COMMENTARY:
Thirty days will not be enough time to complete the new college football playoffs, which started Friday with Alabama beating Oklahoma and will end with the championship game on Jan 19.
Nor will it be enough time for the New Mexico Legislature to address all of the vexing issues that states throughout the nation are now grappling with as a result of burden shifting from the federal government. But unfortunately, that’s all the time they get.
The 2026 session will open on Jan. 20 and end on Feb. 19. It’s barely enough time to complete the annual budget, which is, by law, not just the only thing they are required to do. It is also the only thing they are allowed to do without consent of the governor.
Any bills not directly tied to the budget have to be included on the governor’s call. If not, they are deemed not to be germane and must wait for the 60-day session in 2027. That is, assuming the bill’s sponsor survives the 2026 election.
In times when we have had Republican governors, the system allows them to pretty much shut down the Democratic-controlled Legislature every other year.
That won’t be a problem this year. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has not announced yet what will be on her call, but she clearly has a lengthy to-do list heading into her final year in office. Juvenile justice reform; increased penalties for gun crimes and easier confiscation of firearms; amending the law governing competency to stand trial and addressing behavioral health issues connected to crime will all likely be on the list. And that’s just the public safety agenda.
Increased funding for health care and food assistance programs; stabilization of rural hospitals and clinics; stemming the flow of doctors out of the state; increased lobbying transparency; and improvements to our beleaguered child welfare system all desperately need to be addressed as well.
At the end of the session, we will have a new budget for the upcoming fiscal year. That is the only guarantee. As to all of these other issues, it’s a craps shoot. Some may be addressed through the passage of successful legislation, but the odds are against them.
The idea when the Legislature was first formed more than 100 years ago was to intentionally create a weak and ineffective branch of government filled with unpaid farmers, bankers and business owners who would come to Santa Fe once a year, but had other higher priorities than governing. It wasn’t until 1964 that the Legislature decided it needed to meet every year.
The Legislature has taken baby steps to modernize and professionalize. They recently approved staff funding outside of the session for the first time. But it is still filled with unpaid lawmakers who have other priorities. And, it is still operating on a calendar that ensures the process of governing will not interrupt the more important work of harvesting and planting.
And so, this year’s 30-day session will end the same way they all do: with lawmakers telling us they had great support for their bill. It breezed through the committees with no problem and would have been a sure thing if it had reached a vote on the floor.
There just wasn't enough time this year. Maybe next year.
Walter Rubel can be reached at waltrubel@gmail.com
Walt Rubel's opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of KRWG Public Media or NMSU.