Martinez to meet with top Dems before special session
With only days left before a special session of the New Mexico Legislature convenes in Santa Fe, Gov. Susana Martinez scheduled a meeting for Friday with the three top Democrats to discuss proposals for state spending and how to pay for it during the budget year that begins July 1.
The meeting comes after months of finger-pointing between Martinez and legislators, as well as complaints from lawmakers that communication between the two sides has been scarce. Martinez in April signed a $6.1 billion budget bill that passed the Legislature earlier this year, but she set up a showdown by vetoing all funding for higher education in New Mexico as well as all money to support the legislative branch of state government.
“We meet with leadership tomorrow,” Martinez told reporters Thursday following her speech at a New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy graduation ceremony.
“We’ll be discussing the plans that they have and what we have,” she said, adding that she hopes for “a fast conclusion for a sensible, rational budget … without raising taxes on our families and small businesses.”
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