The Senate Finance Committee on Saturday suspended a proposal to allocate an additional $335 million in federal coronavirus relief funds for several public health projects.
The proposal, known as Senate Bill 9, called for $50 million to be spent building and equipping a new public health school at the University of New Mexico and expanding behavioral health services statewide, among other initiatives.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle described it as a bold idea that would tackle a hugely important problem in New Mexico.
But they said the proposal needs further consideration after the special legislative meeting, which is expected to end in the coming days. They hope to bring it back during the regular 30-day session starting next month.
“I don’t see anything wrong here except timing,” said Senator Bill Sharer, R-Farmington. “What I’d recommend is that we do this in the regular session and in the meantime, between Christmas and New Years and what’s going on there, we get a little more information here, exactly what it would do.”
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