
When the Legislature convenes on Jan. 15, Santa Fe's lobbyists in the Roundhouse will push for funds to update city infrastructure, millions for the municipal airport, and several statewide initiatives that don't impact the city directly but express its ideological commitments.
Noticeably absent, despite a statewide campaign by health advocates, is a resolution in support of a Medicaid buy-in idea that won support from local jurisdictions including Bernalillo County and the cities of Las Cruces and Albuquerque. Internal emails obtained by SFR indicate the proposal, which would allow anybody in the state to receive healthcare through Medicaid regardless of income, fizzled before ever coming up for discussion by the City Council.
The city passed a resolution Dec. 12 outlining its legislative priorities, but there's no guarantee lawmakers will act on any of them. Santa Fe retains a legislative liaison and a lobbyist to forward those priorities throughout the two-month session.
The city is hoping legislators get behind capital outlay initiatives totaling $1.68 million for various city projects, including a million for drainage and watershed maintenance to the Acequia Madre stormwater separation and Cloudstone Arroyo. Santa Fe also wants $400,000 each for sidewalk and lighting improvements near the Interfaith Community Shelter and a fiber-optic internet connection at the former College of Santa Fe campus.
Pricier requests are $14 million "for the completion of a major remodel of the Santa Fe Regional Airport terminal building" that would allow for a new airline to service the airport and a larger seating area for passengers; a million dollars to "solarize" eight city facilities; and $1.5 million to complete roadway repaving for the Osage Avenue/Palace Avenue intersection, Hopewell Street, Paseo del Sol, and Henry Lynch Road.
Less practical, but arguably more interesting, are the seven resolutions the city passed throughout the year to support legislation with a statewide impact.
This fall, the city endorsed two pieces of legislation that typically generate polarized opinion. The first, the "Medical Aid in Dying Act," would make New Mexico the eighth state where it's legal for people with diagnosed terminal illnesses to end their lives with a doctor's assistance. The other, passed just last week, was a resolution urging the Legislature to endorse a legal cannabis market for adults 21 and over.
In addition, Santa Fe got behind legislation for landing fees for pilots flying private aircraft, stronger gun laws that would introduce background checks at purchase and a bumpstock ban, public banking in New Mexico, and requirements that public utilities make renewable energy sources a larger percentage of their portfolios.
The city also requested the Legislature act on the court ruling that declared New Mexico's education system has illegally deprived students of a sufficient education. Santa Fe Public Schools Superintendent Veronica Garcia was a witness at trial for the plaintiff.
There is no resolution in support of any kind of healthcare reform, though the city's legislative liaison, Jesse Guillen, did flag the idea for councilors after Bernalillo County endorsed legislation for Medicaid buy-in.
On Sept. 12, Guillen asked his counterpart in Albuquerque for a copy of the resolution, which stated that 180,000 New Mexicans have no healthcare and that the state "can allow for state residents who are currently not eligible for Medicaid the option to buy into a healthcare coverage plan that is administered by Medicaid" by applying for a federal innovation waiver.
Guillen then forwarded the resolution to Santa Fe City Councilors for review. Councilors Renee Villarreal and Signe Lindell expressed some interest, according to internal emails, but not enough to put it on the city's agenda.
"If you can make it relevant to City of SF or SF County statistics then it would be willing to support [sic]," Villarreal responded on Sept. 19.
Guillen replied that the idea had support in the Legislature and cited a memorial passed last year to study how Medicaid buy-in could be financed, but records show no other city officials responded to him.
Asked whether Medicaid buy-in ever came up for discussion, Lindell said she was away for an extended period due to bereavement. Villarreal did not return SFR's message.
A preliminary report released Dec. 7 by Manatt Health, a contractor studying how the state could introduce a Medicaid buy-in option, presented four different paths to making the option law.
Manatt is currently studying the potential costs of such proposals and is aiming to complete the analysis next month.