Some members of the NM legislative council want action in response to the Governor’s budget line item vetoes. At a meeting of the legislative council on Monday state legislators, both Democrat and Republican, pushed to add discussion of the vetoes to either the agenda for Monday’s meeting or to its next meeting, expected in June. The issue facing lawmakers is whether or not to take action against the Governor’s veto of funds allocated by the legislature. Governor Lujan Grisham used her line item veto authority to remove $1.1 billion from the state budget plan shortly after the session concluded. But state Lawmakers contend that the executive does not have the final say over matters of spending. 

House Speaker Brian Egolf, who presided over the meeting, was reluctant to add the debate over the vetoes to the agenda for the meeting citing “transparency and openness”. House Minority Whip Rod Montoya, pushed to either discuss the vetoes Monday or schedule the debate for the next meeting, with the Legislature’s attorneys present. “I’m not sure why we wouldn’t have a discussion over such an important issue,” he said. The meeting ended without concrete action and it remains unclear if legislators will take up the issue at the next meeting. What is clear however,  is that Legislators are ready to push back on the Governor’s veto and want those funds returned to the budget. Click HERE for more.