These New Mexico lawmakers were named to head legislative committees Walter Rubel, Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative
LAS CRUCES – Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, has been named chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, replacing longtime leader John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, who was defeated in the Democratic primary last year.
Muñoz survived his own primary challenge last year, and went on to win re-election to his fourth term. He had been serving as the committee’s vice chairman.
The Finance Committee takes the lead in drafting the annual budget, and typically has the final say on any spending bills before they get to the Senate floor. New senators Crystal Diamond, R-Truth or Consequences, and Siah Correa Hemphill, D-Silver City, were both named as committee members, as were southern New Mexico senators Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces and William Burt, R-Alamogordo.
LAS CRUCES - Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham broke with tradition and dispensed with the annual state of the state address Tuesday, Jan. 19, on the opening day of the New Mexico Legislature’s 60-day session amid concerns for both COVID-19 and potential civil disruptions.
But her to-do list for lawmakers is no secret. These are the governor’s top priorities for this year’s session, and the legislation that has been introduced to achieve them: Expand the Small Business Recovery Act passed in the June special session by providing an additional $100 million in federal funding for small business grants.
No bill filed yet. The bill passed last June provided $400 million from the Severance Tax Fund to provide loans for small businesses, but many business owners were reluctant to take on additional debt. The new bill will provide $100 million for grants. Sen. Cliff Pirtle, R-Roswell, has pre-filed a separate bill to provide tax credits and a new fund to assist small businesses.
Credit Sen. George Munoz, D-Gallup LAS CRUCES - Sen. George Munoz, D-Gallup, has been named chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, replacing longtime leader John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, who was defeated in the Democratic primary last year.
Munoz survived his own primary challenge last year, and went on to win re-election to his fourth term. He had been serving as the committee’s vice chairman.
The Finance Committee takes the lead in drafting the annual budget, and typically has the final say on any spending bills before they get to the Senate floor. New senators Crystal Diamond, R-Truth or Consequences, and Siah Correa Hemphill, D-Silver City, were both named as committee members, as were southern New Mexico senators Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces and William Burt, R-Alamogordo.
January 20, 2021 Correa Hemphill’s finance appointment key for region, Morales says - Lt. Gov: 2021 ‘a year unlike any other’ at Roundhouse
(Photo Courtesy of N.M. Senate Staff)
Newly sworn-in District 28 state Sen. Siah Correa Hemphill signs the official Senate roster of the 55th legislative session in Santa Fe on Tuesday.
As a Silver City native and former District 28 state senator, Lt. Gov. Howie Morales remains interested in the concerns of southwest New Mexico but in his official role as president of the state Senate, Morales has the interests of the entire state at heart. The Daily Press caught up with him on the first day of the 60-day legislative session in Santa Fe to ask about his thoughts on lawmaking in yet another ※year unlike any other,” as he described it.
January 19, 2021
(Courtesy Photo)
Roadblocks were up around the Capitol on Monday, including at the corner of Don Gaspar Avenue and Paseo de Peralta. Luis Sánchez Saturno/Santa Fe New Mexican
By Robert Nott
Santa Fe New Mexican
The 2021 legislative session begins Tuesday at noon, against a bizarre backdrop that’s never been contemplated, much less seen.
The Capitol building remains surrounded by fencing, concrete barriers and blocked roads. On Monday, it was guarded by state police officers and at least a dozen National Guard soldiers, who were seen patrolling the facility and manning entrance checkpoints.
The annual State of the State speech, which usually highlights the opening day of the session, is off, at least on Tuesday. A spokeswoman for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said it eventually will be delivered, “likely remotely,” due to ongoing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.