Driver's licenses

Issue: Gov. Susana Martinez vowed during her election campaign last year to repeal a 2003 law that allows noncitizens to get New Mexico driver's licenses.

Background: New Mexico is one of three states that allow foreign nationals, including undocumented immigrants, to obtain driver's licenses. The others are Washington and Utah, though Utah driver's permits aren't supposed to be used as government identification. The New Mexico House of Representatives approved a bill during the 2011 regular session to stop licensing applicants without Social Security numbers. The Senate voted to keep authorizing the licenses, albeit with provisions aimed at keeping better tabs on who has them. The idea died when the two chambers couldn't agree on a bill and time ran out.

Prospects: Long shot to no shot.

Social promotion

Issue: The governor wants to end social promotion of students from the third grade to fourth grade. Potentially, thousands of third-graders who lack sufficient reading proficiency would be held back. Martinez and her education secretary stress that the state would provide data to school districts that show which students need help in improving their reading. They also say the state can access at least $150 million in state and federal funds to create intervention programs to ensure challenged students get support as early as kindergarten.

Background: This proposal died during the 2011 regular legislative session on the final day. It passed the House but was not heard on the Senate floor due to opposition by Senate leaders.

Prospects: Long shot.

Unemployment benefits

Issue: Martinez and state lawmakers will try to agree on how to keep the state unemployment fund solvent.

Background: Martinez vetoed a business tax in a bill passed during the regular session that would have generated $128 million to shore up the state's unemployment fund. At the same time, she left untouched a provision that reduced unemployment benefits by $80 million. Lawmakers asked the state Supreme Court to overturn the governor's veto. But the court said the governor and Legislature have time to work out a deal before the fund runs out of money.

Prospects: Good shot.

Capital outlay

Issue: At the end of this year's regular session, a bill that died on the Senate floor would have appropriated $237 million to pay for everything from replacement vehicles for high-mileage school buses to $2 million in renovations at the Runnels Building in the South Capitol Complex. Known as the capital-outlay bill, the legislation also had dollars for New Mexico senior centers, including two in Santa Fe County.

Background: The bill died in the final minutes of the regular legislative session due to warring among several lawmakers involved in a political spat.

Prospects: Good shot

High-wage tax credit fix

Issue: This bill would change the way a high-wage tax credit is calculated for qualifying businesses.

Background: In 2004, the state instituted a high-wage tax credit, allowing employers to claim a tax exemption based on wages and benefits for certain high-wage employees. Last year, however, the Taxation and Revenue Department discovered a loophole in the wording of the legislation that would exclude some employee benefits from the calculation for determining a high-wage job.

Prospects: Good shot.

Food-stamp funding

Issue: Martinez wants legislators to approve $450,000 to augment federal dollars that pay for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. The state money would help around 4,000 low-income, elderly and disabled New Mexicans. The state covers extra payments to ensure that eligible New Mexicans get at least $25 a month in food-stamp assistance. The minimum federal benefit is $16 a month.

Background: Martinez had requested $650,000 in supplemental assistance for the state budget year that started July 1, but the Legislature cut it from the state budget plan. In response, Martinez diverted federal stimulus dollars to pay for the assistance.

Prospects: Good shot.

Highway maintenance

Issue: The governor is expected to ask lawmakers for $41 million to maintain roads around the state.

Background: In announcing her intention to seek this money during the special session, the administration noted that debt service for establishing the Rail Runner Express passenger train operation accounts for about 11 percent of the money in the state road fund, and said highway maintenance has suffered. The request will be part of a larger bill to fund brick-and-mortar spending around the state.

Prospects: Good shot. While there may be some bickering about the cost of other projects, expect the road-maintenance money to pass, given that lawmakers recognize the road-maintenance shortfall and the wish to generate jobs.

Fireworks restrictions

Issue: Martinez and legislators from both parties want to give state and local governments more authority to ban all fireworks during extreme drought conditions. Currently, local governments can only ban the sale and use of certain fireworks — firecrackers and aerial fireworks, such as bottle rockets. During certain drought conditions, local governments can restrict but not prohibit less-hazardous fireworks such as cones and fountains.

Background: Discussion of stricter fireworks controls spread like wildfire as massive forest fires and high-risk conditions gripped New Mexico earlier this summer. The bill has bipartisan support, including from the mayors of both Santa Fe and Albuquerque. The biggest obstacle might be if lawmakers feel overwhelmed by the length of the agenda for the special session and decide to hold off on this until the regular session early next year. As one former lobbyist for a fireworks company recently said, "January comes before July, so there's no emergency."

Prospects: Good shot, but no slam dunk.

In-state preference

Issue: Martinez backs a bipartisan bill that would tighten a program that gives a 5 percent advantage to New Mexico businesses seeking contract work with the state. Backers say the current system has been abused by out-of-state companies that only meet New Mexico tax residency requirements on a short-term basis before bidding on state contracts. The requirements, backers say, need to be strengthened to make sure tax dollars go to New Mexicans.

Background: The Legislature this year overwhelmingly passed such a bill, sponsored by Sen. Tim Keller, D-Albuquerque, and Rep. Larry Larrañaga, R-Albuquerque. But Martinez vetoed it, saying there was a drafting error.

Prospects: Good shot

Jerome Block Jr.

Issue: With Public Regulation Commissioner Jerome Block Jr. rejecting bipartisan calls for him to resign in the wake of various scandals, including reported misuse of state gasoline credit cards, House of Representatives members from both sides of the aisle have called for initiating an investigation into possible impeachment.

Background: House Speaker Ben Luján, D-Nambé, has agreed to appoint a committee to look at possible impeachment proceedings. However, it's uncertain when such proceedings would happen. Some legislators, including Rep. Nate Gentry, R-Albuquerque, want to do that during the special session. Gov. Martinez said last week that she thinks the impeachment should happen as soon as possible. But Luján has said the actual proceedings should occur later, possibly during an extraordinary session called by the Legislature.

Prospects: Long shot that impeachment proceedings would take place during special session.