New Mexico lawmakers to confront budget gap
House lawmakers will meet Saturday to consider the package of four bills that would pump as much as $262 million into the state's general fund by slashing spending at school districts, postponing infrastructure projects and tapping tax payments by insurance companies immediately instead of waiting for the next fiscal year.
The state constitution requires a balanced budget, and statutes make it illegal for the state finance secretary and treasurer to continue writing checks when it becomes obvious that the state has run out of money.
On Thursday, the chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court warned that the state spending reductions are undercutting constitutional guarantees to a speedy trial and an adequate legal defense for poor people facing jail time.