Republicans want emergency legislative session on crime

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Leading Republican state legislators are calling for immediate reforms to enhance sentences for violent crime and place new limitations on pre-trial release from jail. The push is in response to violent crime in Albuquerque. The lawmakers urged Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to call a special legislative session to send a strong signal that criminals will be held responsible. A letter from House Republicans including minority leader James Townsend calls for reconsideration of 11 GOP-sponsored bills on public safety that were rejected in 2020 and 2021 by the Democrat-led Legislature. Lujan Grisham wants public safety reforms high on the agenda when the Legislature convenes in January 2022.