Lawmakers hit midway point of the session with some key bills dispatched, others in limbo

SANTA FE — The clock is ticking at the Roundhouse.

Lawmakers reached the halfway point of the 30-day legislative session on Wednesday, with high-profile bills dealing with immigration and road funding already headed to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's desk for final approval. 

Those measures, along with proposals to have New Mexico join interstate medical compacts for social workers and doctors, are expected to be signed by the governor this week.

But there's still lots of legislating to do before the session ends Feb. 19. 

An $11.1 billion budget bill that would partially fund Lujan Grisham's universal child care initiative passed the House on a 55-15 vote Wednesday, but will face more scrutiny in the Senate.

In addition, hot-button bills dealing with medical malpractice, climate change and firearm sales all remain in limbo with just two weeks left in the session.

Senate Majority Whip Michael Padilla, D-Albuquerque, said he's optimistic agreements could be reached on some of those proposals.

"I think folks are willing to take the pettiness out of it and focus on the issues," Padilla told the Journal.

He also said there's plenty of time to advance bills with the necessary support, saying, "Fifteen days is an eternity in a legislative session." 

However, Senate Minority Leader William Sharer, R-Farmington, said he's less hopeful that lawmakers will pass legislation dealing with the state's medical malpractice laws and public safety.

"It's going to get more challenging as we get closer to the end," Sharer told the Journal.

In all, nearly 700 bills were filed in advance of a Wednesday bill filing deadline — 378 in the House and 313 in the Senate — along with roughly a dozen proposed constitutional amendments.

But many of those bills will not ultimately be taken up, since only budget-related measures and bills authorized by the governor can be considered in 30-day sessions, which are held in even-numbered years.

As of Wednesday, Lujan Grisham had issued executive messages for 130 bills so far during this year's session.

Partisan friction on budget bill 

The spending plan for the coming budget year prompted a lengthy debate Wednesday in the House, despite previously having passed a House committee with bipartisan support.

During the floor debate, House Republicans proposed amendments boosting funding for the state's judicial system and calling for increased auditing of several state agencies' spending for possible fraud and misuse.

The amendments, proposed by Rep. Jonathan Henry, R-Artesia, also called for the state to reimburse local governments in New Mexico impacted by the possible closure of three privately run immigration detention facilities. Those facilities, located in Estancia, Chapparal and Milan, are the target of the immigration legislation, House Bill 9, that passed with support from most Democratic legislators and is awaiting the governor's signature.

"I don't see this is a bailout," Henry said. "New Mexico jobs are lost because of (the bill)."

But the proposed amendments were ultimately rejected on largely party-line votes.

Earlier in the day, key architects of the $11.1 billion spending plan described the bill as a responsible response to federal funding reductions and a cooling off of New Mexico's recent revenue growth.

"We know there's still a lot of uncertainty out there," said Rep. Nathan Small, D-Las Cruces, the chairman of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, during a Wednesday news conference.

He also said the budget bill would lay the foundation for universal child care in New Mexico, a top priority of the governor's administration during this year's session.

While the bill would not appropriate the entire $160 million in additional funding sought by the executive branch for the program, it would provide $60 million to raise the salaries of early childhood workers across the state.

In addition, the budget bill calls for child care co-pays for higher-income families — or those making more than $132,000 per year for a family of four. The exact dollar amount of those co-pays would be tiered depending on a family's gross income.

"We are showing our country exactly how it's done with our child care policy, and also our budget," said Rep. Sarah Silva, D-Las Cruces, during Wednesday's debate.

Republicans seek to slow advance of some bills 

Even as Democratic legislative leaders have made good on their pledge to fast-track key bills to the governor's desk, Republicans have begun to use the parliamentary tools at their disposal to prolong debate.

Earlier this week, Senate Republicans delayed a vote on the House-approved immigration bill until late in the day by launching lengthy monologues on the chamber floor.

Sharer acknowledged the speeches were intended to send a message to majority Democrats.

"What we were trying to prove is you need to work with us, because we can stop this show," he said during an interview.

But he said extended GOP debate during Wednesday's floor session was not similarly orchestrated, and not intended to delay a committee hearing on a bill imposing new requirements on licensed firearm dealers in the state.

That bill, Senate Bill 17, would also prohibit the sale of certain "military-grade" weapons and has generated fierce debate during this year's session. 

A revised version of the bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 6-3 vote late Wednesday evening, after an attempt to strip out the assault weapon ban failed. It now heads to the full Senate for consideration.

Dan Boyd covers state government and politics for the Journal in Santa Fe. Follow him on X at @DanBoydNM or reach him via email at dboyd@abqjournal.com.