State legislators from both sides of the aisle are continuing to scrutinize the Governor’s appropriation of more than $30 million in state funding during the early days of the pandemic. State law limits The Governor to emergency appropriations of only $750,000. Republican legislators are arguing that the Governor overstepped her authority by skipping legislative approval for the funds. The funds at issue are one time appropriations made by executive order on March 27 for $20 million in emergency funds, and another order April 8 allocated $10 million more. Legislators in large part understand the urgency of the appropriations, as they were made in the throes of the pandemic rush for PPE and support. But this sizable over step by the Governor needs to be met with the amount of scrutiny it’s due. Correcting executive overstep in these spending issues now is a necessary and vigilant move toward ensuring the legislative branch of the state retains it’s “powers of the purse”, even in the face of future public health emergencies. Read more HERE.
em070920f/a/Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham shows her face mask with "Governor" and St. Michael's High School emblem on it. This was before giving her weekly update on the COVID-19 outbreak in New Mexico and the state effort to control it. The news conference is being held at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe, Thursday July 9, 2020. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)