Governor issues statement on another year of inaction by the Legislature to keep violent offenders behind bars
SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a statement following the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee's vote to table SB 122.
"I am dismayed that our Legislature has once again refused to undertake an honest, robust debate on the state of our pretrial release system. Crime is out of control and something needs to change. We have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in behavioral health services, education, economic opportunity – critical components that ensure every New Mexican gets a fair shake. However, I will not stand by as repeat violent offenders walk in and out of our courthouses without consequence.
"A rebuttable presumption is not an extreme policy, and ours is modeled after federal law that has been in place for decades.   Â
"It is time for the Legislature and the public to stand up and give this proposal the robust debate that New Mexicans agree it deserves."