Taos lawmaker named to chair powerful Legislative Finance Committee
State Sen. Roberto J. “Bobby” Gonzales, 69,says he is “ready for the challenge.” That challenge for the longtime Taos lawmaker is to chair the state’s powerful Legislative Finance Committee until the next session in early 2021.
Gonzales (D-Ranchos de Taos) was named to finish out the term left vacant by Sen. John A. Smith, 78, who resigned last week after losing in the primary election. Smith (D-Deming) has held the seat since 1989.
Although his stint will be brief, Gonzales said he is hoping to remain on the LFC, possibly in a continued leadership role. “It remains to be seen,” he said Monday (Nov. 30). “There are possibilities I could end up as chairman or vice chairman or remain in the finance committee for sure. But, that won’t happen until Feb. 20, the opening day of the 2021 session. Those assignments for the senate are for four years.”
The 24-member LFC has a tough road ahead. “We’re in very trying times right now,” Gonzales said. “The COVID-19 coronavirus has decimated New Mexico’s economy, and a decline in fossil fuel prices wiped out expected revenues from the oil and gas industry.”
No doubt there’s going to be some readjustments or doing things in a different manner,” Gonzales said.
He said among the first things the LFC will have to look at are ways to fund efforts to fight the pandemic, which has hit more than 97,000 cases and 1,500 deaths. “There are quite a few things that come with that: What’s happened at our hospitals, what’s happening with our testing, and then how we apply the vaccine. They’re not free.”
He added that first and foremost is the health and safety of all New Mexicans.
Next up will be a hard look at renewable energy. “At this point, we still receive about $4 billion from oil and gas. So, how do you make that up if you’re looking at an industry that will not be there. Right now, they are there and we still have to continue to work with that, and for with both sides to see how we can get different stream of revenue for the state. But, we’re not close to that. At this point, we’re still very dependent on the revenue that comes to the state from oil and gas.”
As far as potential revenue streams, Gonzales said “there’s a lot of potential in our state. We could bring in Los Alamos, Sandia Laboratories and the University of New Mexico and be leaders in research.” He added that the state may concentrate some efforts to look at solar and wind energy as other sources, but that will require
establishing a vast infrastructure.
Then, again, there’s always tourism. “We’ll have a challenge to bring that back again once we’re a little more normal,” he said.
Gonzales, a retired educator who was born and raised in New Mexico, said he will be completing 26 years as a state lawmaker. Before he was appointed to the state senate by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham after the death of Sen. Carlos Cisneros in 2019, he spoke to the governor about his role in government. He said he benefits from having worked under the leadership of several governors, from Gary Johnson to Bill Richardson, Suzanna Martinez and now Grisham, and has grown to recognize “good policy and what would be good for our state and what would not be good to our state.”
The mission of the Legislative Finance Committee is to provide state lawmakers with objective fiscal and public policy analyses, recommendations and oversight of state agencies to improve performance and ensure accountability through the effective allocation of resources for the benefit of all New Mexicans.
The committee makes budgetary recommendations to the Legislature for funding state government, higher education and public schools.