Legislature: Governor to squeeze in special session

August date could prove problematic for lawmakers

Kate Nash | The New Mexican

7/21/2008 - 7/22/08

Lawmakers who head to Santa Fe for the special session starting Aug. 15 have plenty to think about, including health care reform and tax rebates to help with rising gas prices.

But the just-announced timing of the session has added one more question: Can they get all their work done before hotels are booked solid for Indian Market in late August?

"If you can't get rooms, maybe we should delay this thing until the train comes," joked Senate President Pro Tem Tim Jennings, referring to the commuter train from Albuquerque to Santa Fe slated to start in December.

The timing, however, isn't too funny for lawmakers on a per diem budget of about $140. The availability of rooms no doubt will shrink as Indian Market, scheduled for Aug. 23-24, approaches. Tourism officials have said the week leading up to the market is the busiest of the year.

Gov. Bill Richardson on Monday chose the 15th as the starting date. Richardson didn't estimate how long the session would last, but by law it could go as long as 30 days. It's a good bet he wants lawmakers to get their work done before too long: The Democratic National Convention in Denver starts Aug. 25.

Any move by him to attend the convention while state lawmakers are in session could cause friction. Already, Sen. John Arthur Smith, a Deming Democrat, said he expects Richardson to be in Santa Fe if lawmakers are.

"I fully expect the chief executive to be in the state the whole time," Smith said. "He's getting paid and we're a citizen Legislature."

Not all lawmakers stay in hotels; some bunk with friends and family while a handful in the past have stayed in recreational vehicles parked around the city.

Richardson wants the Legislature to consider a $211 million relief package for residents shelling out record cash for gas and food. In addition, he wants lawmakers to reconsider his plans to reform the state's health insurance industry and cover 400,000 New Mexicans without insurance.

Contact Kate Nash at 986-3036 or knash@sfnewmexican.com. Read her blog, Green Chile Chatter, at www.santafenewmexican.com.