Setting the record straight: House GOP ready to work on public safety

There has been a lot of commentary stemming from the most recent special legislative session.  If you are confused by what took place, you are likely in good company.  Based on media reporting and statements from the governor’s office, an illusion was created that the entire Legislature rebuffed the governor in her attempt to crack down on New Mexico’s crime problem.  The governor said, “The legislature as a body walked away from their most important responsibility: keeping New Mexicans safe.” That statement, however, is only half true.

The reality is Democrats failed to protect New Mexicans, and the proof is the fact that Democrats who control the legislature did not pass a single bill that would address our out-of-control crime problem.  House Republicans, on the other hand, have been laser focused on keeping criminals off our streets and out of our neighborhoods.  So much so that Democrats have mocked Republicans as being “all crime all the time” due to ongoing efforts to hold criminals accountable for their actions.

The recent special session was no different. House Republicans authored nineteen pieces of legislation to address our state’s worst-in-the-nation crime rate.  Legislation ranging from pre-trial detention and bail reform, stopping the flow of fentanyl across the border, and protecting children in abusive situations was offered to protect New Mexicans.  Not only were all these bills rejected by the Democrat Majority, they didn’t even allow them to be officially introduced into the public record.  In other words, Democrats didn’t just avoid passing crime legislation, they didn’t want anything on the record to show Republican members were ready to work and reduce crime plaguing New Mexico.

The only bill passed during the “public safety” special session was a bill to help provide relief to the people of Ruidoso from the recent wildfires, as well as a small appropriation to the Administrative Office of the Courts to do pilot projects. Because this was the only bill Democrats allowed to be considered, House Republicans proposed an amendment to the bill that would have appropriated $10 million for the Department of Public Safety to enhance border security and help stop the disastrous flow of fentanyl into our communities. Not surprisingly, every member of the Democrat Majority voted against this amendment.

Why anyone would vote against an appropriation to help stop the flow of dangerous drugs into our state is a question every New Mexican should ask the Majority. The rejection of this amendment, however, is a perfect example of why New Mexico is such a dangerous place. If members of the Legislature’s Majority cannot bring themselves to vote to help stop the flow of fentanyl into our communities, how can we ever expect them to tackle other crime issues like ending catch and release, increasing penalties for violent offenders, and protecting vulnerable children from abusive caregivers?

The governor is right to be frustrated with the Democrat controlled Legislature. In fact, she was quoted as saying, “it is noteworthy that a majority of Republicans would have passed many or all of these bills” that made up her “public safety” special session agenda. The governor is just now discovering the very people she helped put into office are the same people who created the problem and now refuse to fix it. New Mexico citizens have a choice.  We can keep voting for the same people into office, or we can replace those who are responsible for ignoring the problem. Either way, the power to create change is in the hands of voters.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Setting the record straight: House GOP ready to work on public safety