The New Mexico State Legislature convened Saturday to address a $650 million revenue shortfall for this fiscal year.

Gov. Bill Richardson and state legislators differ on how to balance the budget. Richardson has been adamant about not raising taxes or making any cuts to education.

Several legislators have recommended that every angle must be looked at in cutting expenses. Sen. John Sapien (D-Corrales), who serves on a 12-member bipartisan budget committee, understands the importance of this special session.  “I am in favor of no one losing their job, no one taking a pay cut and no one losing services in New Mexico,” he said. “I’m in favor of not cutting education and not cutting Medicaid. There’s a full range of options being looked at.”

Senate President Pro-Tem Tim Jennings, in an open letter to the citizens of New Mexico, wrote that every New Mexican needs to prepare for the tough economic times ahead.

“Everyone needs to understand and take note that we all must make wise economic choices individually, as a family, and in government, for which the Legislature is primarily responsible,” Jennings wrote.

Jennings warned that the deficit could swell to $700 million.

“We cannot ignore this crisis,” he wrote. “This drastic decline in revenue means that we all must be prepared for substantial budget cuts to all of state government, including public schools and higher education.”

Education accounts for more than 40 percent of the state’s $5.5 billion budget.

“Under no uncertain terms does our senate or our senators want to cut education or hurt our future and the education of our children,” Sapien said. “The reality is we have to look at all options out there in finding this $650 million. It’s compounded by the fact that a lot of people don’t look at the budget everyday. They don’t understand the budgetary process and don’t understand the numbers and the challenges we run into by committing to and being committed to protecting education. No one wants to negatively affect the education system by cutting the budget.”

If the Legislature doesn’t cut expenses, then it would have to add revenue to the state’s coffers. The governor has indicated that he will not sign off on any tax increases. For a tax increase to be enacted, both the house and senate’s members must approve it by a two-thirds majority. Even if that happened, the earliest the money could be realized would be March of 2010.

“We’d only have a quarter for the new money, which does nothing for backfilling 2009 and making up the deficit in 2010,” Sapien said. “It potentially gets us going for something in 2011, but it does nothing for the immediate problem that we’re facing.”

He also said that any increased taxes could slow down an economic recovery.

“There are tough decisions that need to be made,” he said.

State Rep. Ben Rodefer (D-Corrales) doesn’t want any cuts to education. The freshman legislator sent a letter to every public school superintendent in the state opposing cuts to education.

“There is nothing more important than our children, their education and their future,” Rodefer wrote. “Education is the greatest form of long-term economic development. I find it unconscionable that so many in the state Senate want to compromise New Mexico’s future by further challenging our already financially strained school districts, and the vital services and jobs they provide.”