SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - The New Mexico Legislature approved emergency funding Friday to cover costs for juries, court interpreters and clerk’s offices for several months in response to a funding crisis in the Judiciary.
The $900,000 appropriation is designed to halt potential unpaid furloughs for state Supreme Court employees, provide compensation to jurors and restore full-time public access to services provided by court clerks.
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez has until early next week to reject or approve the measure that was strongly opposed by her fellow Republican party members in the Legislature. She has not said whether she supports it or opposes it. If she does nothing, the measure will automatically go into effect.
New Mexico reduced spending by the Judiciary by 3 percent during a special legislative session in October, as the state grapples with plunging tax revenues linked to a downturn in the oil and natural gas sectors, a tepid local economy and a corresponding drop in state revenue.
The chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court warned lawmakers this month that spending reductions threaten to undercut constitutional guarantees for residents to speedy trials and other judicial services.
The funding would provide $800,000 for jurors and interpreters, enough to ensure payments until May. The Supreme Court would receive $80,000 to avoid possible furloughs for staff at the state Supreme Court, with some additional money provided to district court clerks to shore up their operations.
The legislation provides funding for the state legislative committees that are drafting legislation and tracking state agency performance throughout the year.
Democrats who dominate the Legislature voted for the legislation but House Republicans unanimously voted against it, saying it did not sufficiently reduce funding to the Legislature and is hypocritical amid broad government spending cuts.
The Legislature approved a $216 million package of budget balancing bills this week that would eliminate a current-year deficit and restore depleted reserves if it is approved by Martinez.
She has voiced support for doing away with compensation to jurors who currently receive about $50 daily.
The state budget crisis has also prompted county clerks to cut back on hours they devote to helping the public in three of the state’s 13 judicial districts.
The judiciary is trying to save money by paying a lower mileage reimbursement rate for travel by judges, court staff, jurors, interpreters and court-ordered witnesses.
Separately, the independent Office of the Public Defender is declining to represent poor defendants in hundreds of cases, contending its attorneys cannot provide adequate service for so many clients unable to afford to hire lawyers to defend them.
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