Area Legislators met with members of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce Wednesday night to discuss some of the issues they wish to address during the upcoming legislative session.
Lawmakers talked about the $3.6 billion windfall coming from additional oil and gas revenue and some of the legislation they will be fronting come January.
Since the extra dollars is one-time-only revenue, the focus on its use will be on non-recurring items like infrastructure and tax rebates.
Senator Nancy Rodriguez says she wants to put a lot of emphasis during the 60-day session on mental health issues, which needs far more support in New Mexico. She says it’s a major contributor to child abuse cases in the state.
“If we’re going to stop the cycle of this child maltreatment and child abuse we ned to work at these other things like alcoholism and substance abuse issues, mental health, and provide behavioral health,” she said. “Not only for the person who has the addiction or substance abuse problem or mental health issue, but for the entire family.”
Another thing the lawmakers say they want to work on is water, both conservation and making sure rural areas can get enough drinking water.
They also want to do more to help address the ongoing problems in Santa Fe and other areas around the state to find more affordable housing.
The 2023 60-day legislative session begins at noon on January 17th.