House GOP calls on MLG to not let partisanship taint upcoming session

NM House GOP calls on Governor to address concerns and issues facing New Mexicans in upcoming session

Santa Fe – Today the NM House Republican Caucus requested that the Governor support important legislation in the 2^nd Session of the 54^th Legislature. Per the Constitution, the office of Governor is granted authority to determine the agenda for the 30-day regular session in which the Legislature is required to appropriate the state budget.

House Republicans are appealing to the Governor to address several key areas of concern in the state. The Republican caucus is concerned that with an upcoming election, the Governor and her administration will seek to tailor a hyper-partisan agenda instead of allowing lawmakers to work across the aisle to address the many serious and concerning needs of New Mexicans that have boiled over during the Governor’s two-years of unabated use of the Emergency Powers Act.

House Republicans request that the following list of legislative topics be deemed germane, in order to foster a less partisan and more New Mexico focused legislative session:

• Any and all legislation designed to reduce the growing number of violent crimes within the state, improve the ability of law enforcement officers to fulfill their sworn duties, and ensuring convicted criminals are held accountable for their actions.
• Any and all legislation designed to improve the ability of law enforcement and the judicial system to ensure multiple DWI offenders are prohibited from driving on our streets and highways.
• Any and all legislation to address the long-term negative impacts of HB 75, the medical malpractice bill enacted during the 2021 regular session, to ensure doctors and other medical professionals will be able to purchase sufficient insurance coverage so they can continue serving their patients and not be forced to leave the state.

• Any and all legislation to reform the management and delivery of services by the Children, Youth and Families Department to help protect the well-being of our state’s most vulnerable children.
• Any and all legislation to require state employees to return to their offices in a safe and healthy manner in order to restore a responsive state government and require state departments and agencies to act in a more consumer friendly manner.
• Any and all legislation which improves our state’s public education system by expanding the choices New Mexico families have in selecting the best school for their children and require state dollars for education assistance follow the student rather than being tied to an specific public school.  
• Any and all legislation that would prohibit the teaching of any component of critical race theory in our public schools. 
• Any and all legislation to prohibit vaccine mandates and protect the privacy of any employee who has decided not to be vaccinated by prohibiting any governmental agency from requesting vaccination records from employers.
• Any and all legislation to codify past and current executive orders to lessen the regulatory burden on small businesses and require state departments and agencies to grant reciprocity rights for licenses and certificates of trained professionals and trades people issued by other states.
• Any and all legislation to place a time limit on any public health emergency declared by the Governor and require the Governor to call the Legislature into a special session so that the circumstances of the emergency may be considered before the Governor’s declaration can be extended.   

House Republicans also request that the Governor and Secretary of State cease pushing their Election Code legislation that is designed to benefit Democrat candidates on the 2022 general election ballot. In their letter, House Republican leadership asserted that the out-of-touch proposal will reduce the public’s faith in the electoral process. Until honest bipartisan discussions on changes to the Election Code occur, House Republicans cannot support or request that the Governor add this topic to the call of the Legislature. 

The House Republican Caucus Leadership is hopeful that in an election year, and with the eyes of voters watching, that the Governor will adhere to a fair and transparent legislative session that includes vigorous bipartisan debate on the failures and missed opportunities from the past three years.

The letter from House Republican Leadership to the Governor is attached to this release.

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