The Roundhouse in Santa Fe (Photo by Peter St. Cyr)

‘We must alter state government to operate within constitutional limits, and we must act now,’ says House Minority Whip Keith Gardner

While lawmakers in Santa Fe are starting to express frustration with limitations imposed on them by Gov. Bill Richardson’s special session proclamation, Republicans are blaming the Richardson administration for not preventing the problem in the first place.

Earlier today, a group of Republican legislators released a list of 48 budget-cutting items they say the administration can enact without any legislative action — including releasing non-violent criminals three months early, selling the state’s jet and canceling the state’s contract for a float in the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade.

“The governor has the power to approve cuts in executive agencies. If he would have taken proactive steps, we would not be spending $50,000 a day debating this problem,” House Minority Whip Keith Gardner, R-Roswell, said.

The governor’s office was quick to respond.

“The same legislators who are critical of spending during the past seven years are conveniently forgetting important details about those budgets, including the overwhelmingly support from the Legislature for each of those spending plans,” a message on the governor’s blog said.

Not all Republicans like early release idea

Saving money by releasing non-violent criminals early isn’t sitting well with all Republicans.

“We need less criminals on the street,” Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White said. “I would need to know how they define ‘non-violent criminal.’ Burglars are not classified violent, but we’re trying to take them off the street and reduce property crime in Albuquerque.”

Gardner said he would consider a burglar to be violent too, and he doesn’t agree with all the items on the list himself. He said anyone who breaks the law deserves to be punished, but he’d like to consider alternative sentencing or other forms of punishment.

“Were talking about people who make a knucklehead decision – folks who get sent to jail for contempt of court,” Gardner said.

Matt Kennicott, spokesman for the House Republicans, said the “point” of the list “is that they are ideas that the executive could have enacted to help fix the budget before calling the Legislature into special session at the rate of $50,000 per day.”

Getting the most bang for the buck

Gardner also questioned whether the New Mexico Tourism Department’s participation in the Tournament of Roses Parade, for the fourth time in five years, gives the state the most “bang for the buck.”

State Tourism Secretary Michael Cerletti has defended the state’s participation.

“It is important that the New Mexico tourism industry does everything it can to take advantage of unique opportunities to reach potential visitors,” Cerletti said. “The exposure offered New Mexico each year is significant.”

In fact, nearly 40 million Americans in 16.5 million households watch the parade on television on New Year’s day. The parade is also broadcast live in 150 countries and territories worldwide.

Putting it all on the table

Meanwhile, the fight over whether revenue-raising measures should be considered along with cuts continues. Earlier today, a group of mostly Democratic senators failed in a second attempt to get some tax-increase bills ruled germane.

“We needed to have both expenditures and revenues on the table to find a combination that would get us to a balanced budget as required by the Constitution,” Sen. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe and vice chair of the Rules Committee, said.

Wirth isn’t the only senator who feels that way.

“As legislators, our responsibility is to craft a balanced budget. To do that we need to consider all options. We cannot balance the Fiscal Year 2010 budget without somehow generating revenues. That’s why I voted for finding some of the tax measures germane in spite of the proclamation’s language – something I see as restricting our constitutional duties,”said Sen. Bernadette Sanchez, D-Albuquerque.

Sounding frustrated himself, Gardner said he wants the governor to enact cost-saving ideas now.

“We have to quit spending, and we need to decide on more than just taking baby steps here. We need long-term solutions. We have to act now, “Gardner said. “Every month we don’t act we add an additional one-twelfth tax burden, because we’ll have fewer months to recover.”

“(Richardson) has a fiduciary responsibility to help solve this problem,” Gardner said. “He wants to spend one-time dollars — the same as a cash loan — and then he hopes the problem rights itselfm if the economy improves.”

No one is making any predictions

At the conclusion of the fourth day of floor debate and caucus meetings, Gardner isn’t making any predictions when the session might adjourn.

“I want to be home by the weekend. Unfortunately, I’m not confident that we will be,” Gardner said. “If we don’t look at long-term solutions, then we could get called back into session, or we’ll be dealing with the budget problems big time in the 30-day session (in January).