Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) had teased a possible special legislative session to address crime and public safety, but when lawmakers came in July, the session ended after only five hours.
Lujan Grisham announced after the regular 30-day legislative session adjourned in February that she might call legislators back to Santa Fe for a special session after they failed to act on her public safety agenda.
She ultimately scheduled the special session for July 18. The legislation Lujan Grisham instructed lawmakers to take up included an overhaul of the state’s criminal and civil competency codes, increased penalties for felons found to have firearms and a roadway median safety bill, known by its critics as a statewide ban on panhandling…