Santa Fe – House Republican Leadership this week requested from the Governor’s office a report of how many state government employees are still working remotely, adding that all state employees should return to their offices as soon as possible. 961 days post-COVID economic shutdowns, it is speculated that only 40% of the some-22,000 state employees have returned to working in-person full time.
“New Mexicans cannot get a hold of government employees to complete important business in a timely and efficient manner because too many people are not in their offices,” said House Republican Leader Jim Townsend (Artesia). “Our own legislative staff has tremendous trouble making direct contact with many agency staff. It is unacceptable that the people of this state still must make appointments to visit the MVD, wait days if not weeks for a returned phone call, or to simply give up acquiring the services their taxes pay for.”
Leadership offices have reported that many constituent calls are a result of the inability for the public to reach people in government departments. An astonishing account considering New Mexico’s state budget has increased by 34% since Lujan Grisham took office in 2019.
“It has been 961 days since Lujan Grisham imposed her emergency control of New Mexico- 961 days of economic and educational turmoil, not to mention 961 days of New Mexicans being limited in reaching the government services their tax dollars pay for,” said House Republican Caucus Chair Rebecca Dow (T or C). “It is reasonable for a New Mexico taxpayer to expect that government agencies will answer their calls in a timely manner. I am disturbed by the many constituents who report that they simply cannot reach the government offices that will ultimately penalize the citizen for missing deadlines.”
House Republican Leadership’s letter to the Governor is attached to this release.
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