What’s at stake in the 2024 legislative session
Rep. Jim Townsend
Very soon, this coming January, State Representatives and Senators will head to Santa Fe to represent their respective Districts in the 2024 legislative session. This year, and every even-numbered year, Legislators are directed by our Constitution to direct their attention to our State Budget for a thirty day session.
In even numbered years we look at the budget and in odd numbered years we look at anything and everything–hence the odd numbered years have a longer sixty day session.
New Mexico is awash in money thanks in large part to our oil and gas industry. I have said this on the House Floor and I will say it again: “we now have more dollars than sense.” Our tax base has grown by $3.5 billion for each of the last two budget cycles. On top of that, our reserves have grown, and I understand that the Legislative Finance Committee is recommending that we draw down reserves from approximately 52% to 30%, increasing our new money from $3.5 billion to about $5.2 billion. Therefore, we will have about $5.2 billion more available than in last year’s budget.
That is absolutely amazing.
In a nutshell, at least to me, that means that we are taxing our constituents at a higher rate than the state actually needs. The Legislature should not be required to spend every tax dollar. We should spend what is needed to provide infrastructure, safety, and education, with a solid reserve for emergencies and market fluctuations. Anything else is beyond the scope of government.
However, too many Governors and Legislators believe we are required to spend it all because they know better than taxpayers as to how it should be spent. (In fact, they think they know better than the taxpayers about how we all ought to live our lives.) I suggest we try a novel idea: return the excess to the people that created the wealth, the New Mexico taxpayers. I think the families of New Mexico deserve that opportunity and that benefit. If we don’t do that, we should at least begin paying down our debt which will reduce our costs in the future.
But with that said, this is a Legislative Session followed by an election year and we have a Governor that I am sure would win the “Governors Gone Wild” competition should one begin. Apparently, she plans to introduce numerous “gun bills” (waiting periods for guns and ammo, magazine capacity, and who knows what else), even more attacks on parental rights, more mandatory education days trapping children in New Mexico’s failing schools, and will eliminate the ability of some districts from utilizing four day school weeks. She apparently will not even allow schools that have demonstrated high performance from continuing to utilize their four day school plan.
Let me be clear: she wants to punish the schools that are doing well by making them do what the failing schools are doing.
At some point in New Mexico we must start using sound public policy and a dose of common sense if we want to succeed–but common sense doesn’t get you Washington political appointments, which is what this is really all about.
Last year, for the first time, a deal was struck someplace between the Tax Committees and the Governor’s office that one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) would be siphoned out of the State coffers without explanation and debate to New Mexico Tribal Communities. No one, including myself, would say that the needs of those communities should not be addressed, and I am not today. What I am saying is that there are processes and procedures that should be followed, and back room deals between two chairman and the Governor cause much concern. No one gains credibility for the expenditure when they don’t itemize and debate the need. When I questioned this on the House Floor I was told it was for “reparations.”
That’s not the proper manner and it sure was not a proper response. Capital Outlay is typically split one-third to the Governor, one-third to the House of Representatives and one-third to the New Mexico Senate. Taking $100,000,000 off the top effectively reduced every House District by approximately $476,185 and each Senate District by $793,571.
This is a dangerous precedent. It’s yet another example of executive overreach without any proper procedure. And when you question the Queen, you are dismissed at best and attacked at worst. If the Governor wants to take $100,000,000 of her own Capital Outlay and apply it to that project, she certainly has every right to do that.
Next year New Mexico has the unique opportunity with this amazing income and cash flow to do great things. We should address infrastructure issues like roads, bridges, and water and sewer systems. We should think about mental health and broadband systems that make sense, utilizing current capabilities with local suppliers. We should reduce debt and plan for the future, and not waste it. This opportunity can be the precipice we launch from or fall from … it is the people’s choice.
N.M. Rep. Jim Townsend, R-Artesia, represents District 54 in the N.M. House.
