SANTA FE, N.M. – State lawmakers know time is limited — even during the longer 60-day sessions — to get through some incredibly complicated topics. That’s why they work on proposals throughout the summer and fall.

This year, it seems they’re hopeful all that hard work will pay off. House Democrat leaders announced Friday they are ready to rebuild New Mexico’s behavioral health system, something just about every city and state leader has asked for in recent years.

The new House Floor Leader, state Rep. Reena Szczepanski, says they’ll be proposing a $200 million investment to increase capacity and address a backlog of behavioral health patients across the state, among other initiatives.

“We’re starting to make progress strengthening those systems, but we’re still a long way from where we need to be. This is a wrong that we must make right. Every New Mexican should be able to get help when and where they need it,” said Szczepanski. 

Speaker of the House Javier Martinez says those behavioral health-related bills will be prioritized in the first 30 days to make sure lawmakers have time to get them to the governor’s desk before the clock runs out.

The speaker also revealed House Democrats are planning to address the longstanding issues at the Children, Youth and Families Department. That’s the embattled state department that handles child abuse cases.

Martinez says it’s time to bring in oversight with a new Office of the Child Advocate inside the New Mexico Department of Justice.

“The idea behind the Office of a Child Advocate is to have an independent voice for those children and not require a full out lawsuit to be able to get data, to get information, to get, sometimes, just basic facts of a particular case,” said Martinez. 

This is not a new idea. Republican state lawmakers — especially on the Senate side — have been calling for increased CYFD oversight for years now but faced serious hesitation from Democrat leaders and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

It is promising though to see Democrat leaders propose this kind of legislation before the session starts. 

Republican leaders are planning to share their legislative priorities early next week.