Lujan Grisham on special session: ‘We’re not all on the same page yet’

A special legislative session is just a month and a half away. But it’ll take more agreement among policymakers to figure out what’ll actually get done.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham previously announced a public safety-focused session would start on July 18 and said she anticipates it’ll only take a few days. On Thursday, during a luncheon held by a commercial real estate development organization at the Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown, she briefly talked about the upcoming special session.

She said legislators still need to agree on solutions to New Mexico’s public safety issues, and “we’re not all on the same page yet about which things make the biggest difference.”

Sen. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, told the Journal there aren't really any specifics on the special session yet and lawmakers are still trying to nail down the details. Cervantes chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee and introduced multiple public safety bills in this year’s regular session.

“I came today to get a better understanding of what that special session might be,” he said.

The governor expressed confidence that all of the state’s elected leaders want to get this right.

Lujan Grisham wants to address competency issues, she said. A bill died in the 2024 legislative session that would have mandated court-ordered treatment for a defendant deemed dangerous and incompetent.

“A criminal competency statute means we can hold those folks and give them the treatment they need in the criminal justice system,” she said.

Lujan Grisham said the state also needs a good, civil process. A pretrial detention bill also failed to make it through the 2024 Legislature, though a no-bond hold bill did make it through.

“Really, doing the work requires more tools in the toolbox,” she said.

This story will be updated.