Martinez prepares to sign or veto bills

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - Lawmakers have put more than 70 bills on Governor Susana Martinez's desk, and now she has to figure out which ones will actually make it into law.

The Governor says the legislative session, which ended Thursday, certainly had some bright spots.

"I was pleased that we got some of our tax reforms out," Governor Martinez said. "We have some of the dollars in place for education reform, and we also tackled corruption in our state."

Two bills the Governor knows she will accept include one that prevents elected officials convicted of crimes from collecting benefits after they've been booted from office. Another bill will give $1,000 tax credit to business hiring veterans from war.

"We're real excited that we're going to be more competitive with our surrounding states, and make sure businesses that are her remain open," Martinez said. "We're also inviting other businesses to come her and hire our New Mexicans."

As for the struggles, Governor Martinez did not get the legislature to pass her two biggest reforms, repealing driver's licenses for illegal immigrants and holding back third grade students who aren't reading at grade level.

"We got further than we have in the past, and I will not stop fighting for our kids," Martinez commented, referring to both issues.

She blames special interest group for getting in the way of both bills.

Governor Martinez also said with each legislative session things appear to be getting easier.

She believes she's made a point in getting to know each lawmaker which in turn is making the legislature more productive as a whole.