Richardson sets Aug. 15 special session date

Gov. Bill Richardson announced today that he will call lawmakers into a special session for health-care reform, tax relief and road funding on Aug. 15.

That’s 10 days before Democrats gather in Denver for their presidential nominating convention. The Republicans’ convention is a week later in Minnesota. The governor wants lawmakers to approve his universal health care plan, a $211 million relief package and a $200 million road-funding package.

“New Mexicans need relief now,” Richardson said in a news release. “I am working with legislators to move forward with a special session so we can address health care and put money in people’s pockets before the holiday season.”

Though many lawmakers say there isn’t support for universal health care, and Richardson has focused more on his relief package in recent days, he said in the release that health-care reform is still a priority for the special session.

“We are ready to move forward with health-care reform and cover more New Mexicans,” Richardson said. “There is adequate room in the budget to get this done now. We can’t afford not to act.”

Richardson had been saying for months that the session would deal only with health-care reform, but recently added the relief and road-funding packages after Legislative Finance Committee Chairman John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, publicly called for both.

Windfall oil and gas revenues have the state in a good financial position, but Smith and others say that isn’t money the state can count on in future budget years, so it should not be spent on costly health-care reform. Richardson maintains that the state can afford universal health care, road funding and tax rebates and other relief.