New Mexico special legislative session to focus on public safety initiatives

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s Democratic governor on Wednesday announced a mid-summer special legislative session on public safety after many crime initiatives languished.

In an emailed statement, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said she’ll call legislators back to Santa Fe on July 18 “to finish what they started during the 30-day legislative session.”

The Legislature delivered on a handful of the governor’s major priorities during a regular 30-day legislative session in January and February, but a long list of other gun control and public safety bills stalled without floor votes.

Lujan Grisham recently signed public safety bills that ban some guns at voting locations, extend a waiting period on gun purchases to seven days, enhance penalties for second-degree murder-related offenses and give judges an extra opportunity to deny bail to defendants who are charged with new crimes while already awaiting trial on a felony.

But she also has delivered a grim assessment of progress against violent crime and warned that “I don’t think it’s safe out there” as the Legislature adjourned in February.

Lujan Grisham declared a public health emergency over gun violence last year, suspending the right to carry guns in some parks and playgrounds in the greater Albuquerque area, in response to a spate of shootings there that killed children.

Republicans in the legislative minority recently urged the governor to address crime and security at the border with Mexico — traditionally the responsibility of the federal government. Lujan Grisham rebuffed the suggestion.

The summer session will unfold as the entire House and Senate are up for election in November, after the state’s June 4 primary. Lujan Grisham cannot run for reelection in 2026 at the end of her second term.