{"id":194923,"date":"2016-10-07T20:13:25","date_gmt":"2016-10-08T02:13:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=194923"},"modified":"2016-10-07T22:21:38","modified_gmt":"2016-10-08T04:21:38","slug":"martinez-signs-two-special-session-budget-bills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2016\/10\/martinez-signs-two-special-session-budget-bills\/","title":{"rendered":"Martinez signs two special-session budget bills"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gov. Susana Martinez on Friday signed two bills aimed at plugging the state’s budget deficit that cleared the New Mexico Legislature early in the recently concluded special session.<\/p>\n

\"Susana

Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/p>

Gov. Susana Martinez<\/p><\/div>\n

Neither bill generated much controversy during the otherwise disjointed session, which ended Thursday. Both passed the Senate hours after legislators convened in Santa Fe on Sept. 30 and flew through the House without being amended.<\/p>\n

Senate Finance Committee Chairman John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, and Senate Republican Leader Stuart Ingle of Portales sponsored the legislation. Each passed with enough votes to include an emergency clause, which means both go into effect immediately.<\/p>\n

Senate Bill 4<\/a> authorizes the use of $25 million in severance tax bonds \u2013 instead of general fund money \u2014 to pay for instructional material and school transportation costs.<\/p>\n

Senate Bill 7<\/a> stops transfers from the state general fund to two other state accounts.<\/p>\n

The state will permanently quit making a monthly $250,000 transfer from the general fund to the Retiree Health Care Authority Fund. Beginning on July 1, 2019, the transfers will resume.<\/p>\n