House Resolution 2 is a resolution constituting articles of impeachment against Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. The resolution alleges that the governor violated the New Mexico Constitution and the U.S. Constitution by issuing Executive Order 2023-130 and directing a September 8, 2023 public health order that restricted the carrying of firearms in certain areas. It further alleges that the governor continued those alleged violations when the order was modified on September 15, 2023, and that she improperly used the state’s public health emergency and emergency management powers to do so.
The resolution sets out eight articles of impeachment. These include claims that the governor violated the state right to bear arms provision, the Second Amendment, misused public health emergency authority, misused public resources by directing the Department of Public Safety to enforce the order, coerced political subdivisions to comply, and generally abused the public trust. The resolution also states that the House of Representatives is exercising its constitutional impeachment power and seeks notice to the governor that she should be suspended from exercising the powers of office pending Senate trial.
Impact
If adopted, the resolution would initiate impeachment proceedings against the governor under the New Mexico Constitution, triggering Senate trial procedures and potentially leading to removal from office and disqualification from holding future office. It does not amend the statutory code directly, but it invokes constitutional impeachment provisions and relies on the Public Health Emergency Response Act and the All Hazard Emergency Management Act as the framework the governor allegedly misused. The practical effect would be on the governor’s authority, the executive branch, and state and local agencies involved in emergency response and firearms enforcement.
Sentiment
The bill appears strongly adversarial and punitive toward the governor, reflecting a clear partisan and ideological conflict over gun regulation and emergency powers. The text itself is framed as a formal accusation and seeks impeachment, removal, and disqualification. No committee testimony or recorded votes are provided, so the available context shows only the sponsors’ position and the resolution’s accusatory tone, not broader legislative consensus.
Contention
The central point of contention is whether the governor’s emergency public health orders concerning firearms were lawful exercises of executive authority or unconstitutional infringements on the right to keep and bear arms. Supporters of the resolution argue that the orders violated both the New Mexico Constitution and the Second Amendment and that emergency powers were improperly used to restrict gun possession. Opponents, while not represented in the provided record, would likely focus on the governor’s authority to respond to gun violence as a public health emergency and on the scope of executive emergency powers. The resolution also raises conflict over whether local governments and state agencies were improperly compelled to enforce the order.