{"id":46643,"date":"2025-03-24T14:16:09","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T21:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/?p=46643"},"modified":"2025-05-02T11:06:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T18:06:59","slug":"new-mexico-legislature-march-22-a-somber-conclusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/new-mexico-legislature-march-22-a-somber-conclusion\/","title":{"rendered":"New Mexico Legislature March 22: A somber conclusion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This story<\/a> was originally published at Source New Mexico<\/a>, a NMPBS partner.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham expressed how upset she is about a mass shooting in Las Cruces, during a news conference in her office following the end of the Legislative session, Saturday, March 22, 2025 (Eddie Moore \/ Albuquerque Journal)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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By Patrick Lohmann, Austin Fisher, Julia Goldberg, Leah Romero and Danielle Prokop<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the months leading up to the 60-day session, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham traveled the state <\/a>ginning up support for her public safety agenda in the aftermath of a failed special session last year<\/a> in which lawmakers shunned her proposals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, House and Senate Democrats said they would prioritize both public safety and behavioral health care and passed a package in the first half of the session, which the governor signed in February<\/a> while still urging lawmakers to do more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She reiterated that call in the final week, criticizing legislators for their lack of meaningful lawmaking as it relates to juvenile crime, following the arrests of teenagers in the hit-and-run murder of an Albuquerque cyclist last year.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And on the Legislature\u2019s final day, she excoriated what she characterized as \u201cappalling and unacceptable\u201d inaction in the aftermath of a March 21 mass shooting in Las Cruces and said a special session is in the offing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe public should demand that the New Mexico Legislature \u2014 and all public officials in our state \u2014 acknowledge New Mexico\u2019s crime crisis and prompt them to act immediately to protect our communities. The Legislature should expect a special session to address our ongoing public safety crisis,\u201d she said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a news conference following the Legislature\u2019s adjournment, notably without any lawmakers present, Lujan Grisham said New Mexico \u201cdoes not have sufficient tools\u201d to prevent incidents like Friday night\u2019s shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur work is just beginning,\u201d she said. \u201cWe will do more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without naming them, Lujan Grisham criticized Senate Judiciary Chair Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces), House Judiciary Chair Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos) and Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee Chair Linda L\u00f3pez (D-Albuquerque) for what she called \u201ca pretty purposeful effort\u201d to not debate the bills she wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think New Mexicans need to weigh in about whether or not we think that\u2019s appropriate, given that they\u2019re elected, and this is the session to debate every single one of these measures,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re at the ballot box, if your legislator, irrespective of their party, is failing to address these issues significantly, not doing enough in crime and public safety, if they\u2019re refusing to commit to you that they will fix this, then I think you should make a different decision.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She then said a bill<\/a> to make New Mexico\u2019s primary elections open to independent voters is a \u201cstep in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The governor said that bills dealing with emergency response and rescue are \u201cimportant, but not part of this crisis that is unfolding in our communities every single day that need to be addressed in this way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is shameful,\u201d she said. \u201cThere was not a single productive debate on reducing juvenile crime \u2014 not one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lujan Grisham said the Senate failed to pass a \u201cweakened, watered down\u201d juvenile crime bill, Senate Bill 255, and that she \u201ccan\u2019t understand the reluctance\u201d after her tour across the state at more than a dozen town halls focused on public safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Lujan Grisham signed<\/a> three pieces of legislation to address crime at the session\u2019s midway point, she said she believed then there was universal agreement to do more with the time left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, the end result of this legislative session would belie that commitment,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The governor did not commit to a time frame for a special session, but said one was likely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am certainly there, in this moment; I\u2019d like to have a cooler head prevail,\u201d she said. \u201cI think the likelihood is far stronger than not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham joined by Lt. Governor Howie Morales upbraided the New Mexico Legislature during her post-session press conference Saturday, March 22, 2025. Lujan Grisham said she would call a special session, saying that lawmakers failed to pass bills related to juvenile crime during the 60-day legislative session. (Photo by Austin Fisher \/ Source NM)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

She also said she shared the \u201csentiment\u201d expressed by Republican leadership in a letter they delivered on March 22 describing the 60-day session as \u201cunproductive and disappointing,\u201d and requesting she set a date for a special session immediately \u201cto adopt bipartisan solutions to solve our violent crime problem and the inability of New Mexicans to receive health care due to the lack of medical professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter cites a decline in primary physicians in the state between 2017 and 2021, along with declines in other medical fields and the high rate of medical malpractice lawsuits. Numerous bills aimed at both issues<\/a> failed to make it through the session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe stand ready to work with our Democrat colleagues and your office in adopting effective answers to both our violent crime and health care crises,\u201d the letter says. \u201c However, we are convinced a special session is a necessity in bringing all perspectives and ideas to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A phalanx of Republican leaders in both chambers reiterated that call in a post-session briefing, saying Democrats denied hearings for a huge number of Republican-sponsored bills related to crime and the state\u2019s doctor shortage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t even give us a hearing on many of these bills,\u201d said Rep. Alan Martinez (R-Bernalillo), the House Minority Whip. \u201cAnd we\u2019re hoping that \u2026 real, everyday New Mexicans will realize that we do have those common-sense solutions and they deserve a hearing. We\u2019re not afraid to debate them. We just would like the chance to debate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democratic leadership from both the House and Senate gathered on the House floor to preempt criticism from the governor and expressed their condolences to the families in the Las Cruces shooting, emphasizing that bills sent to the governor make New Mexico communities safer and more affordable, and are working to address the wellbeing of children in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Majority Floor Leader Sen. Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe) said lawmakers hit the ground running at the beginning of the session, when they passed the public safety package<\/a> and House Bill 8<\/a>, the bills the governor signed last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had laid the foundation in the interim to do that work, and I was super proud of this team in both chambers, the members, to bring those bills across the line in that first 30 days,\u201d Wirth said during the news conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the mass shooting in Las Cruces Friday night \u201cput everything into perspective and our session into perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Speaker of the House Javier Mart\u00ednez (D-Albuquerque) said it\u2019s Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham\u2019s prerogative to call a special session but added \u2018I would hope there\u2019s a lot of prework ahead of time.\u2019 (Danielle Prokop \/ Source NM)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Speaker of the House Javier Mart\u00ednez (D-Albuquerque) pointed to bills passed to strengthen the state\u2019s red flag law<\/a>; to \u201ccrack down\u201d on glock switches and organized crime; and take better care of young New Mexicans through more oversight of the Children, Youth and Families Department<\/a> (a bill the governor also lambasted<\/a> this week).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked about the two juvenile crime bills that failed to pass this session, Mart\u00ednez said he believed the \u201cfixes\u201d to CYFD will still make an impact on the \u201cintergenerational\u201d cycle of crime that children fall into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe question is, do you want to lock away these kids and throw them away, as if they\u2019re just disposable?\u201d he asked. \u201cThis Legislature, I think, has shown up and ensured that that doesn\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mart\u00ednez added that he thinks it is premature to call a special session to address juvenile crime, particularly when it is rushed and the \u201cprework\u201d during the interim is not done. \u201cThe special session last summer showed that,\u201d he said. \u201cTo rush special sessions is not a good idea. It\u2019s a waste of taxpayer dollars and, quite frankly, it\u2019s a waste of people\u2019s time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wirth, similarly, contended special sessions only work when both chambers agree to move forward in addressing the issue that spurs the governor\u2019s call for the Legislature to convene, a point the governor acknowledged in her remarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think as people have to deal with this situation in Las Cruces, I believe we won\u2019t have the same opposition to a special session,\u201d Lujan Grisham said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A consortium of community organizations also levied criticisms against the Legislature\u2019s approach to public safety, and said lawmakers had failed to pass numerous bills that would have provided support to residents through programs such as addiction treatment, behavioral health and housing stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe appreciate the efforts made by lawmakers to pass meaningful legislation this session, such as housing application fees (SB 267<\/a>),\u201d New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness Executive Director Monet Silva said in a statement. \u201cHowever, we cannot ignore the fact that many critical bills were left on the table, leaving our communities vulnerable and underserved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The groups also cited proposed legislation that would have prohibited landlords from discriminating against qualified renters based on their source of income; allowed the Department of Health to license overdose prevention centers; and expanded access to home- and community-based services to individuals with psychiatric conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese omissions are particularly concerning given the ongoing struggles our state faces with substance abuse, behavioral healthcare, foster care, housing stability and homelessness, and generational poverty,\u201d Equality New Mexico Executive Director Marshall Martinez said in a statement.\u201cWe urge lawmakers to prioritize data-driven solutions, especially for addiction treatment and mental health crises in future sessions and work towards a more holistic approach to public safety that addresses root causes and promotes community well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Governor says Legislature wasted time<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lujan Grisham, in her post-session news conference, criticized the Legislature for inaction on public safety bills and suggested lawmakers spent too much time on memorials, which are formal, but non-binding, statements from each chamber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt seems to me they could have passed more bills,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast to the governor\u2019s chastizing, Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque) summed up her view of the Senate\u2019s productivity during a celebratory speech as the session wrapped up at noon Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She rattled off the number of bills that the Legislature sent to the governor and thanked her colleagues across the aisle, joking that she and Minority Leader Bill Sharer had a \u201clove-hate\u201d relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWish we could have passed a few more (bills) today,\u201d she said, \u201cbut I think we did a pretty good job, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read about the fate of more than 1,300 pieces of legislation introduced this session with the help of Source\u2019s\u00a0bill tracker.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good Government<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the end of the session, Common Cause New Mexico highlighted several bills the organization described as wins for good government, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n