This Week: Senators JOHN ARTHUR SMITH (D-Deming),Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, &STUART INGLE (R-Portales) Minority Floor Leader in the N.M. Senate

Topic: Behind-The-Scenes at The RecentSpecial Session of the New Mexico Legislature

“My focus was on the budget. The most critical thing. I didn’t want to have to be in a position where we are going to have to furlough law enforcement, correction officers, and educators on that....The most critical thing - that we did right now. We don’t want the state writing hot checks.”-- Senator Smith

“The financial situation in the state right now, prior to this special session… we are worse off now than what happened in 2009. In 2009, we had healthy reserves. We don’t have any reserves right now or didn’t have. We had federal money flowing in. We had non-reoccurring general fund money in capital outlay that we could claw back. We don’t have any of that …. so this is a much more difficult financial situation we find ourselves in. And the other unknown fact is we don’t know how long we are in for this downturn. So it has been a real challenge.”-- Senator Ingle

October 13, 2016 – This week's guests on REPORT FROM SANTA FE are Senators John Arthur Smith (D-Deming), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Stuart Ingle (R-Portales), Minority Floor Leader in the N.M. Senate, discussing the recent Special Session of the New Mexico Legislature.

Together Smith and Ingle have served for 58 years in the Senate. It is said that they are the two lawmakers who know where ALL the bodies are buried, metaphorically speaking.

Taped the very day the Special Session ended, Smith and Ingle give a frank analysis of the legislative action (and inaction), giving a rare behind-the-scenes perspective on the budget-making process, and the jockeying for position between the House, Senate, and the Governor.

Senator Stuart Ingle, is a Republican from Portales representing District 27, an area encompassing 5 counties. He was elected in 1985 and has served for 31 years in the New Mexico State Senate, He is the Minority Floor Leader of the Senate.

Senator John Arthur Smith is a Democrat from Deming representing District 35, an area encompassing 4 counties. He was elected in 1989 and has served for 27 years in the NM State Senate. He is the Chair of Senate Finance Committee.