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Republicans push to limit emergency powers NM governors hold
House Minority Leader Ryan Lane, R-Aztec, and other Republican members of the New Mexico House, hold a news conference Tuesday to speak about a resolution they filed that, if passed, would allow voters to limit the extent of the governor’s emergency powers.
It all comes down to the decision of one person.
That’s what House Republicans said of the shutdown Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham enacted in light of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which they said caused substantial harm to New Mexicans in many ways, and of the current public health order aimed at tackling gun violence.
So they’re pushing to limit the extent of the emergency powers held by any governor of New Mexico.
Republican Reps. Ryan Lane, James Townsend, Gail Armstrong, Stefani Lord and John Block are sponsoring House Joint Resolution 8, which calls for a constitutional amendment to terminate emergency orders issued by a governor after 90 days.
Lawmakers could approve an extension beyond the 90 days, under the resolution, if three-fifths of the House and Senate approve a joint resolution to do so in a special session.
If the joint resolution gets through the 2024 Legislature, it would go before voters in the next statewide election, as is the nature of a resolution. It doesn’t require the governor’s signature to pass the Legislature.
“Do you want to live in a structure of government where one person gets to decide which of your liberties are worth keeping and which are worth discarding?” Lane of Aztec said. “And we believe the people of New Mexico want to be involved in that decision.”
It’s still up in the air if the resolution could survive the 2024 legislative session.
The legislation has been assigned to the House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee. Lane said a hearing hasn’t been scheduled yet, but he anticipates there will be one.
He said Senate Republicans are hand in hand with the House Republicans on the issue and are similarly concerned. But in order to pass the resolution, the Democrats who control both the House and Senate will need to support it.
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Lane said there have been offline discussions with Democrats on this effort.
“They’re aware that this is an issue,” he said. “Now, whether they would vote in favor of it is to be seen.”
When asked if the bill has any commitment from House Speaker Rep. Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, Lane said they haven’t discussed it.
“From my view, this is not a partisan issue. This is really about the Legislature and who we represent, which are the people of New Mexico,” he said.
Lane said this has nothing to do with the current governor.
“This has to do with every governor, both now and moving forward, either Republican or Democrat,” he said.
