GUEST COLUMN: Governor's special session priorities miss the mark

With the announcement of a special session to address public safety, I was hopeful that Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s priorities would reflect the needs of our community. However, the six priorities that were released by the governor’s office failed to meet the moment and address our most pressing issues.

While reducing panhandling around the state and overhauling our criminal competency system are notable issues, a special session is not the place to tackle them. The governor has proposed a plan to expand and retool this system. Rushing this piece of legislation that has not been properly vetted or studied is dangerous and could be costly. While the system needs to be changed, we should study the proposed changes in the interim and consider it during the upcoming 60-day legislative session.

Making uninformed and hurried decisions is poor public policy. New Mexico’s violent crime is out of control, and we have a chance to make substantial changes, that we know work, during this special session.

Time after time, Republicans have proposed legislation that would boost public safety and take criminals off our streets. Time after time they are shot down. During the 2024 session, House members introduced nearly a dozen bills that were designed to fix our current catch and release criminal justice system, impose harsher penalties for crimes conducted with a firearm, and establish new penalties for career criminals. Only one was considered. After passing the House, it never left the Senate Judiciary Committee.

During this special session, we can stop New Mexico’s revolving door criminal justice system, reduce the flow of illegal drugs and human trafficking across our southern border, and enact reforms to address CYFD’s historic problems.

Fentanyl’s grip on our state must also be addressed. New Mexicans have watched as hundreds of their family members have become addicted or overdosed to fentanyl. Our streets must be wiped of this dangerous drug, and we must empower law enforcement to crack down on drug dealers who profit from death and addiction.

New Mexicans have stood by for far too long wondering when they can feel safe in their own homes and on their own streets. The time to act is now. New Mexicans deserve to have safe communities. As representatives we must ensure people do not fall to unmitigated disaster and ensure that our state’s most vulnerable populations are safe from abuse and neglect.