There were 195 bills, 11 memorials, and three resolutions that made it to the Governor’s desk. While every bill introduced is important to someone, it’s often questionable if many are important to the state as a whole.
Both chambers point to the other for the reason that legislation didn’t make it through the system, but it’s the people of New Mexico who are hurt in the end. We believe better sessions are ahead and good intentions will refocus into more constructive use of legislative time and efforts.
On the federal scene, we have seen reports that stricter fracking rules on federal lands could cut oil and natural gas production. Read more HERE.
In New Mexico, we couldn’t even pass a bill to study the issue of getting more federal lands back in the control of our state. HB 291/a, NM Federal Land Management Study Commission, Representative Herrell was tabled (killed) in committee by the following members of House Judiciary: Reps David Adkins, Gail Chasey, Brian Egolf, Georgene Louis, Antonio Maestas, W. Ken Martinez, Terry McMillan, and Paul Pacheco.
As far as which chamber dropped the ball on the $264 million Capital Outlay bill . . . that has a lot of finger pointing going on. None of that from the NMBC; just solid facts for New Mexican voters. Here is what happened, you decide:
The Senate was united in what it sent to the House with full agreement on a vote of 40-0. SB 159 Severance Tax Bonds Projects, Senator Cisneros and Representative Gonzales was sent to the House five days before the close of the session. A divided House amended the bill with a floor vote of 36-32 and returned it to the Senate requiring concurrence or other action about 20 minutes prior to session adjournment Saturday.
Fifteen minutes is certainly enough time to take action if there is agreement. There was no agreement. Read more here.
Join Us: You have a unique opportunity to hear from Senate Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen at the BASH on April 9th. She’s a solid leader with a common sense approach to legislation. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to hear her talk about what happened this legislative session from her Senate leadership point of view.
