Front Page  news  state

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Special Session Set for Aug. 15

By Dan Boyd
Journal Capitol Bureau
       SANTA FE — Gov. Bill Richardson says Aug. 15 is the date he'll call New Mexico legislators to the Capitol for a special session on tax rebates, highways and health care.
    Richardson previously planned to call the session in September, after Democrats and Republicans hold their presidential nominating conventions, but he decided to accelerate the schedule.
    "New Mexicans need relief now," the governor said in a prepared statement. "I am working with legislators to move forward with a special session so we can address health care and put money in people's pockets before the holiday season."
    He wants the state's 112 part-time lawmakers to consider:
    Tax rebates averaging $206 per household to help deal with rising consumer costs.
    • A financing plan for 13 highway and bridge construction projects in rural areas, which the administration says are badly needed.
    • His long-sought proposals for providing health care coverage for all New Mexicans.
    House Speaker Ben Lujan, D-Santa Fe, said it looks like there is support in the legislative ranks for most of Richardson's special session proposals but expressed concern the special session could overlap with Santa Fe's Indian Market, an annual event that draws thousands of visitors to the City Different and begins Aug. 23. The market would mean competition between visitors and lawmakers for hotel rooms in the capital city.
    "I'm hoping we don't have to be there for more than seven to 10 days," Lujan said.
    The session will start on a Friday. The governor sets the starting date, but legislators for the most part determine how long they stay and how much they do.
    Lujan said the timing of the special session will actually be better for legislators who face re-election campaigns in November and have to get out and campaign.
    Senate Minority Leader Stuart Ingle, R-Portales, joked that legislators might have to sleep on the Roundhouse floor if Santa Fe hotels are full.
    "There's always an inconvenience in a special session," said Ingle, a farmer from the state's east side.
    Last week, Richardson announced a plan to give $160 million back to New Mexicans in the form of income tax rebates.
    The rebates would range in size from $75 to $150 per person, depending on income, with dependents receiving up to $40 each. The proposal is part of a $211 million Cash Assistance Relief Effort that would derive more than 90 percent of its funding from one-time state revenue windfalls, mostly coming from oil and gas production in the state.
    While Lujan said he has some reservations about rebates in general, he predicted the concept will be popular among lawmakers, saying, "You have to think of the sacrifices a lot of our constituents are going through."
    Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said legislators have been sent a detailed description of the governor's proposals and was optimistic about their chances.
    "I think the reception has been good," Gallegos said.
    Gallegos said Richardson hopes to see substantive action on health care, pointing out the taxpayer relief proposals would leave untouched most of the state's projected $392 million in recurring revenue.