January 17, 2024

Addressing public safety, education priorities for legislative leaders

Democratic and Republican House leaders discussed their priorities Tuesday, the opening day of this year’s legislative session. While the budget is the main topic of discussion in this year’s 30-day session, legislative leaders said they would discuss other issues including public safety, education and behavioral health initiatives including substance use disorder treatments, should time allow. […]

Nicole Maxwell

Democratic and Republican House leaders discussed their priorities Tuesday, the opening day of this year’s legislative session.

While the budget is the main topic of discussion in this year’s 30-day session, legislative leaders said they would discuss other issues including public safety, education and behavioral health initiatives including substance use disorder treatments, should time allow.

“We’ve got big goals for this 30-day session,” Speaker of the House Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, said. “While our primary focus is delivering a budget that works for every New Mexican, New Mexicans are still counting on us to make their communities safer.”

Martinez and other members of the legislative Democratic caucus spoke about Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s public safety package that includes more than 20 bills so far.

“It is time to keep our foot on the pedal and push for innovative ideas and bold leadership,” Martinez said. “Over the past few years, we’ve worked really hard at investing in generational change, and we’ve had some big victories for the people of New Mexico, including the constitutional right to early childhood education services, as well as tuition free college for every New Mexican.”

With Republicans, their priorities include public safety measures, supporting mental health programs, combating drug issues and reforming pretrial release. Other priorities include career-technical education programs, getting more health care workers in rural areas, fixing medical malpractice and to “see the economy grow and not the government grow,” Minority Leader Rep. T. Ryan Lane, R-Aztec, said.

“From an educational standpoint, we really have been leading the charge with regard to current tech education,” Lane said. “We’re a state where we desperately need plumbers, electricians, welders throughout our state, in metro and rural areas, and so we’re huge proponents of getting those programs up and running in our local schools.”

Career-Technical Education, or CTE, is the modern name for vocational technical classes, or vo-tech.

Republicans have also indicated they would push for public safety measures, including harsher penalties for crimes.

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