New Mexico Legislature 2020 preview: Legal marijuana, tuition-free college, red-flag gun laws

LAS CRUCES - A new legislative session is once again upon New Mexico as lawmakers make their way to Santa Fe to prepare for this year's 30-day session.

Per the state constitution, on even-numbered years the legislature meets for 30 days beginning the third Tuesday of January. Regular sessions, occurring on odd-numbered years, last 60 days. The shorter sessions are limited to budget and appropriations, although lawmakers may request that the governor add other items to the agenda.

Legislators had until Friday to prefile legislation, and on Wednesday Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced her agenda, or "legislative call." Much of the agenda was foreshadowed when the governor released her $7.68 billion budget proposal on Jan 6.

Here are some of the major issues you can expect to hear about during the session.

Legalizing cannabis

When the legislature convenes, Lujan Grisham's administration will once again make a push to legalize recreational cannabis. While medical cannabis has been legal in New Mexico since 2007, and the state's agriculture department began licensing hemp production at the end of 2018, previous efforts to legalize cannabis for recreational use have not prevailed at the roundhouse.

A new bill to legalize marijuana for adult use and sale was prefiled on Thursday. The governor maintains that New Mexico would benefit from new jobs and high revenue but lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, as well as some leaders in Las Cruces, remain wary.

Free college?

A plan by the governor called the Opportunity Scholarship would effectively make New Mexico state colleges and universities tuition-free for eligible in-state residents. Lujan Grisham has asked for a $35 million appropriation to provide "last-dollar" assistance covering tuition costs remaining after federal grants or the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship.

While no bill had been filed as of Thursday, state Rep. Tomás E. Salazar, D-Las Vegas, is expected to sponsor the legislation.

Red-flag gun bill

Another one of the governor's priorities: getting guns out of the hands of at-risk people. The Extreme Risk Protection bill, unveiled by Lujan Grisham in Las Cruces on Jan. 8, would allow a law enforcement officer or family member to petition a judge to have someone's firearms taken away temporarily if it's determined they pose a threat to themselves or others.

A similar "red-flag" bill passed the House last session but stalled in the Senate. The new proposal has elicited outrage from sheriffs across the state, reviving a controversy that inspired several counties to declare themselves "second amendment sanctuaries" last year, granting sheriffs wide discretion over enforcement of gun control laws.

Early childhood fund

House Bill 83 would allocate $320 million to kick-start a new reserve fund for early childhood education and care. The bill states that in subsequent years the money for the fund will be sourced from oil and gas tax revenue and federal mineral lease revenue, when those revenues meet a required threshold.

Lawmakers have expressed concern about the sustainability of funding given the volatility of revenues from the oil and gas sector. Despite the current boom in production in the Permian basin, memories of recent downturns and their budget impacts remain fresh.

The bill was prefiled in December and is sponsored by Rep. Doreen Gallegos, D-Las Cruces, and state Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming.

Other things to watch

Rep. Micaela Lara Cadena, D-Las Cruces, is a cosponsor of two prefiled bills. Senate Bill 54 aims at expanding community mental health services for adults and youth, while House Bill 100 charges the New Mexico Health Exchange with offering standardized health plans, and calls on the agency to conduct an impact study and report to legislative committees and the governor in 2022.

Gallegos has pledged to renew the tax-free Small Business Saturday, occurring the Saturday following Thanksgiving, and make it a mainstay in New Mexico.

Lujan Grisham's budget includes a $25 million investment for services to New Mexico's senior citizens, in honor of state Rep. Henry "Kiki" Saavedra, an Albuquerque Democrat who died last year at age 82. Saavedra, who left office in 2014 after 38 years at the roundhouse, had struggled with Alzheimer's disease.

Michael McDevitt can be reached at 575-202-3205, mmcdevitt@lcsun-news.com or @MikeMcDTweets on Twitter. Algernon D'Ammassa can be reached at 575-541-5451, adammassa@lcsun-news.com or @AlgernonWrites on Twitter.

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