New Mexico State Legislature Convenes Hybrid Floor Sessions
Capitol hallways and hearing rooms which normally would be bustling with activity by this time in a 60-day session were empty Tuesday, aside from a rare sighting of a staff member or New Mexico State Police officer. by Robert Nott and Daniel J. Chacon, The Santa Fe New Mexican / February 3, 2021 The New Mexico House of Representatives chambers. Shutterstock/Nagel Photography
(TNS) Two weeks into the 2021 New Mexico legislative session, it looks like no one is home at the state
Capitol.
The hallways and hearing rooms which normally would be bustling with activity by this time in a 60-day session were empty Tuesday, aside from the rare sighting of a staff member or
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.