HOUSE EXECUTIVE MESSAGE NO. 21
The Honorable Ben Lujan and
Members of the House of Representatives
Executive-Legislative Building
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87503
Honorable Speaker and Members of the House:
I have this day VETOED and am returning HOUSE
APPROPRIATIONS AND FINANCE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL 972, as amended, enacted by the Forty-Fifth
Legislature, First Session, 2001.
This bill contains over 400 performance measures and
targets that would be applied to selected State agencies during fiscal year
2002. These measures are in addition to
the 435 performance measures for the same agencies already included in the
General Appropriation Act of 2001(“GAA”).
Performance
measures and targets are an integral part of the state’s performance-based
budgeting initiative as codified in the Accountability in Government Act. The goal of the Act is to improve
performance and accountability in State government. While I definitely support this goal, I cannot support the
approach taken in this legislation:
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Performance
measures must be established by the staff and management of the agencies and
must be based on their strategic plans and budgets. Once developed, a consultation process should occur with the
Legislature for a proper exchange of ideas.
Some of the measures in House Bill 972 were designed by the Legislature
without the agreement of the affected agencies or were developed without clear
connection to the agencies’
strategic plans and budgets. This is
fundamentally at odds with the intent and letter of the Act.
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The
sheer number of performance measures included in House Bill 972, when combined
with the measures in the GAA, constitutes an unworkable burden of reporting and
compliance for the state agencies. It
is essential that we focus on a core set of meaningful measures. Experience will indicate whether that list
should be expanded or revised.
HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS AND FINANCE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL 972, as amended
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Performance
measures should not be set in statute.
Appropriate measures will be revised annually as agency missions and
budgets evolve. Rather than a statute,
these measures should be recorded in the form of a memorial that documents the
agreement between the Executive and the Legislature.
Performance-based budgeting is an initiative that
can truly reform state government to the benefit of all New Mexicans. I look forward to working with the
Legislature to implement this reform.
Sincerely,
Gary E. Johnson
Governor
RECEIVED FROM THE OFFICE OF THE
GOVERNOR:
Time: _____________________
By:_____________________________
Secretary of State
Date ______________________
Time:______________________
Date_______________________
By:_____________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
Hem21hb972