Richardson Wants to Study Revenue Proposals

The special session isnt over yet, but Gov. Bill Richardson is looking ahead to the regular session in January. He's calling for a "working group" of legislators, staffers and others to study possible revenue bills for next year's 30-day session.

Will this be different from the "Blue Ribbon Tax Committee" that crashed and burned in the fall of 2003? Hopefully. The economic situation is a lot more dire.

He mentions some "intriguing proposals" from the special session, but doesn't say which ones.

Here's his statement the governor's office e-mailed a few minutes ago:

“Given the fiscal realities facing the state I am prepared to consider a comprehensive, well-reasoned revenue package for the regular legislative session in January 2010. Between now and then I will convene a working group consisting of legislators, executive staff, members of the business and education communities, and other interested parties to analyze such a package.

“Already in this session there have been some intriguing proposals introduced. However, I believe these must not be injected piecemeal without serious analysis into the present budget calculation but rather should be part of a well-crafted and mapped out package in January. Accordingly, I agree with action taken by committees in both the House and Senate that supports this view.

“In the meantime I urge the legislature to quickly address the immediate budget needs at hand in a way that preserves jobs, does not harm the economy, and protects students and teachers.”