Governor’s vetoes show who she doesn’t stand for

Michael Sanchez is the Senate Majority Leader and a Democrat representing State Senate District 29. Vetoes handed out by Governor Susana Martinez at the end of the 2016 Session of the Legislature were fewer than in years past, but they singled out the most vulnerable in our state for harsher treatment than ever before. In […]

Governor’s vetoes show who she doesn’t stand for

Michael Sanchez is the Senate Majority Leader and a Democrat representing State Senate District 29.

Vetoes handed out by Governor Susana Martinez at the end of the 2016 Session of the Legislature were fewer than in years past, but they singled out the most vulnerable in our state for harsher treatment than ever before. In previous years there might have been dozens of bills that fell under the Governor’s veto ax. But this year we are talking about Native Americans in the poorest communities, small farmers in rural communities, the developmentally disabled, non-English speakers, and students from low and middle income families who were the target. Let’s look at her vetoes.

Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez speaking to reporters after the legislative session.
Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez speaking to reporters after the legislative session.

In Spanish we say, “Dime con quién andas, y te diré quién eres.” Or “Tell me who you walk with, and I’ll tell you who you are.” The reverse of the phrase is instructive as well, ‘tell me who you do not walk with, and I can tell you who you are.’ What kind of legislation drew her ire, and with whom will Gov. Martinez not walk?

First and foremost are the residents of Indian Country, especially those on the Navajo Reservation and Zuni Pueblo. Governor line-item vetoes in the capital outlay bill eliminated millions of dollars for projects slated for McKinley and Cibola counties. Vetoed Native American projects, approved unanimously by the Legislature, included such needed items as a backup generator for Zuni Pueblo’s main well, and studies to repair several old and damaged bridges. There was $75,000 to build a senior center for the remote Red Red Navajo Chapter; $30,000 to build a water well in the Baahaali Chapter, and $50,000 for improvements to utility lines in the Red Lake Chapter. The list goes on.

Gov. Martinez vetoed more than 20 Native American projects. The individual sums involved were not great, and none of the projects were luxuries. They were part of her package of capital outlay vetoes totaling $8.2 million, or 5% of all the infrastructure projects contained in HB 219. The Governor explained her actions in a critical, nine-page letter deriding the projects for these impoverished communities as “local pork,” “squandering [of] funds” and “irresponsible.”

Small and family farmers in rural northern New Mexico were the next group to feel the veto pen. She eliminated 90% of the critical funding approved by the Legislature for repairs and improvements to 25 acequias, almost $1 million in total. These projects too were relatively small in cost, but they deliver significant benefits for large numbers of families in proud, but struggling communities.

Imagine, the first acequias in New Mexico were constructed in the mid-sixteenth century by the newly arrived Spaniards together with native residents. Many of them are still in use today. They are still economically important for many agricultural villages, because they are key to irrigation and water storage for agriculture. It seems at times like the things we take the most pride in–our acequias, for example, and our traditions and history–are under constant attack by this Governor.

Students who are the children of families of modest means, yet who dream and strive to reach the middle class themselves, were another target of the veto. Bipartisan legislation to shore up declining revenues of the Lottery Scholarship fund was too much for the Governor. That fund enables thousands of students to attend college. SB 79 would have required unclaimed lottery prizes to be transferred to the Scholarship fund, adding up to $3 million more each year for student scholarships.

The decline of state lottery sales has reduced funds available for student tuition scholarships, and this measure would have alleviated the shortfall. Now our students and their families will have to pay more in tuition costs in the next school year. Some may not be able to attend college at all as a result.

The developmentally disabled and their families were another target of Gov. Martinez when she vetoed modest legislation that would have required the state to publish a brief report at the end of each year. It simply would have identified how many New Mexicans are on a waiting list for crucial services, often ten years or more.

SB 36 was passed in both the Senate and the House without a single dissenting vote, and incurred no cost to the State. The Legislature needed the bill in order to get a full view of the scope of a serious problem and to find budget opportunities to get solutions.

For the second time in as many years, the Governor vetoed an uncontroversial measure to improve court interpreter services in New Mexico. That veto put into focus her past efforts as a District Attorney to keep Spanish-speakers from serving on juries. SB 210 would have set up a new fund to be administered by the Courts for paying court translators and related expenses, but had no fiscal impact on the state. It drew the Governor’s veto despite passing without any opposition whatsoever. Unique among all states, the Constitution of New Mexico protects people who speak and read either English or Spanish.

Now we know. No anda con nosotros.

We're ad free

That means that we rely on support from readers like you. Help us keep reporting on the most important New Mexico Stories by donating today.

Related

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List, a nonprofit that supports women candidates and reproductive rights, endorsed seven incumbents facing general election opponents in New Mexico legislative elections. All…
Equality New Mexico endorses 15 legislative candidates

Equality New Mexico endorses 15 legislative candidates

A New Mexico-based LGBTQ rights organization endorsed 15 candidates for state House and Senate seats for the 2024 elections.  Marshall Martinez, executive director of…
Lujan Grisham pocket vetoes two bills

Lujan Grisham pocket vetoes two bills

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham pocket vetoed two bills the legislature passed this legislative session: one changing the Cybersecurity Act and the other concerning law…
BLM announces final methane waste rule

BLM announces final methane waste rule

The federal Bureau of Land Management announced its final methane waste rule on Wednesday. These new regulations clamp down on the practice of venting…
What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

Migrating birds appear to have caused a virus in dairy cattle that is causing reduced milk production. So far, the disease, which initially started…
Republicans seek to limit national monument designations

Republicans seek to limit national monument designations

Republican-backed legislation in the U.S. Congress would make it harder for the government to designate new national monuments. The proposed Congressional Oversight of the…
Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican The main things that bring Brayan Chavez to school every day: Seeing, talking to and engaging with…
Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican Brittany Behenna Griffith has a laundry list of adjectives to describe the ideal special education teacher:…
Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican A challenging task awaits New Mexico lawmakers in the next 30 days: Reconciling three very different…
Health workers fear it’s profits before protection as CDC revisits airborne transmission

Health workers fear it’s profits before protection as CDC revisits airborne transmission

Amy Maxmen, KFF Health News Four years after hospitals in New York City overflowed with covid-19 patients, emergency physician Sonya Stokes remains shaken by…
Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Friday $10 million in funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act was awarded to six tribal nations and…
Proposal to curb executive powers moves to House Judiciary

Proposal to curb executive powers moves to House Judiciary

The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee discussed a potential constitutional amendment that seeks to limit the governor’s executive powers. The committee approved…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…
At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

Lawyers from the conservative Christian group that won the case to overturn Roe v. Wade are returning to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in pursuit…
Supreme Court to hear two abortion cases this spring

Supreme Court to hear two abortion cases this spring

Later this month, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the case against the abortion medication mifepristone. It will hear a second…
New Mexico Medicaid to cover cost of over-the-counter oral contraception

New Mexico Medicaid to cover cost of over-the-counter oral contraception

New Mexico Medicaid announced on Wednesday that it will cover the cost of Opill, the first oral contraception approved for over-the-counter use. It is…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…
At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

Lawyers from the conservative Christian group that won the case to overturn Roe v. Wade are returning to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in pursuit…
San Juan County, Navajo Nation settle redistricting case

San Juan County, Navajo Nation settle redistricting case

The Navajo Nation and San Juan County reached an agreement Monday about commission districts after the tribe alleged that its members were not adequately…
MIT ranks NM elections most well-run in the U.S.

MIT ranks NM elections most well-run in the U.S.

New Mexico’s 2022 election was ranked most well-run in the country by Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Election Data and Science Lab’s Elections Performance Index.…
Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List, a nonprofit that supports women candidates and reproductive rights, endorsed seven incumbents facing general election opponents in New Mexico legislative elections. All…
BLM announces final methane waste rule

BLM announces final methane waste rule

The federal Bureau of Land Management announced its final methane waste rule on Wednesday. These new regulations clamp down on the practice of venting…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…
What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

Migrating birds appear to have caused a virus in dairy cattle that is causing reduced milk production. So far, the disease, which initially started…

GET INVOLVED

© 2023 New Mexico Political Report