Record-Setting $9.6B Budget Proposal, Legal Threats Over Abortion Rights Bill & Transparency in State Government

This week on New Mexico in Focus, Gene Grant and the Line Opinion Panel assess the work of the legislature during the final week of session. The panel begins with a conversation about the record-setting $9.6B budget plan and some of the transparency criticisms surrounding the bill. Then, the Line reacts to new legal threats from an anti-abortion activist who promises a lawsuit if a reproductive rights bill is signed into law. The panelists also discuss a new report revealing the state lost track of nearly two dozen people who had been sentenced to life without parole as children.  

New Mexico in Focus Political Correspondent Gwyneth Doland returns to the Roundhouse for three conversations about transparency in state government. First, she speaks with Albuquerque Journal Capitol Bureau Chief Dan Boyd about the level of transparency he’s seen during this year’s 60-day session. Then, she catches up with Rob Black, the president and CEO of the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce to understand what information businesses like to see during budget drafting. Finally, Gwyneth asks St. Sen. George Muñoz, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, if the process could be more transparent for the public.  

The state Senate has included a 5-cent increase to state alcohol taxes in an omnibus tax bill moving through the Capitol. Gene Grant speaks with Independent Journalist Ted Alcorn who has been covering this issue in collaboration with New Mexico in Depth. Mr. Alcorn gives more context on the role the liquor lobby plays each year a tax increase is under consideration and lays out the gravity of New Mexico’s problems with alcohol.

Host: Gene Grant

The Line opinion panel:
Dan Foley, fmr. NM State Representative 
Sophie Martin, attorney 
Rebecca Latham, CEO, Girl Scouts of New Mexico

Segments: 
Inside the Roundhouse: Transparency in Record-Setting $9.6B Budget 
Correspondent: Gwyneth Doland 
Guests: Dan Boyd, Albuquerque Journal Capitol Bureau Chief 
Rob Black, president & CEO, New Mexico Chamber of Commerce 
St. Sen. George Muñoz, (D) NM District 4 – Gallup, chair of the Senate Finance Committee 

Alcohol Tax Increase Limited by Robust Liquor Lobby 
Correspondent: Gene Grant 
Guest: Ted Alcorn, independent journalist