As the legislature met for the first day of the 2024 session, and heard a sweeping State of the State address from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, some Democratic and Republican lawmakers also laid out their priorities.
The parties diverge from each other sharply on issues like education, gun control and regulation of the fossil fuel industry, and there are even inter-party differences of opinion on some spending priorities, but there may be common ground on some public safety issues.
After a speech in which the governor called for action on gun crime, and touted new manufacturing projects and investment in education, Senator Craig Brandt (R-Sandoval) criticized the legislature for spending excessively.
"Let's be frank, right now, public education is, unfortunately, some of our most wasted dollars in the state when we look at the product we're getting," he said. "And the worst thing is that product is our children."
A budget proposal put forward by the governor calls for $4.5 billion spending on public education, the largest chunk of a record-breaking proposal as the oil and gas industry fuels a surplus of cash.
Sen. Brandt said that New Mexico's children have the lowest reading and math levels in the nation, and called for options beyond the public education system.
House Democrats, however, called for continued and expanded spending on education. House Speaker Javier Martínez told reporters that change takes time.
"These are generational issues," he said. "And by putting in more dollars into a system today doesn't mean you're going to see results today. That's why we've made historic investments."
Rep. Nathan Small (D-Doña Ana) then recommended more spending on early childhood education, and a continuation of last year's pay increases for teachers.
But there are some things members of the two parties have been working together on, said Sen. Greg Baca (R-Bernalillo).
Last week, the Governor issued a list of 21 initiatives designed to improve public safety. Republican senators said they had worked with her office on some of those issues like a proposed change in the way pretrial detention is used, making it more likely a person charged with a violent crime would be held before their trial.
Sen. Brandt also said that he had met with Attorney General Raúl Torrez ahead of pre-filing legislation, which would expand crimes that can be considered conspiracy to include human trafficking and sexual exploitation among several other charges.
Speaker Martínez said that public safety is a key issue for House Democrats, and spoke about Albuquerque's International District.
"The level of despair in that community is hard to see," he said. "The level of addiction, the level of hopelessness on the streets is hard to see. So, as a House, as Democrats, we are continuing to be laser focused on solutions to those problems."
However, he stopped short of full support for the Governor's list of public safety proposals, which also includes a ban on panhandling.
"Whether or not our caucus will solidly stand behind all 21 proposals, we shall see," he said.
