Legislators: Budget cuts not enough

The New Mexico Legislature trimmed about $600 million from a cash-strapped state budget during a special session last week, but a state senator and state representative whose districts include Quay County said the reductions weren’t big enough.

State Sen. Pat Woods (R-Broadview), whose district includes much of Quay County, said he voted against the new budget bill despite it having deeper cuts than the $450 million reduction proposed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. The bill passed in the Senate 30-12, and it was sent to the governor. The state faces at least a $2 billion shortfall in revenue because of a coronavirus-fueled recession and an oil price war.

“I voted against the budget because I didn’t think they cut enough,” Woods said by phone Sunday. “We still are faced with over a billion-dollar deficit unless a miracle happens and all of a sudden businesses take off and oil starts coming back. But that’s nearly impossible to do in a six-month period” before the Legislature reconvenes early next year.

“We are in a hell of a shape,” he added. “We’ve cut everybody, but I don’t think we’ve cut enough.”

State Rep. Jack Chatfield (R-Mosquero), whose District 67 encompasses Quay, Harding and Union counties and part of San Miguel, Curry and Colfax counties, also voted against the budget bill and said the spending reductions weren’t enough.

“We’re just kicking the can down the road,” Chatfield said by phone Sunday from Santa Fe, as the House of Representatives will have to finish its work on several bills this week. “We didn’t really reduced spending; we reduced the increases. The tough decisions are coming next January. I fear this bill sets us up for an even worse crisis.”

Instead of a $7.6 billion budget approved early this year, it’s now $7 billion — about a 1% increase in spending from the previous fiscal year. The new budget includes a 4% spending cut for all state agencies. A 4% pay raise originally allocated to teachers was trimmed to 1% — just enough to cover health-insurance cost increases. The Legislature also dipped into cash reserves and federal COVID-19 relief funds and reallocated some money in an effort to make up the shortfall.

Woods said he would have cut $300 million from the early childhood education fund because the COVID-19 pandemic likely will make such programs moot this fall.

“Let’s face it: According to the governor, we’re all going to still be locked up in the house. We’re not supposed to send those kids out (to school). Why would we keep that in the budget if we weren’t planning to use it?”

Woods indicated bigger budget cuts are inevitable when the Legislature meets again for its regular session in early 2021. He cited Tucumcari’s economy as an example of why.

“We don’t expect revenues to go up a hell of a lot in Tucumcari unless we get the tourist trade back,” he said. “Santa Fe is dying; they’re talking about $100 million shortfall in Santa Fe alone that they’re down on gross receipts.”

Woods said some lawmakers wanted to have the session done virtually, but a two-hour internet outage at one point showed that is unworkable.

“We’re not there yet” with the technology, he said.

The state Senate also approved a bill that would set up a commission to re-examine “qualified immunity” that makes it harder to prosecute police or other public officials in misconduct cases. Woods voted against that bill.

“That was one that was really huge to me,” he said. “One day, we’re going to have trouble finding policemen. Anytime you have attorneys write bills for the benefit to prosecute someone, at least have input from the other side.”

Chatfield, who also opposed that bill, said it would make it easier for police officers to be individually sued.

“I support law enforcement 110%,” he said. “I think they’re overworked and underpaid. We have families depending on them, and their wives and children never know when they leave the house if they’ll come back.

“If we pull back our support for them, it’s offensive. Once in a while there may be a bad one, but we have very clear means to deal with that already in place.”

Also approved was a bill that would allow county clerks to send absentee-ballot applications to registered voters for the upcoming general election. Chatfield opposed it.

“I think it opens the door to massive fraud and ballot harvesting,” he said. “I fear for the integrity of the election process.”

The state House also approved bills Monday about requiring police to wear body cameras and a COVID-19 loan bill for small businesses and local governments before adjourning.