By Daniel J. Chacón, New Mexican in Santa Fe A major fight is brewing at the Capitol over the state budget, which should be the focus of the 30-day session, amid pressure to pass politically charged legislation. Gun control laws have largely been put on the back burner. With less than two weeks left until […]
“Santa Fe New Mexican” by Daniel J. Chacón
A major fight is brewing at the Capitol over the state's budget, which should be the focus of the 30-day session but has largely taken a backseat amid a political push to pass gun control legislation.
With less than two weeks left until lawmakers adjourn for the year, the chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee is sounding the alarm over many spending proposals in New Mexico's record $10.1 billion spending plan. . Violation of state constitution.
Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, said in an interview Thursday after the House sent the budget bill to the Senate that the problematic spending items in the more than 200-page budget bill are not just about spending calls; He also stated that it was necessary to formulate a
“The informed people who voted yesterday violated the Constitution,” Muñoz said. The budget passed the House on Wednesday by a vote of 53-16.
“The Constitution is clear that appropriations cannot change the law,” Muñoz said.
An example Muñoz and his staff cited is a proposal to allocate $5 million to a compensation program for livestock losses caused by Mexican wolf attacks. The proposed budget includes language that says, “Compensation for depredations shall be based on the fair market value of the livestock as determined by the State of New Mexico.” [State University] and only if a determination of confirmed or potential livestock loss due to Mexican wolves is made by a qualified county, federal, or tribal investigator. ”
They said these specs are about more than just spending money. Also create a policy.
Munoz and other members of the Senate Finance Committee also raised red flags about spending proposals without a bill. Sen. Pat Woods (R-Broadview) said the spending plan lacks transparency.
“I'm a firm believer that if you want money, you should introduce a bill,” Woods said in a committee meeting Thursday. “You should submit a bill that says, 'I want money.' In my case, it was the prison in Clayton. I submitted a bill. Now, that bill may not pass, but the entire state You can look at that and say, “Oh my God.'' [Woods wants] Give Clayton money,'' and it's transparent. ”
Sen. Crystal Brantley (R-Elephant Butte) said she shares Woods' concerns.
“At the end of the last session, you [Muñoz] I've made it very clear to this committee and to those who want something in the budget that we need a bill that tells us how much money we're asking for and outlines exactly how that money will be spent. “We weren't considering it unless I had it in front of me,” she said. “Please stop sneaking things in.”
This will allow lawmakers and New Mexicans to see how taxpayer money is being spent, Brantley said.
“That money is attached to some type of bill and you can go and look at the details of how it’s being appropriated for the public, lobbyists and everyone else.” [can see it],” she said. “It's very transparent how we spend money. I would say that was made very clear by this commission last year.”
Muñoz agreed with his Republican colleagues that such a process would allow the entire Congress to consider the budget. The problem is isolated, he said.
Munoz said he has “not received any such request” from senators. “Did the House do it? Yes.”
Rep. Nathan Small, D-Las Cruces, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, said he does not intend to “interfere” with the Senate Finance Committee's budget-making approach.
“We have gone through an orderly process [in the] House Appropriations Committee. There were over 60 public comments regarding the agency's budget, the most since I've been here. And there was no executive meeting. “We had a very long and extensive public hearing and had a lot of discussion,” he said. “That’s what I want to focus on for us.”
Muñoz is among those calling for fiscal restraint in anticipation of the oil and gas boom subsiding in the coming years, and said he must be at the forefront of reining in spending. Muñoz told the committee that requests for funding have been pouring in due to the state's record revenues, primarily from the oil and gas industry.
“They want the pie, not the piece,” he says.
Munoz has been the Senate Budget Committee chairman for four years, replacing former Sen. John Arthur Smith, a conservative Democrat from Deming who ran the Senate Budget Committee for more than a decade. Smith lost the 2020 primary to a more progressive Democratic challenger, earning him the nickname “Dr. Smith.” “No” to his years of refusing to fund various initiatives, even those championed by his own party.
“I think I’m just stepping into those shoes,” Munoz said.
