NM governor to call special session focused on crime

New Mexico lawmakers will be called up to Santa Fe this summer to consider bills related to criminal competency, gun charges and panhandling, a high-ranking lawmaker said.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will call the New Mexico Legislature into a special session on Thursday, July 18, her office announced in a news release on Wednesday morning.

Lujan Grisham said she will call the special session “to allow lawmakers to finish what they started” during the regular session that ended in February.

Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe) said in a news release on Wednesday afternoon talks between Lujan Grisham and legislative leadership have so far focused on bills that didn’t pass during the 30-day session.

Wirth said failed proposals related to gun safety and pre-trial detention will not be heard until the 2025 Legislature, which meets for 60 days.

He said debate in July will focus on legislation that required more legal review, “namely: criminal competency, felon in possession of a firearm and panhandling.”

“In the next several months, we will also focus on finding ways to expand the critical safety net of mental health and treatment services that are vital to the success of the legislation that will be considered,” Wirth said.

While details on the proposals remain short for now, Jodi McGinnis Porter, a spokesperson for Lujan Grisham, said the goal of the competency proposal is to address a shortfall in mental health treatment.

“We’re committed to reforming mental health laws and services for criminal and civil competency,” McGinnis Porter said.

The special session is expected to last several days, Lujan Grisham said, based on her discussions with leadership in the House and Senate.

While lawmakers made some progress on criminal legal policy during the 30-day session, “we agree that we must do more,” she said.

Wirth said the governor’s announcement ahead of the special session’s start date “gives us enough time to find consensus public safety legislation that can pass both chambers.”

Since the regular session ended, Lujan Grisham signed into law all but one of the 17 bills related to crime, policing, prisons and public safety, which passed both chambers. The only exception, Senate Bill 175, would have set aside $35 million to recruit state and local police officers, prison guards, and probation and parole officers.

Here are the crime bills NM lawmakers passed in the 2024 regular session

Legislators increased budgets in the upcoming fiscal year for almost all the state agencies dealing with criminal justice, public safety, courts and police, according to a post-session review published this month by the Legislative Finance Committee. Lawmakers gave raises to the New Mexico State Police and set aside money to improve services for crime victims and reduce recidivism, LFC analysts found.

In July, state lawmakers will consider new proposals for reducing “danger and risk” in the state, the governor said. “I welcome input from my colleagues in the Legislature.”

House Judiciary Committee Chair Christine Chandler (D- Los Alamos) said Wednesday she hasn’t seen any policy proposals yet but she expects more conversations with the governor’s office in the coming weeks.

“As the Governor has mentioned publicly, one of her main priorities would be to address public safety concerns raised by behavioral health and substance use issues in our state,” Chandler said.

House Speaker Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque), Majority Floor Leader Gail Chasey (D-Albuquerque), Majority Whip Reena Szczepanski (D-Santa Fe), and Majority Caucus Chair Ray Lara (D-Chamberino) issued a joint statement saying they share Lujan Grisham’s “commitment to ensuring all New Mexicans can feel safe in their homes and communities.”

“We also want all of our neighbors to be able to get the help they need when they or a loved one are struggling with mental or behavioral health issues,” they said. “In order to be responsible public servants and stewards of taxpayer dollars, we must enter the special session with a set of achievable goals that will genuinely make our communities safer, improve access to healthcare and services, and protect the rights of New Mexicans.”

Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque) and Senate Judiciary Chair Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces) were not immediately available for comment on Wednesday.

This is a developing story and will be updated as we receive more information.