New Mexicans — the killings of police officers in Hatch and Alamogordo and the killing in Albuquerque of 10-year-old Victoria Martens, whose mother is among those charged in her death.
Election-year politics
The special session comes weeks before an election in which control of the House and a handful of important Senate seats — including Soules’ — are up for grabs. For the past two years, Republicans have held the majority the House for the first time in decades. Democrats hope to win control back this year and retain the majority in the Senate.
During the session, Democratic lawmakers in particular could be in the position of fighting for tax increases that may not be popular with voters and deciding whether to back crime bills that have public support. And lawmakers are banned from fundraising during the special session.
The governor’s political machine has long been quick to hammer lawmakers for votes against her proposals in campaign mailers, radio ads, and sometimes even pricey TV ads.
Some Democrats have been quick to point out that increasing criminal penalties could necessitate increased spending at a time when the state is cutting.
Senate Majority Whip Michael Padilla called for raising revenues in addition to cutting spending in a recent commentary. And he scoffed at the idea of considering crime legislation during the special session.
“Surely, that can only be meant to distract attention from the economic crisis created under her watch,” he wrote about Martinez. “To be contemplating any policy items other than fixing the budget shortfall is irresponsible.”
In another recent commentary, Democratic Reps. Bill McCamley of Las Cruces and Javier Martínez of Albuquerque complained that budget cuts hurt people and called for raising new revenues.
“…when you hear politicians talking about ‘belt tightening,’ don’t be fooled,” they wrote. “Their cuts really hurt kids, veterans, and our ability to create jobs… which is what we need in order to get out of this mess.”
“There is no silver bullet, but with responsible ways of raising state revenue available there is more than one way to peel an onion,” McCamley and Martínez wrote.
This breaking news article has been updated.