Governor signs only bill passed in special session

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday signed the only piece of legislation passed during a fleeting special session last month, forgoing any line-item vetoes some lawmakers worried would occur as payback after lawmakers gave her public safety agenda a hard pass.

But the two-term Democratic governor, who lambasted members of her own party for failing to even give her proposals a hearing before adjourning within five hours of gaveling in, made no secret of her displeasure.

“The Legislature’s failure to prioritize public safety for New Mexicans during the special session is deeply disappointing,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement after signing House Bill 1, also known as the feed bill. “However, I am relieved that we managed to secure aid for critical recovery efforts in communities damaged by fire and flooding.”

The bill typically pays for the operations of a legislative session.

While the bill includes close to $212,000 for that purpose, lawmakers also tacked on $100 million in disaster relief for Ruidoso, Medanales and Las Vegas, N.M., which have been hit by wildfires and flooding, as well as $3 million to fund assisted outpatient treatment programs and competency diversion pilot programs for people with mental health issues.

Lawmakers described the $3 million appropriation as an initiative to facilitate the governor’s more expansive proposals dealing with changes to laws on mental health competency in criminal cases and civil commitment to treatment facilities — and an opportunity to start to mend their frayed relationship with the governor.

“By starting this now, we address the governor’s desire for action,” Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, said immediately before the Senate adjourned July 18.

“I would certainly ask the governor not to line-item veto this money, and I would go one step further: I would suggest that by signing this treatment diversion money into law, it’s an important first step towards rebuilding the collaborative relationship that needs to exist between the three equal branches of government,” Wirth said. “New Mexicans want that. They need that, and this is an important first step.”

The only line-item vetoes in the bill the governor signed were technical.

“These vetoes eliminate the role of the state Board of Finance in administering the $70 million loan program [for disaster relief] and assigns this responsibility to the Local Government Division of the Department of Finance and Administration,” a news release states. “The Local Government Division has successfully managed similar loan programs and is better positioned to expeditiously administer such a large loan program.”

While a news release issued by the Governor’s Office made no mention of the $3 million appropriation, it wasn’t listed among the line-item vetoes.