SANTA FE, NM – Today, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoed Senate Bill 17, the New Mexico Parole Board Modernization Act, despite the bipartisan, common-sense legislation receiving unanimous approval from both chambers of the legislature. In her veto message, the governor cited objections to provisions limiting her removal authority over parole board members.
This particular provision of the bill, which followed models from other states and recommendations from national nonpartisan experts, would have protected parole board members from removal in the absence of malfeasance. This protection would have shielded board members from arbitrary or politically motivated removal while maintaining their accountability to professional standards and legal obligations.
But the bill did much more than that. The bill, sponsored by Senator Leo Jaramillo, Representative Nicole Chavez, and Representative Andrea Romero, would have implemented the first major updates to the state's parole criteria since 1980. It would have addressed several critical gaps in the current parole system, including updating the factors that the parole board considers when making a parole decision, clarifying reimbursement for parole board member service, and ensuring more considerate scheduling of hearings for victims' families.
“This bipartisan bill would have brought essential reforms to our parole system, benefiting both the community and crime victims,” said ACLU-NM interim executive director Leon Howard. “Especially amidst brazen federal executive overreach, we expect our state governor to respect the legislative process and not substitute her own individual judgment for the will of the people as demonstrated by the unanimous passage of SB 17 through both chambers.”
“This veto message embodies the very kind of executive attitude we hoped to protect the parole board from in passing SB 17,” said Lena Weber, interim policy director at the ACLU of New Mexico. “It is critical to the functioning of our parole system that board members do not fear losing their position simply because they aren’t politically aligned with the governor. By vetoing SB 17, the governor has chosen to reject common-sense reforms and insisted on preserving her unilateral removal authority, forcing our parole system to continue operating under antiquated standards that fail to properly consider evidence of rehabilitation and readiness for reentry.”
“This legislative session, our elected officials have missed many opportunities,” said ACLU-NM staff attorney Denali Wilson. “Lawmakers had the opportunity to pass strong and urgently needed protections for vulnerable communities, and many of those opportunities were passed up due to a lapse of leadership and bravery. To now have the governor defend her power to remove public officers without cause by vetoing legislation that received overwhelming support is deeply disappointing.”
