Governor rebuffs bill to overhaul Game Commission

Apr. 8—Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declined to sign a bipartisan bill Friday that would have revamped the state Game Commission's makeup and the process for picking and removing members.

Although the pocket veto isn't surprising because it would have limited the governor's power, Rep. Matthew McQueen, D-Galisteo, said it's still disappointing because the commission, which oversees wildlife conservation plus hunting and fishing regulations in the state, is struggling.

"If the solution wasn't acceptable to the governor, I hope she comes forward with her own solution. What's currently happening isn't working well for the agency or the state," McQueen said.

McQueen and Sen. Crystal Diamond, R-Elephant Butte, co-sponsored House Bill 184, which would have reduced the governor's power to choose and remove members — an authority they argued has led to the commission being understaffed and unstable.

The Governor's Office didn't respond to questions Friday about why Lujan Grisham rejected the bill.

The bill sought to create an equitable mix of members from various backgrounds — such as a hunter, rancher, conservationist and scientist — as well as a more even representation of political parties.

The governor would have chosen three and the Legislature would have appointed four; no more than two of the governor's picks could be from the same political party. And no commissioner could have been removed without cause. The state Supreme Court would have decided whether a firing was justified.

McQueen said reforming the commission was the place to start, but the entire agency needs to be modernized.

He said he hopes he can work with the governor toward that end, though it might take a while because the next legislative session will only be 30 days.

"There's typically reluctance to tackle something like this in a short session," McQueen said.

Jesse Deubel, executive director of New Mexico Wildlife Federation, said the outcome was expected, but called it disheartening for the many people who reached out to the governor imploring her to sign the bill.

"Ignoring the requests from thousands of people is very unfortunate," Deubel said.

The governor has exercised her right to remove commissioners without cause, shaping the board to align with her views, he said.

"And I don't think the governor has any desire to sign away that power to control the commission," Deubel added.

Turnover recently led to the commission shrinking to just three members in February, too few for a quorum required to conduct business and function.

The governor has since appointed two commissioners: Fernando Clemente, a wildlife biologist; and Edward T. Garcia, who owns a family car dealership.

That still leaves the panel two commissioners short of its full seven.

Deubel has criticized the governor for removing two commissioners she had picked after taking office — Joanna Prukop and Jeremy Vesbach — because they voiced opposition to a policy of letting landowners declare streams flowing through their properties nonnavigable, barring public access.

He said he wants to see reform efforts continue. The board is supposed to make decisions based on science, not politics, he said, arguing it's not possible under the current rules.

"When that board can't function as it's designed to do, it's completely ineffective," Deubel said.