Senate approves campaign contribution limits

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After a long and contentious debate earlier today, the Senate approved a bill that places limits on campaign contributions to candidates for state offices, but only after making several amendments that make it significantly different than the bill already approved by the House. On a vote of 25-12, the Senate approved Senate Bill 800, sponsored by Dede Feldman, D-Albuquerque. It would create a number of new campaign finance reporting requirements for candidates and political action committees and would limit campaign contributions to candidates to $2,300 for state races during each election cycle. Primary and general elections are considered separate cycles under the proposal. Midway through the debate, the bill appeared dead when an amendment sponsored by Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson, R-Las Cruces, was approved that stipulated that the bill would go into effect in the year 3007. Continue Reading

Senate may kill bill to limit campaign contributions

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The New Mexico Senate may be ready to defeat a bill that would places limits on campaign contributions to candidates for state offices. A similar bill has been approved by the House, but the Senate just amended the bill so that, if it passed, it would take effect in the year 3007, effectively making it irrelevant. That may be a sign that it’s about to be defeated. Senate Bill 800, sponsored by Sen. Dede Feldman, D-Albuquerque, would create a number of new campaign finance reporting requirements for candidates and political action committees and would limit campaign contributions to $2,300 for state races during each election cycle. Primary and general elections are considered separate cycles under the proposal. Continue Reading

Richardson’s acceptance of massive gifts gives senators an excuse to ignore ethics reform proposals

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Gov. Bill Richardson continues to give lawmakers grounds to believe his ethics reform proposals are hypocritical. In doing so, he’s giving them an excuse to oppose reform. The Associated Press is reporting that legislation heading to the governor for a signature would give $4 million for a road project sought by a major Richardson donor – one whose campaign contributions would be illegal under legislation the governor has proposed. Richardson wants to ban gifts with a value of more than $250, except during legislative sessions, when gifts with a value of more than $100 would be banned. He wants to limit campaign contributions to $2,300 per individual per election cycle. Continue Reading

E-mails reveal details about U.S. attorney scandal

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I’m going through the e-mail exchanges between White House and Justice Department officials about the decision made last year to fire eight U.S. attorneys. The documents were released today, and I’m looking for interesting tidbits. The e-mails can be found online by clicking here and here. For more information on the current status of the scandal, scroll down to read today’s earlier article. Here’s what I found in the e-mails: • Many have pointed out, as evidence that the current administration wasn’t doing anything unusual in getting rid of the eight last year, that former President Bill Clinton got rid of a number of U.S. attorneys when elected. Continue Reading

Richardson signs statewide smoking ban into law

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Gov. Bill Richardson signed into law today a statewide ban on smoking in most public buildings. “The advantages of a law like this – dramatically reducing exposure to second-hand smoke – far outweigh any potential administrative problems,” Richardson said. “The exposure to second-hand smoke, and cancer and lung and heart disease, is a risk that we should no longer take.” House Bill 283, sponsored by Rep. Al Park, D-Albuquerque, bans smoking in restaurants, bars and workplaces throughout the state, in addition to public transportation systems and almost all enclosed public places. It also prohibits smoking within a “reasonable” distance of their doors and windows. Smoking would still be allowed in private residences that don’t provide commercial child, adult or health care; private clubs; bingo halls; retail tobacco stores; tobacco manufacturing plants; film production sets; sole proprietor businesses; and businesses with fewer than two employees. Continue Reading

Commission puts safeguards on spaceport tax

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The Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners approved today a resolution that would put safeguards on tax money that would help fund Spaceport America. On a vote of 4-1, with Oscar Vasquez Butler dissenting, the commission approved the resolution and an amendment stating the county’s intent to use 25 percent of the tax money for educational purposes. State law allows the county to keep as much as 25 percent of the tax money for spaceport-related activities. Commissioner Bill McCamley has proposed using the money to fund programs in engineering and business that will focus on the aerospace industry at high schools in all three county school districts. The language in the resolution isn’t that specific, but does state that the county intends to use it for education. Continue Reading

Documents prove White House involvement in U.S. attorney firings; Domenici spoke to Bush about Iglesias

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Documents that were turned over to Congress today prove that top Bush Administration staffers were intimately involved in the firings of eight former U.S. attorneys including David Iglesias of New Mexico, disproving the Justice Department’s prior assertion that the White House played almost no role. The White House has also revealed that President George W. Bush personally relayed concerns that had been shared with him about a number of U.S. attorneys to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales weeks before the firings. Among those who complained to Bush was U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. Statements made Monday evening by the White House in conjunction with the release of records are the latest in a series of admissions the Bush Administration has made only after the media or others alleged that prior statements weren’t accurate. That failure to be up-front about information has increased suspicion that the firings were political and has caused the scandal to explode. The documents don’t necessarily prove political motives, but do show that officials haven’t been forthcoming about how the firings came about. Continue Reading

Legislature sends capital outlay bill to governor

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The Legislature sent Gov. Bill Richardson a $622-million capital outlay bill this evening, giving the governor three days to act on it and assuring time at the end of the week to override vetoes before the session ends at noon on Saturday. The approval comes the same day that lawmakers sent the $5.7-billion state budget to Richardson, giving him until Thursday to act on it. Richardson will be busy, having also planned a trip to the East Coast for his presidential campaign that will last all day on Wednesday. Senate Bill 827, sponsored by Pete Campos, D-Las Vegas, appropriates more than $622 million for capital outlay projects. Coupled with a pair of other bills, Campos told the Senate the state is appropriating more than $760 million for infrastructure this year. Continue Reading

Cervantes gets to be speaker of the House

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He withdrew last year from a bid to become House majority leader, but State Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, got to be speaker for awhile today. Speaker of the House Ben Lujan picked Cervantes to run the floor session while he presented a bill and walked around the House floor to chat with members. While Cervantes was in charge, one of the members asked to make a motion at a point when doing so wasn’t the norm. Cervantes paused for a moment before telling the member to state his motion. The member chuckled. Continue Reading

Senate approves limits on gifts to officials, candidates

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The Senate has just approved a bill that would limit gifts to candidates and public officials in New Mexico, making it the first ethics reform proposal to pass both the Senate and House this year. Though both chambers have approved the limits on gifts, they passed different bills, and slight differences will have to be reconciled before either goes to Gov. Bill Richardson for a signature. Senate Bill 931, sponsored by John Grubesic, D-Santa Fe, would prohibit public officials and candidates for state and local offices from accepting gifts with value of more than $100 during legislative sessions and $250 during the rest of the year. It would also prohibit lobbyists from giving gifts whose combined value total more than $1,000 to any state official or candidate for state office each year. It was approved on a vote of 25-15. Continue Reading

Richardson signs cockfighting ban into law

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Gov. Bill Richardson signed into law Monday a statewide ban on cockfighting. “Senate Bill 10 is fair and it is humane,” Richardson said. “I am proud that New Mexico will now move beyond cockfighting and join the 48 states that have already banned this outdated practice.” The ban takes effect June 15. In an interview, the sponsor of Senate Bill 10, Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, D-Doña Ana, said the signing of the bill was one of the greatest moments of her life. She has fought for the ban for 18 years. Continue Reading

Some reforms advance, but ethics commission dies

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There’s a lot happening in the Senate today on ethics reform proposals. Earlier today, the Senate Rules Committee voted to send three House ethics bills on with favorable recommendations: • House Bill 821, sponsored by Rep. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, would create a number of new campaign finance reporting requirements for candidates and political action committees designed to increase the ability of the public to know about the money involved in elections. It would also limit campaign contributions to $2,300 for state races during each election cycle. Primary and general elections are considered separate cycles under the proposal. It now heads to the Senate Judiciary Committee before it can go to the Senate floor. Continue Reading

Resolution would put conditions on spaceport tax

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Members of the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners are set to vote Tuesday on a resolution that would put safeguards on tax money that would help fund Spaceport America. The resolution, which a majority of commissioners have said they support, puts some protection on public money that would be spent if voters approve a 1/4 percent gross receipts tax increase on April 3 to help fund the spaceport. The resolution declares the intent of the county to rescind the tax if certain conditions aren’t met by Dec. 31, 2008: that the state obtains a Federal Aviation Administration license and the acceptance of the accompanying environmental impact statement, that Virgin Galactic signs a lease to use the facility, and that the cost of the Virgin Galactic facility does not exceed $225 million. The wording is even stronger than that of conditions the Legislature placed in 2006 on more than $100 million it appropriated for the spaceport. Continue Reading

Foley says housing bills will be heard Tuesday

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The House minority whip says the Business and Industry Committee will hear three bills related to the state’s housing authority scandal during Tuesday’s meeting. The bills aren’t on the published schedule, which doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t be heard. Committee Chair Debbie Rodella, D-Ohkay Owingeh, and other Democrats who previously voted to table one of the bills have agreed to allow all three to be heard, according to Dan Foley, R-Roswell. “They’ve agreed,” Foley said. “I want to thank the chairwoman, Debbie Rodella, for agreeing to hear all three tomorrow.” Rodella could not be reached for comment. Continue Reading

Rove passed on complaints about Iglesias, others

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The Bush Administration is acknowledging that presidential adviser Karl Rove took complaints from Republican officials about U.S. attorneys to the Justice Department, further involving the White House in a situation in which officials had previously asserted it played almost no role. Rove, the White House’s chief political operative, did pass along complaints about David Iglesias, former U.S. attorney for New Mexico, McClatchy Newspapers is reporting. A White House spokesman confirmed that Sunday evening. The Justice Department had previously asserted that the White House was only involved in the decision to fire eight U.S. attorneys, including Iglesias, by approving, after the department made the decisions, a list of those who would be fired on Dec. 7. Continue Reading