Top NM House Democrats say public safety, tax relief among priorities for 60-day session

While 60-day legislative sessions in New Mexico tend to feature slow starts and frantic finishes, House Democrats said Friday they will not waste time during the upcoming session in advancing proposals related to public safety and behavioral health.

With the start of the session less than two weeks away, leading Democratic lawmakers also signaled they will push for the creation of an outside office overseeing New Mexico’s long-troubled Children, Youth and Families Department.

“The agency is broken and our children need help,” House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, said during a news conference outside a food market in Albuquerque’s Martineztown neighborhood.

That could set up a showdown with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has opposed similar measures in recent years.

The governor also blasted fellow Democrats in the Legislature last year for not approving her crime-focused agenda for a special session she called in July.

But lawmakers said the proposals were not fully vetted and would have prompted legal challenges if approved.

With this year’s session rapidly approaching, Martínez said he’s hopeful a compromise can be struck on issues dealing with crime and mental health but said that remains to be seen.

Rep. Christine Chandler, D-Los Alamos, said House Democrats will push for a slew of crime-related proposals in this year’s session, including tougher penalties for human trafficking, shooting threats and fentanyl distribution.

She also said changes to the juvenile justice system and the state’s red flag gun law, which allows law enforcement to temporarily seize weapons from individuals deemed to pose a threat to themselves or others, will be among the caucus priorities.

“We all know how much more work needs to be done,” said Chandler, who is the House Judiciary Committee’s chairwoman.

“We expect much of this agenda to make its way quickly through both chambers and to the governor’s desk,” she added.

As things currently stand, Democrats would enter the session with a 43-26 majority in the House. One Grants-area state House seat remains vacant as Lujan Grisham considers a replacement for former Rep. Eliseo Alcon of Milan, who stepped down after winning reelection in November.

In addition to public safety, top-ranking House Democrats said Friday they will also prioritize bills to improve New Mexico’s mental health and substance abuse treatment programs.

House Majority Leader Reena Szczepanski, D-Santa Fe, said $200 million from a state revenue windfall could be earmarked for improving the state’s behavioral health system.

That money would be deposited in a new state trust fund and could be used to build new facilities and recruit additional providers, she said.

“No one should have to make 10 calls for an appointment for themselves or for a loved one,” said Szczepanski, who described the state’s current behavioral health facilities as understaffed and overwhelmed.

Lawmakers could also use the state’s budget surplus to provide tax relief to New Mexicans, and House Democrats said Friday they will push specifically for tax cuts for middle-income residents.

Those changes could include an expansion of a tax break called the Low-Income Comprehensive Tax Rebate, which is currently offered to individuals with a modified gross income of $36,000 or less per year.

Overall, there will be 28 new lawmakers in the 112-member Legislature once the session gets underway — 16 in the Senate and 12 in the House of Representatives.

However, four of those new senators were previously House members.

The 60-day session begins Jan. 21 at noon. Lujan Grisham will deliver her annual State of the State address on opening day.