Focus remains on the Roundhouse for this week’s “Conversations Different” as state Rep. Rebecca Dow, R-Truth or Consequences, and freshman state Sen. Nate Paul, R-Alamogordo, join the show to share Republican and rural perspectives for the 60-day legislative session.

Dow and Paul say Republicans share the Democrats’ desire to pass crime legislation, but that the GOP has been calling for action for years with little progress. While the most attention gets paid to crime in the state’s largest cities, Dow and Paul say crime has been rising in rural areas, too. They also note that they don’t want gun control in a public safety package.

Dow and Paul also speak to the struggle of having influence in legislation as a minority party and share ways they can try to make an impact. Dow says the challenges may increase as Democrats have recently voted in more progressive candidates who have replaced more conservative party members.

The lawmakers agree that the state’s rural areas, especially in the south, are often forgotten. As the state enjoys a large revenue surplus, Dow mentions the desire to have a rural capital outlay fund created to offer greater support to rural infrastructure.

Dow also advocates for tax reform, calling for the state to consider eliminating the income tax and reforming the state’s gross receipts tax.

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This week's episode of "Conversations Different" focuses on the start of New Mexico's legislative session and features separate interviews with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth. Both discussions revolve largely around public safety and behavioral health priorities.

Lujan Grisham talks about the state's issues with re-offenders and stresses the need for criminal competency reform. She also expresses her frustrations with the struggle of getting police data and her concerns with an escalation in juvenile crime. Lujan Grisham said that many New Mexicans don't feel safe, and shares an anecdote about a time she didn't feel safe when out in public with her grandchildren.

Sen. Wirth, D-Santa Fe, discusses the need to invest in the state's behavioral health infrastructure and shares his thoughts on criminal competency reform. Wirth also expresses optimism regarding an increase in state alcohol taxes, which haven't been revised in over three decades. He also talks about the need to protect the state's waters in response to recent Supreme Court rulings that have rolled back protections.

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Randall Balmer is an Episcopal priest, historian, author and the John Phillips Chair in Religion at Dartmouth College. His book Redeemer: The Life of Jimmy Carter examines the 39th president’s political fortunes and how they mirrored the transformation of American religious politics. Balmer joined “Conversations Different” in the days after Carter’s death to talk about Carter’s legacy. He discusses how Carter would not tell a lie, how historians are reassessing Carter’s one-term presidency and accomplishments, and stresses the importance of Carter’s faith. Balmer also examines how Evangelicals who helped elect Carter also helped elect Donald Trump to the presidency, and shares his personal interactions with Carter while writing the book.

Find Redeemer: The Life of Jimmy of Jimmy Carter and his Balmer’s other books on his website www.randallbalmer.com.

This episode is sponsored by Homewise.

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