ALBUQUERQUE, NM—Rep. Kelly Fajardo (R-Los Lunas) issued the following statement in response to the proposed crime plan released by the House Democrats this afternoon.
 
“After years of work by House Republicans to fight crime and make New Mexico a safer place to live, work that House Democrats criticized as an “all crime all the time” agenda, they have finally recognized Republicans are right, and that crime is a serious problem in our communities,” Fajardo said.
 
Fajardo continued, “House Democrats have minimized New Mexico’s crime problem for years. This gesture to show that they are finally taking the concerns of New Mexicans seriously comes better late than never. But while Democrat legislators were playing politics with the safety of New Mexicans, the state’s crime rates have skyrocketed.”
 
Fajardo noted that House Republicans had previously offered many bills to address specific areas residents want to see fixed. House Republicans proposed numerous bills to stop the judicial system revolving door by enhancing penalties for career felony offenders. For example, House Republicans worked to reform New Mexico’s toothless “three strikes” law, a statute so ineffective it has never been used by prosecutors.
 
House Republicans also tried to extend sentences for felons caught illegally possessing a firearm and expand “Baby Brianna’s Law” so all child abusers convicted of killing a child through abuse or neglect would be eligible for life in prison, regardless of the age of their child victim.
 
Importantly, House Republicans repeatedly tried to help local communities hire more law enforcement officers by allowing retired officers to return to work. This legislation was strongly opposed by House Democrats, with a majority of them voting against it.
 
“Passing Return to Work would have allowed up to 169 more officers to patrol Albuquerque’s streets and hundreds more in communities throughout New Mexico,” Fajardo said. “Imagine the countless lives that could have been protected, the home burglaries and the auto thefts that could have been prevented had we passed this one bill,” Fajardo said.
 
Fajardo added, “Innocent New Mexicans have been harmed because the Democrats in the Legislature have stood in the way of good bills that would have protected people and their property. Republicans have been ready and willing to act for years. We are glad that our friends across the aisle are finally ready to put aside partisan politics and join us on this issue. Perhaps now we can achieve real results for New Mexicans.”
 
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