Latest news with #Sharer
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
GOP leaders bemoan 'unproductive and disappointing' 60-day session
Republican lawmakers Saturday bemoaned what they characterized as a complete failure by Democrats to address New Mexico's crime and health care crises during the 60-day legislative session, which ended with the shocking news of a mass shooting in Las Cruces the night before. Calling the session 'unproductive and disappointing,' Republican leaders from both chambers sent a letter to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham before the Legislature even gaveled out at noon requesting she call an immediate special session 'to solve our violent crime problem and the inability of New Mexicans to receive health care due to the lack of medical professionals.' 'We sounded the alarm 12 days ago, all about the critical legislation to address crime and health care and that it was going nowhere,' House Minority Leader Gail Armstrong of Magdalena said while flanked by fellow Republicans during a news conference a half-hour after the session ended. 'Unfortunately, nothing changed,' she said. Senate Minority Leader Bill Sharer of Farmington asserted Republicans in both chambers had introduced 'comprehensive legislation' to alleviate the state's crime problems and health care deficiencies. 'Not a single substantive proposal got a fair hearing or a true consideration from the Democrats — not one,' he said. 'Plain and simple, the legislative session failed to meaningfully address the out-of-control crime crisis after the failed public safety special session [last year] where the Democrats walked away from their responsibility to New Mexicans,' Sharer added. He was referring to a special session Lujan Grisham called in July to pass crime legislation that ended after a day with none of her crime bills even receiving a hearing. 'They came to the table with zero intentions of getting tough on crime,' Sharer said. 'In fact, we believe they did just the opposite.' Sen. Pat Woods, R-Broadview, said Republicans faced a similar challenge in trying to resolve the state's shortage of health care providers, particularly in rural areas. 'Democrat lawmakers have made it impossible to practice medicine in New Mexico, forcing many, many doctors to flee the state and drive away our own medical school graduates,' he said. 'We had several comprehensive bills, which had support [and] input from medical professionals that Democrats refused to consider or simply killed. They seem to side with the trial lawyers over New Mexico health care providers.' Woods said he signed on as a co-sponsor of a medical malpractice bill sponsored by Martin Hickey, an Albuquerque Democrat who is a licensed doctor. 'His party killed that proposal, too,' Woods said. 'We cannot go on like this. Inaction is not an option.' Armstrong said New Mexico's health care system is on 'life-support' and said Republicans had introduced a bill that was 'the closest thing to the silver bullet.' 'The fact that not a single medical malpractice reform was even close to successful just shows the power of the trial attorneys and the hold that they have in the Legislature,' she said. Sharer said Democrats pushed House Bill 8, which he called a 'weak at best' crime package in the first half of the session, with the stated intention of considering other public safety bills. Although the Democratic-majority Legislature did, in fact, take up other public safety bills, Republicans said they didn't go far enough. 'They never wanted to do more,' Sharer said. 'They merely wanted to deceive New Mexicans that they took action to address public safety without actually holding repeat criminals and violent criminals accountable.' Armstrong agreed, repeating a phrase coined by Sen. Crystal Brantley, R-Elephant Butte, after Senate Judiciary Committee chair Joe Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, said lawmakers were 'just getting warmed up' with bills related to crime and public safety. 'We were told the crime package, House Bill 8, was an appetizer,' Armstrong said. 'That's all we got.' Of particular interest to Republicans was a bill designed to clamp down on juvenile offenders, which was supported by Democratic Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman and the governor. Democrats killed the bill, which would have implemented harsher penalties for youthful offenders, while expanding the state's so-called red-flag gun law allowing for the confiscation of guns from someone deemed an imminent threat to themselves or others. 'Our commonsense, tough-on-crime proposals were either denied consideration or killed by Democrats while the Democrats attacked law-abiding citizens and Second Amendment rights,' Sharer said. 'Democrats continue to prove to New Mexicans that improving public safety is just not a priority to them.'
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill that could create funding tool for fairground redevelopment passes first committee
Mar. 12—A bill introducing a new financial tool to fund the possible redevelopment of the State Fairgrounds in Albuquerque has passed its first committee. The legislation sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, passed through the Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee on a 6-3 vote Tuesday and is now slated to go in front of the Senate Finance Committee. The bill, Senate Bill 481, would establish the current fairgrounds location just off Albuquerque's Central Avenue and any additional land nearby the state acquires as the "State Fairgrounds District Fund." The State Fair has taken place at Expo New Mexico since 1938, but in December, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced a plan to flip the fairgrounds into a mixed-use development. "This has the potential to really change a section of our city, very close to my district, that's been troubled for a long time," Sen. Natalie Figueroa, D-Albuquerque, said Tuesday during committee. Figueroa was joined by the other four committee Democrats present Tuesday — Sen. Debbie O'Malley, D-Albuquerque, was not in attendance — and Sen. Gabriel Ramos, R-Silver City, in voting in favor of advancing the bill. The tax committee's other three Republicans — Sens. Nicholas Paul of Alamogordo, Joshua Sanchez of Bosque and William Sharer of Farmington — opposed the bill. In addition to classifying the area as a state district fund, the bill also creates a board to make financial decisions, including the ability to issue revenue bonds of up to $1 billion. But Sharer said the bill does not provide enough oversight for financial decisions. "If we're looking for fraud, waste and abuse, this is where I would start looking," Sharer said. The bill passes at a time when another proposed tool to fund the redevelopment of the fairgrounds is in limbo. Bernalillo County commissioners at the request of the state voted back in January to pass a resolution to establish a Tax Increment Development District, or TIDD, at the site of the fairgrounds and take a vote on it Tuesday — the same day the proposed legislation went in front of lawmakers in Santa Fe. But a contentious public meeting followed that resolution in February, where residents expressed opposition to moving the State Fair, and county leadership pointed the finger at the state for canceling a $500,000 request for proposal to redevelop the area hours before the meeting. On Friday, Bernalillo County announced it would not be taking a vote to establish a TIDD on Tuesday after all. "The county awaits a master plan from the State of New Mexico for public infrastructure for the 236-acre State Fairgrounds before proceeding," county spokesperson Randy Harrison said in a statement. "Once the master plan is completed, the Board of County Commissioners retains the option to present and approve a TIDD." Harrison also said that the state would no longer pursue Senate Bill 482, a bill that would've created the joint TIDD between the county and state that could've authorized up to $1 billion in bonds.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Behavioral health overhaul picking up steam at Roundhouse
Feb. 4—SANTA FE — New Mexico lawmakers' push to overhaul the state's mental health and substance abuse treatment system is creating unlikely political bedfellows but still faces a long road to approval. During a Senate committee hearing this week, the chamber's Democratic and Republican floor leaders — Peter Wirth of Santa Fe and William Sharer of Farmington — sat together on the dais to present one of the three bills in a behavioral health package. Several other top Republicans and Democrats are teaming up to carry the other two bills. "Things are getting worse, not better," Sharer said during a Tuesday interview. "So this is it." He said the seeds for the bipartisan approach were planted during interim committee meetings last summer and were sparked by a shared desire to remodel a fragmented and largely ineffective state behavioral health system. Behavioral health has emerged as a key issue during this year's 60-day legislative session as lawmakers look for ways to reduce homelessness, drug use and violent crime. A recent report by the New Mexico Justice Reinvestment Working Group found that 65% of individuals who enter the state's criminal justice system have a behavioral health need that they are not receiving treatment for. In addition, New Mexico has one of the nation's highest suicide rates, and more than one-third of state residents reported anxiety or a depressive disorder in 2023, according to Kaiser Family Foundation data. Sharer and other backers say the proposed package would increase accountability by requiring regional plans outlining priorities for providing mental health and substance abuse treatment. A new $1 billion trust fund would provide at least $50 million of annual funding to support the regional plans, which would largely be overseen by the state's judiciary. "This is a huge, huge amount of money, but also a huge accountability piece," Sharer told the Journal. While the state is projected to spend roughly $1.1 billion on behavioral health programs in the current budget year, the state's behavioral health collaborative has not met in over one year and does not have an appointed director. How the bipartisan package came about Adrian Avila, the chief of staff for the Senate Finance Committee, was tasked with taking the lead on crafting the package after a special session called last summer by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham ended with the Democratic-controlled Legislature declining to take up most of the governor's crime-focused agenda. Avila described the package that grew out of countless meetings and negotiations as a "bottom-up" approach to tackling mental health and drug abuse issues across the state. "We're creating an entire ecosystem here," he said during a Tuesday meeting of the Senate Finance Committee. Avila traveled to Miami last year, along with behavioral health advocates, to tour a Miami-Dade County diversion program that has drawn accolades for its success. He said the "Miami model" would not be totally feasible in New Mexico, however, since the state's population is not as densely concentrated. Under the proposed legislation, the new model would put the state judiciary in charge of planning while leaving the state Health Care Authority largely in charge of overseeing funding. That would be a significant change from the current system, which largely falls under the executive branch's jurisdiction. "Right now, we've been flying blind," Avila said. For his part, Wirth said it's imperative the courts receive sufficient funding to carry out implementation of the region-based approach. "They've been willing to step up and we have to make darn sure they have the resources to do it," he said during a committee hearing this week. Bills could move quickly to governor's desk The package of behavioral health bills has already passed its first Senate committee and could hit the chamber floor by as early as next week. Wirth has expressed optimism the package could reach the governor's desk by the midpoint of the 60-day session, which is Feb. 20. But despite the bipartisan support, not all lawmakers are fully on board with the proposed package. Sen. Larry Scott, a Hobbs Republican, cast the lone "no" vote against the bill in the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee and said he remains concerned about accountability safeguards. "I remain skeptical that this approach is going to be successful because I don't see a single responsible agency," he said. In addition, the Governor's Office is still evaluating the package of bills and has not yet taken a formal position, Lujan Grisham spokesman Michael Coleman said Tuesday. But the Health Care Authority raised several issues with one of the bills in a legislative analysis, saying it could "fragment" oversight and funding authority for the state's behavioral health system. Meanwhile, at least some efforts to expand treatment options are already in the works in New Mexico. Clovis Mayor Mike Morris told senators Tuesday that a group of eastern New Mexico cities and counties are set to move forward with building a new crisis triage center on an 18-acre site near the Plains Regional Medical Center. The facility would provide temporary beds for individuals dealing with mental illness or substance abuse issues to be housed before a treatment program could be determined. Under the current system, he said most such individuals either end up in local hospital emergency rooms or in jails. "That obviously is not as good as we think we can do," Morris told members of the Senate Finance Committee.
