New Mexico governor signs proclamation for special session
SANTA FE, N.M. – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is not backing down from her plan to address the longstanding public safety issues in New Mexico.
She made that clear Wednesday when she officially called state lawmakers back to the Roundhouse for a special session.
The governor surrounded herself with mayors, police chiefs, tribal leaders and business officials from all over New Mexico, to put pressure on state lawmakers who are hesitant about the governor’s slate of proposals.
Lawmakers argue the plans to rework criminal competency laws are too big of a lift for a special session – among her other proposals, including:
- Pedestrian safety bill
- Tougher penalties for felons in possession of a firearm
- Requiring law enforcement agencies to submit a monthly crime report
The governor fired back, saying the Legislature had years to address these issues, and the entire state is suffering because of it.
“There is an underlying element of individuals in our communities who are incredibly dangerous, and this notion that we don’t is false. I don’t want to go to bed realizing that these individuals are in an apartment complex with New Mexican’s college students, but they are. And I don’t want to go to bed knowing that they’re at that Speedway potentially by that high school, and I don’t want to go to bed knowing that it’s raining outside, and they’re trying to get into a shelter, and the shelter folks don’t feel safe with that individual there. That goes on every day in every community in the entire state,” said Lujan Grisham.
With that being said, the governor said Wednesday she believes all of the legislative hearings and efforts to address these issues leading up to the special session are a success on their own.
However, she also said there is a precedent for calling multiple special sessions back-to-back to get these issues addressed.
State lawmakers are expected to return to the Roundhouse at noon Thursday, and it’s not clear right now what will happen.
House leaders suggested without some type of agreement ahead of time, they may be in and out of the Roundhouse in a matter of minutes.
But it does seem many lawmakers are hoping to make this a productive session.
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