Jan. 30—It’s the halfway point for this year’s 30-day legislative session, but that doesn’t mean there’s a halftime.

No breaks allowed.

A lobbyist ordering lunch at the cafe in the Capitol on Tuesday put it this way: “Starting tomorrow [Wednesday], it’s hell week.”

Make that hell week, two weeks in a row. With 15 days to go and nearly 600 pieces of legislation already introduced, expect top-priority and hot-button issues to rise to the top in an effort to get them over the finish line by Feb. 15, the last day of the session.

That means many other pieces of legislation will die along the way.

With the clock ticking, here’s a look at things to watch as the sessions heads down the stretch:

The budget: It’s called House Bill 2, and the $10 billion-plus spending plan created by the House Appropriations and Finance Committee is likely to be heard on the floor of the House of Representatives as soon as Wednesday. Priorities including public education funding, affordable housing initiatives, clean energy and water programs. It’s far from a done deal: expect wrangling both on the House floor and when moves over to the Senate for consideration, as legislators and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham remain apart in their proposals. House Democrats have called a news conference for Wednesday to discuss where they’re at. Meanwhile, House Republicans already have raised concerns about a $6 million appropriation to provide lawmakers with full-time staff.

Public Education: A number of education initiatives are still working their way through the committee hearing process, including a renewed bid to update the state’s high school graduation requirements, plus an effort to create a new Tribal Education Trust Fund and legislation to provide additional protections for those securing student loans.

Crime bills and gun safety: The two issues often go hand in hand. On Tuesday, the Senate voted to approve a bill, almost entirely along partisan lines, to prohibit the carrying of firearms within 100 feet of polling places. The measure next goes to the House for consideration.

Other gun safety measures, including limiting the capacity of assault weapons, may stagger and fall along before they reach the finish line, as has repeatedly happened in past sessions. Momentum has already faltered on the issue: A bill favored by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham that would have given judges more tools to keep people charged with serious violent crimes behind bars until their trial was tabled in a Senate committee this week.

Housing: Both the governor and lawmakers have emphasized the need to create more affordable housing units in the state. One of the biggest initiatives to tackle that problem this year, Senate Bill 7, would invest $500 million into the New Mexico Housing Trust Fund, designed to help finance affordable housing initiatives through low-interest loans, mortgage assistance and construction loans to companies wanting to build affordable housing in New Mexico communities. The bill is awaiting a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee, which carries considerable weight when it comes to approval of the final budget.

Meanwhile, Senate Bill 71, which would create a new state department of housing, is still working its way through the Senate committee process and has yet to be heard on the floor of either chamber.

Paid leave: One of the most contentious bills this year is House Bill 6, which would approve 12 weeks of paid medical and family leave. Supporters say the bill will provide some financial help for people who are struggling to pay bills while caring for an ailing loved one or dealing with a pregnancy.

Past efforts to pass such laws in the Legislature have failed, largely due to fears that extended paid leave would disrupt business operations. Some also raised concerns about the costs to workers and employers.

HB 6 is scheduled to be heard in the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee Friday.

How about 45 or 60 days instead? With nearly 600 bills, memorials and resolutions introduced as of Tuesday, it’s clear the vast majority will never get even one committee hearing, let alone a shot at fully running the legislative gauntlet.

But bills that will draw interest include two joint resolutions that would change both the governor’s power to set the agenda and the length of a legislative session. The resolutions, which have cleared one House committee (which means they still have a long way to go), would allow lawmakers to set the agenda for both 30 and 60-day sessions.

One proposal would make all legislative sessions 60 days long; the other would set them at 45 days. Both are set to be heard in the House Judiciary Committee, though as of Tuesday they had not yet been scheduled.

Beyond that …: Expect mostly partisan battles over efforts to clean up or change the oil and gas industry’s operations, a push to reform the troubled Children, Youth and Family Department, proposed changes to the state’s Cannabis Regulation Act and efforts to increase the state’s alcohol excise tax. Wednesday is the last day for lawmakers to introduce legislation this year.