Santa Fe New Mexican

Governor puts off calling back legislators
Special session on health care not likely until after June primary
Steve Terrell | The New Mexican

Gov. Bill Richardson, who earlier this month threatened to call a special session of the state legislature in May, now leans toward calling lawmakers back to Santa Fe sometime after the June primary election.

Spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said Tuesday that the governor most likely will call a session on his health-care reform proposals sometime between the June 3 primary and the Democratic National Convention, which opens Aug. 25.

Richardson began changing his mind about a May session after recent meetings with state Senate leaders, Gallegos said. The governor spoke with Senate Finance Committee Chairman John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, recently in Truth or Consequences, Gallegos said, and had breakfast with Senate President Pro-tem Tim Jennings, D-Roswell, during a recent tourism conference in Roswell.

Gallegos described both meetings as "productive," saying there seems to be more of a willingness to consider Richardson's plan to cover the 400,000 New Mexicans who lack health insurance.

Both Gallegos and Jennings said Tuesday that no compromise has been reached on health care.

Senators still are concerned about the eventual cost of Richardson's program. There are no definitive numbers on the costs, lawmakers have complained.

"We don't want to start a billion-dollar program if we're going into a recession," Jennings said. "The economy isn't as stable as it was."

Jennings said a legislative panel looking into a special session, appointed shortly after the regular session ended in February, has met twice so far and has another meeting scheduled next week.

During this year's regular session, the House passed a watered-down version of Richardson's health-care bill. However, it didn't reached the Senate until a few days before the session's closed, and the bill stalled in committee.

Richardson's threat of a special session in May was unpopular with lawmakers. All 112 legislators face re-election this year, and several have primary opposition. By law, incumbent legislators can't raise campaign funds while in session.