{"id":48661,"date":"2026-02-23T13:25:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T20:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/?p=48661"},"modified":"2026-02-23T13:25:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T20:25:23","slug":"jam-packed-session-puts-process-under-the-microscope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/jam-packed-session-puts-process-under-the-microscope\/","title":{"rendered":"Jam-Packed Session Puts Process Under the Microscope"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A whirlwind of a 30-day legislative session has come to a close in Santa Fe.\u00a0The priority of these shorter, even-year sessions\u00a0is of course the budget, but every year\u00a0it seems the\u00a0governor and lawmakers\u00a0cram\u00a0more and more\u00a0onto the docket.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0not a criticism of their work, as many\u00a0of those\u00a0non-budgetary items\u00a0are in\u00a0sincere\u00a0need of\u00a0immediate\u00a0attention.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we\u00a0watched\u00a0the to-do list for lawmakers\u00a0unfurl like a CVS receipt, we also noticed some unusual and concerning trends\u00a0in\u00a0the process of getting\u00a0many measures through.\u00a0And we\u00a0weren\u2019t\u00a0the only ones.\u00a0If you missed\u00a0Santa Fe New Mexican<\/em>\u00a0columnist\u00a0Milan Simonich<\/a>\u2019s\u00a0piece\u00a0this week,<\/a>\u00a0it was more than just an\u00a0unflattering\u00a0comparison\u00a0of the oratory skills of the late Jesse Jackson to those of Senate Finance Committee Chair George\u00a0Mu\u00f1oz.\u00a0Simonich\u00a0also highlights the lack of transparency in the budget making\u00a0process \u2014\u00a0not just to the public but to other lawmakers on that very committee.\u00a0Marjorie Childress<\/a>, the managing editor at\u00a0New Mexico In Depth,<\/a>\u00a0chose a different issue to\u00a0illustrate the blind spots this\u00a0jam-packed\u00a0legislative process\u00a0has created\u00a0\u2014 medical malpractice reform.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s\u00a0something the\u00a0governor and some legislators have presented as the antidote for the\u00a0doctor\u00a0shortage\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0plaguing our state.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0an issue\u00a0almost everyone\u00a0was paying close attention to, from those opposed to those in favor, to those who just want to be able to see their doctor in a reasonable amount of time.\u00a0But\u00a0the bill that went into the Senate Judiciary Committee\u00a0reappeared with some surprises. Here’s how Childress characterized it:\u00a0

Rather than moving promptly to a hearing at its next stop \u2014 House Judiciary, chaired by the sponsor, Rep. Christine Chandler of Los Alamos\u00a0\u2014 it\u00a0entered a holding pattern while Chandler negotiated changes with people\u00a0representing\u00a0various interests. Those revisions\u00a0subsequently\u00a0passed her committee and then both chambers. That revised bill now makes its way to the governor for her signature.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>

Who was among those stakeholders, who have been held up as agreeing to a compromise captured in the\u00a0final version\u00a0of House Bill 99? There is no public list. No meeting records. No formal accounting of who helped shape legislation that will reshape New Mexico\u2019s medical malpractice landscape.\u00a0<\/em>

Unfortunately, we\u00a0weren\u2019t\u00a0able to get into those transparency concerns during our\u00a0roundtable this week, but you can read Childress\u2019s full story\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And make sure you watch to see the items we do get to in what was a dense but fun conversation with some of our favorite guests, former state legislators Eric Griego and Dede Feldman, as well Michael\u00a0Bird, the former president of the American Public Health Association. We hope you enjoy the show.\u00a0

-Lou DiVizio, Senior Producer<\/p>\n\n\n\n