The special session came to an abrupt end after 18 days. Redistricting was the main item on the agenda and the legislature failed to compromise on any plans. Only the Democratic Senate and House plans made it upstairs along with the Democrat’s plans to redistrict the Public Regulation Commission and the State Board of Education. So next the judge will ask leadership to get together and try to work something out one more time. If that fails, then the courts will look at all the work we did and decide for us. That decision will be based on a body of law that governs how districts are drawn considering compactness, communities of interest, minority representation, and they usually like plans with the least change. This year big changes are inevitable because of the shift of population in the state. We had three areas deficient in population, namely the north central area, the southeast, and the east side of Albuquerque. That shortage of people equaled three districts of about 29 thousand folks. Just so happens we had growth on the west mesa of the Albuquerque area that equaled three districts. That should be simple to fix but that means pairing legislators from those three areas and three districts showing up on the west side of Albuquerque. Not so easy to decide who is going to get to run against another sitting legislator.
It is for that very reason that we don’t have a compromise plan in the house. The Republicans realized the problem and faced up to it and submitted plans pairing some of our own. The Democrats on the other hand did not. They had a tough situation because the House of Reps has 36 D’s, 33R’s and one independent. If the D’s paired anyone they could lose their slim majority and fail to pass a plan at all. The Democrats passed their plan on a straight party line vote.
What happens in the next few weeks will determine the make up of the House and Senate districts for the next decade. In New Mexico our populations are shifting at such a rate that what ever plan is decided on will inevitably be out of date long before we reach the next census.
With 11 other items on the agenda only a couple made it to the Governor’s desk for consideration. She has 20 days to decide on signature or veto. Before her is an in-state preference bill for local contractors, a capital outlay bill at about 81 million (includes the first 15 million in the Navajo Water Rights settlement and a bit over a million for a project at our national guard armory) and a Medicaid fix.
That is it in a nut shell. For me it was 12 and 14 hour days and dreams at night of maps. The next few weeks will determine if all that work paid off or not. For me I always plan for the worst and hope for the best and therefore I am rarely disappointed.