SANTA FE, N.M. – A united front on making New Mexico safe is not in the cards, at least for now. 

In a highly predictable move, state lawmakers started and ended the governor’s public safety special session without debating one single bill she put forward. 

The only thing lawmakers did pass in the five-hour session Thursday was a bill that typically just pays for them to do their work during a session. 

However, this time, they added $100 million in disaster relief funding for people recovering from the Salt and South Fork fires near Ruidoso. 

Plus, the bill has $3 million for our state court system to start working on assisted outpatient treatment and diversion programs for repeat offenders who need mental and behavioral health care.

After the session ended, Senate and House Democrats spoke about the outcome. They reiterated their concerns with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s proposals, specifically her competency bill. The bill would allow judges to detain some defendants while they got mental health treatment lined up. 

For weeks, the governor has called out lawmakers, saying they’re not willing to do the work. 

Lawmakers have fired back, saying the governor is rushing complex legislation. On Thursday, they asked to bring down the temperature. 

Lujan Grisham had a different approach and issued the following statement Thursday:

“This legislature just demonstrated that it has no interest in making New Mexico safer. Not one public safety measure was considered. Not one, despite the bills having the backing of police chiefs, public safety unions, mayors, prosecutors, businesses, tribal leaders, crime victims and others who have seen firsthand the erosion of public safety that has deeply damaged the quality of life in our state. 

Today I visited a neighborhood that is being ravaged by dangerous activity and everyday petty crime. Families can’t walk in the park, employees are scared to go to work, and businesses are shuttering. For the legislature to ignore these stark realities is nothing less than a dereliction of duty. 

The legislature as a body walked away from their most important responsibility: keeping New Mexicans safe. But it is noteworthy that a majority of Republicans would have passed many or all of these bills — they were blocked. 

The legislature should be embarrassed at their inability to summon even an ounce of courage to adopt common-sense legislation to make New Mexicans safer. For those of you who go home to the sound of gunshots, who see hypodermic needles in your parks, and the families desperate to get a loved one living on the street the help they deserve, I’m sorry that most of our elected officials didn’t even try. 

This was one of the most disappointing days of my career, and the public should be outraged. My promise to you is that I will not stop fighting to protect you and your families.” 

We knew there would be disagreements coming into this special session — and while there were no substantial debates on any actual bills — there was still a lot of back-and-forth between lawmakers in the Senate chambers.

It seems the biggest disagreement was over calling a special session in the first place, and Democrats were not on the governor’s side.

“The bills before us are so complicated at times, and so deserving of our deliberative roles as lawmakers, that we not rush them and do more harm,” said state Sen. Joseph Cervantes. 

Republican senators came prepared with more than a dozen bills in hand, including all of the governor’s top priorities.

“Ideally, we would do this in a 30 or 60 day session, but who are we to scoff at an idea and an opportunity to address the problems that we all claim are adverse to our state. Given that opportunity, I would take that opportunity every single time. So special session, that’s fine. Let’s, let’s try and get it done,” said Senate Minority Leader Greg Baca. 

It appears many, if not all, of these public safety-focused proposals will return to the Roundhouse for the 60-day legislative session in January.

17 state senators are on their way out, so there may be a very different attitude come 2025.