The Budget: How does this thing really work?
February 17, 2017— This week marks the halfway point of the Legislature’s 60-day session and lawmakers are getting down to the nitty-gritty of putting together next year’s budget. This Friday night on New Mexico in Focus we look how exactly the budget is made. How do we know how much money there is to work with? How do we know which agencies need more or less funding? How do we track this massive document as it moves through the Roundhouse?
Sen. Jacob Candelaria is a Democrat from Albuquerque. Before joining the Senate he worked as a program evaluator for the Legislative Finance Committee and as a policy analyst to former Speaker of the House Ben Lujan.
Bill Jordan is the senior policy advisor for Voices for Children, a group that advocates for policies that benefit children and families. He served on Gov. Bill Richardson’s Budget Balancing Task Force.
Sen. Steven Neville, R-Aztec, is the ranking Republican on the Legislative Finance Committee and serves on the Investments and Pensions Oversight Committee.
Further Reading:
- Revenue forecast for New Mexico shows no relief in sight—Associated Press
- Tax loopholes are in the eye of the beholder—New Mexico in Depth
- LISTEN: How Should New Mexico Fix Its Budget?—KUNM Call in Show
- Republican: Massive tax overhaul could help N.M. avoid future budget woes—The Santa Fe New Mexican
- NMAC to governor, legislature: Don’t balance state budget on backs of counties: The Artesia Daily Press
This segment is part of our People, Power and Democracy project.
People, Power and Democracy explores ethics, accountability and transparency in government. Our partners are KUNM, New Mexico in Depth, New Mexico News Port and New Mexico PBS.
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