Governor vetoes road fund legislation

SANTA FE — Amid fears of declining oil prices, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday vetoed legislation that appropriated $50 million to various transportation projects throughout the state.

Senate Bill 232 included $1.635 million for Curry and Roosevelt counties.

In a veto statement, the governor noted it isn’t yet known “the degree to which COVID-19 and declining oil prices will impact our state’s economy.” She did not believe SB 232 constituted a sound investment in the state “because it appropriates $50 million to road projects whose scope and total cost is often unclear.”

The bill passed unanimously in the Senate (41-0) and the House (68-0).

Locally, the awards vetoed as part of SB 232 include:

• $945,000 for improvements to Curry Road P/Q, including nine miles of chipsealing from NM 288 to Curry Road 34.

• $300,000 for Roosevelt County road maintenance and repairs.

• $200,000 in Roosevelt County for road improvements

• $190,000 for Portales Police Department vehicle purchases in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 fiscal years.

Additionally, Lujan Grisham’s office confirmed the governor was mulling over more potential cuts, including line-item vetoes on road spending in the main budget bill and other infrastructure projects in capital outlay legislation approved by lawmakers during this year’s legislative session.

Sen. John Arthur Smith agreed cuts would be feasible within $180 million in general fund road spending earmarked in House Bill 2.

“It’s low-hanging fruit,” said Smith, D-Deming and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

There also could be vetoes in $147 million in general fund money set aside for capital outlay projects in House Bill 349, said Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, chairwoman of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee.

“It’s about making sure we don’t overspend based on revenue projections,” said Lundstrom, D-Gallup. “Our revenue projections that we based the budget on are too high based on what we’re getting.”

Jens Gould of The Santa Fe New Mexican contributed to this report.