Political knives being sharpened even before special session is set
SANTA FE – Gov. Susana Martinez has yet to set a date for a special legislative session to deal with a $589 million budget shortfall for the current and just-ended fiscal years, but political barbs are being sharpened.
One left-leaning nonprofit organization, the Center for Civic Policy, recently launched radio ads that urge lawmakers to roll back 2013 corporate income tax cuts to help balance the budget, while a pro-Republican political committee, Advance New Mexico Now, warned in a social media posting that Democrats are in a “precarious political position” heading into a possible special session.
Amid the knife sharpening, majority Senate Democrats have called on Martinez in recent days to come forward with a budget-balancing blueprint, with Senate Finance Committee Chairman John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, saying, “I think from a leadership standpoint, they have a responsibility to come up with a plan.”
“We are anxious to hear the governor’s suggestion on how to resolve this matter – and we have heard nothing,” Senate Majority Whip Michael Padilla, D-Albuquerque, told the Journal this week.
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