Governor Grisham called the Legislature into a single-day special session yesterday to consider a revised spending bill to replace SB48 – the so-called “junior bill” containing some $50 million in appropriations – which she had vetoed. In her proclamation, Grisham called for a reassessment of SB48 to redress concerns such as providing full funding for projects and ensuring compliance with the Anti-Donation Clause. Her agenda for the special session also included financial relief for residents in the face of rising inflation.
PASSED
Tax Rebates – HB2 – Signed into law April 8, 2022
HB2 proposes $1,000 payments for married filers and heads of households and $500 for single filers. These payments will be broken into two even disbursements and are not subject to any income ceiling. As many as 40,000 of New Mexico’s 135,000 non-filers, primarily undocumented workers and people who do not earn enough income to file income tax, will also receive the same amounts after filing an application. As amended, HB2 stipulates the rebates are scheduled to go out no later than June 30, 2022 with the second being sent this August. HB2 was signed into law on April 8, 2022.
Appropriations and Expenditures – SB1 – Signed into law April 8, 2022
SB1 reworked the regular session’s SB48 with the appropriations’ total still coming in at around $50 million. This time, however, legislators made sure appropriations were correctly categorized as non-recurring or recurring and that no nonprofits were named. In an effort to assuage the Governor’s transparency concerns in regard to the former SB48, the list of projects and sponsoring legislators is set to be published after the bill is signed but no later than 30 days after adjournment of the special session. SB1 was passed both chambers by unanimous vote and was signed into law on April 8, 2022.