Gov. Lujan Grisham, undeterred by disruptions, lays out big agenda for short session

Jan. 16—Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham laid out an ambitious agenda for this year's 30-day legislative session that includes a slew of new gun control laws and more money for health care, education, infrastructure and housing.

Much of the governor's hourlong State of the State address Tuesday was focused on ideas she unveiled earlier this month, either in her budget proposal or in a package of public safety-related bills she released last week.

The governor went off script several times, though, when her speech was interrupted by chants from the House gallery by climate change and pro-Palestinian activists.

After the first interruption by members of the group known as YUCCA — Youth United for Climate Crisis Action — Lujan Grisham said she hoped the protesters would be happier when she got to the part of her speech on climate change and that it takes courage for young people to voice their opinions like that.

"This is a state and this is a country that protects people who do not share your exact opinion, and I'm very proud of that," she said.

After the second interruption, Lujan Grisham called on lawmakers to "do a round of applause, even though it's a disruption. The world is complicated."

After the third interruption, Lujan Grisham said New Mexico is a "clean energy leader" due to her policies. In her speech, she highlighted her support for electric cars and policies cutting oil and gas pollution.

"As long as I'm governor, we're going to keep following that path," she said.

Zephyr Jaramillo, campaign organizer for YUCCA, said the group "snuck" about 100 people into the gallery ahead of the governor's speech. Members of the group removed layers of clothing during three separate outbursts to reveal T-shirts with slogans such as "real climate action now" and "defend the sacred."

"The message that we're trying to deliver to the governor and lawmakers right now is that we elected them to represent us," Jaramillo said. "They work for us, not industry, and right now they are not acting like it. We need courageous leadership."

Jaramillo said protesters also wanted to bring light to the "genocide" in Gaza amid a monthslong war between Israel and Hamas.

"We will absolutely not allow New Mexico to continue to arm the war machine," they said. "We do not want New Mexico to fuel the climate crisis, and the people want peace and justice everywhere, so we ask that folks stand up for a cease-fire, and we ask that they stand up for an economy that's based on life and not death."

Rep. John Block, R-Alamogordo, called the protesters "insurrectionists" who should've been arrested.

"That's what they call anyone else who barges in a capitol building and starts harassing and attacking the procedure of the day," he said.

"If I was governor, they would be in chains," added Block, a supporter of former President Donald Trump who was in Washington, D.C., during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Despite the disruptions, several people who attended the governor's speech lauded her legislative agenda, particularly her gun violence prevention efforts.

Richelle Montoya, vice president of the Navajo Nation, said she supported the governor's push to ban assault weapons.

"We have a right to protect ourselves with weapons, guns," she said, adding the Navajo Nation is isolated and far from law enforcement.

"My issue is the automatic weapons. We don't need that out there. We can hunt, and we can protect our homes, but I think that's as far as that should go," Montoya said.

During the speech, Lujan Grisham repeated her support for numerous anti-crime and gun control measures, including the assault weapons ban, as well as a 14-day waiting period to buy a gun, mandatory treatment for some drug offenders, cracking down on panhandling and making it easier to jail violent offenders as they await their trial.

"No responsible gun owner should be punished or prevented from exercising their rights — and no child should ever be put in danger by a weapon of war, especially one wielded by a person who can't pass a background check, or can't wait two weeks to get a firearm," she said. "Any gun in the wrong hands is an untenable risk that we can't afford."

Cindy Benedict, a Rio Rancho resident and volunteer with gun control advocacy group Moms Demand Action, said the governor's gun control measures are common sense.

"We were very, very pleased to hear that she wants to do the [longer] waiting period and she wants to increase the minimum age ... and proposals of what we do with weapons of war," Benedict said, adding she also supports the governor's goal to strengthen the state's so-called "red flag" gun law that allows for the temporary seizure of guns from people who pose a risk to themselves or others.

Benedict said Moms Demand Action isn't against gun ownership.

"I believe ... we're trying to come up with solutions," she said. "We're not grandstanding."

On infrastructure, Lujan Grisham called for $100 million for a matching fund to help local communities get as much federal money as possible, and another $55 million to expand the state's electric vehicle charging network.

She reiterated her desire for another $500 million for low-interest loans for developers and expanded homebuying programs and threw her support behind creating a state Office of Housing.

State funding for housing development should be contingent on local governments instituting "zoning and permitting requirements that meet national best practices," she said.

"Nobody should be prevented from building vital housing, and nobody should be shut out of a place to live because of outdated and overlapping regulations," Lujan Grisham said.

Maddy Hayden, the governor's spokeswoman, wrote in an email the administration hopes to create the new requirements through rule making and changes to the Enterprise Opportunity Revolving Fund. The executive budget recommendation includes $250 million for the fund.

"That said, we would be open to legislative proposals creating those requirements as well," Hayden wrote.

Lujan Grisham reiterated her support for a 180-day school year, which has been controversial in some rural districts, in particular, that have four-day school weeks, and said lawmakers should fund it.

"We've seen the proven effectiveness of more time in class," she said. "It's time to do the right thing for our kids."

The governor said she is calling for $30 million to build a statewide literacy institute and another $30 million to support free literacy summer programs for 10,000 students who need to catch up to grade level.

"Every student — and frankly, every New Mexican — should be given the opportunity to learn to read to the best of their ability," she said.

As a former middle school teacher, Sen. Leo Jaramillo, D-Española, said he was happy to hear the governor ask the Legislature to invest in an institute focused on improving literacy skills for New Mexicans of all ages.

"This is a major step in ensuring that every child in New Mexico can read proficiently at their grade level and one that I support," he said.

Lujan Grisham also said the state needs to ensure school districts are accountable for their results.

Santa Fe Public Schools Superintendent Hilario "Larry" Chavez lauded the governor's commitment to education.

"She wants outcomes, as do we," he said. "We want a return on investment, so we'll continue the good effort and continue to try to improve efforts on behalf of the school district. But also, at the end of the day, it's about those students. We want the best for all students, so that includes outcomes, that includes high-quality material and quality instruction."

Chavez said Lujan Grisham's commitment to tackling gun violence is a direct contributor to student outcomes.

"They need to feel safe, and they need to feel welcome at their place of schooling," he said.

The governor she wants more money for Medicaid and rural health care and a new hospital provider tax, which she said would bring in another $1.5 billion to $2 billion, "shoring up our health care delivery system without costing patients or providers a dime."

She also called on lawmakers to finish work on the state Health Care Authority that was created last year to replace the Human Services Department.

"New Mexicans should never have their lives or livelihoods threatened by insurance companies that are more determined to make a dollar than a difference," she said.

While the governor outlined her priorities for the session, she also touted the state's accomplishments during her tenure, from job and wage growth to the creation of the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund to fund conservation programs.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth of Santa Fe said in a statement it was good to hear what the governor and Legislature have accomplished together over the last six years.

"Our economy is strong and the future is looking bright, but we still have a lot to do," he said. "The governor's agenda is an ambitious one for a 30-day session, especially as we tackle a budget with revenue projections unlike anything this Legislature has ever seen. But the issues she outlined, including housing, rural health care needs, clean energy and gun safety are all important topics we cannot afford to wait to address."

State Auditor Joseph Maestas said the governor "breaks the mold when it comes to traditional budget sessions," such as by taking on issues like gun safety.

"It's a 30-day session; there's a 15-day cutoff for introducing new legislation, so it's going to be hectic," he said.

Staff writers Robert Nott and Gabrielle Porter contributed to this report.