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Legislative Finance Committee adopts budget framework, creates technical committee
Summary
The Legislative Finance Committee approved a budget framework and a set of packet corrections called “ketchup cleanup” after a presentation from Director Salih; the panel named a bipartisan technical committee to handle any needed technical changes before session.
Director Salih presented the Legislative Finance Committee’s final budget packet and framework and the committee voted to adopt the recommendation and a set of technical adjustments.
Director Salih said the packet centers on three priorities: raising per-capita earned income through education and workforce development, expanding access to high-quality health care including behavioral health, and investing in quality-of-life infrastructure such as water projects and trails. “Despite the revenue estimates that you received earlier this week, which are, in my view, directionally bad, I'm not pessimistic about where we're at with our overall finances,” Salih said, adding that the package would leave the state with “north of 30% reserves.”
The director warned the committee that available nonrecurring funding has declined “on a nonrecurring basis by more than 1000000000 dollars” compared with the last session and that recent natural disasters have required roughly “$380,000,000” in reserves for response. Salih also pointed members to specific sections of the packet for recurring and capital frameworks and to options for financing the University of New Mexico medical education expansion through a mix of cash and voter-approved bonds.
Representative Dixon and other members thanked committee staff for travel and program evaluation work that informed the recommendation. Senator Woods raised concerns about agency liability and settlements, arguing the state should pursue more court cases to establish legal precedent and to hold agencies accountable for alleged fraud. “We can't just keep settling everything out there,” Woods said, pressing for a different approach to risk-management and liability claims.
Following discussion, the committee approved two motions. First, members moved and seconded a motion to adopt the packet’s “ketchup cleanup” items (moved by Senator Gonzales; seconded by Representative Dixon); the motion passed without recorded opposition. Second, members moved to adopt the overall LFC budget framework including the ketchup cleanup and capital framework (moved by Representative Dixon; seconded by Senator Shindo). The second motion carried with a recorded opposition from Senator Woods; no formal roll-call tally beyond that opposition was specified in the transcript.
The committee also established a technical committee composed of two members per chamber—Representative Dixon, Representative Chatfield, Senator Woods and the Vice Chair—to resolve any technical issues in the budget documents and to notify the full committee of any necessary technical changes before the January session.
The panel adjourned after brief closing remarks and seasonal well-wishes.
What’s next: the technical committee is to finalize any required technical corrections and report back to the full Legislative Finance Committee; the committee will present the finalized framework to the Legislature when session convenes.
