NMPolitics.net (https://nmpolitics.net/index/page/381/)
The House approved late Thursday a newly reworked budget bill that makes deep cuts – 7.6 percent – to most state agencies, but smaller cuts to education, including trimming less than 1 percent from the budgets of K-12 schools. Continue Reading
The Las Cruces Sun-News profiled earlier today one of three city council races on the ballot in the Nov. 3 election. Discussion in the District 3 race between incumbent Dolores Archuleta and challenger Olga Pedroza has centered primarily on the economy and neighborhood improvements, the newspaper reported. Continue Reading
UPDATED: House Bill 17, which would implement some $220 million in cuts to most state agencies, public education and Medicaid, contains an interesting provision related to the state’s district attorneys. Continue Reading
Spokeswoman says the department has been planning for a 3.5 percent decrease in its budget. Cuts the department has already implemented include moving inmates from private to state-owned prisons and feeding inmates less. Continue Reading
House Bill 17 would implement some $220 million in cuts to most state agencies, public education and Medicaid, but it wouldn’t require the governor to trim his staff of hundreds of exempt employees. Instead, it states that he is “encouraged” to do it. Continue Reading
The State Investment Council has learned that Gary Bland, who resigned Wednesday, pressured investment firms to hire certain placement agents, Land Commissioner Pat Lyons says. Continue Reading
The primary bill aimed at addressing the state’s massive budget shortfall – legislation that includes cuts to education and Medicaid – was unveiled late Wednesday and passed the House Appropriations and Finance Committee on a vote of 11-6. Continue Reading
“This is a meal prepared by legislators and the governor for the past seven years — now they’ve got to eat it,” former Gov. Gary Johnson says about the budget shortfall in an interview with NMPolitics.net. “… I hope the fallout is that nobody gets re-elected.” Continue Reading
The state’s top investment officer, Gary Bland, resigned Wednesday in a letter to Gov. Bill Richardson. His resignation comes in the middle of a pay-to-play scandal involving state investments that’s the subject of federal and state criminal investigations. Continue Reading
UPDATED: During a discussion today about whether lawmakers should voluntarily reduce their per diem, Sen. Richard Martinez accused some of abusing the system. He didn’t name names but did give a few hints about who he might be referring to. Continue Reading
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish plans to meet with school superintendents on Thursday to urge them to cut energy use in their districts. Continue Reading
The minds behind Republican Richard Berry’s recent win in the Albuquerque mayoral race explain how it happened and what they think it means for the 2010 election. Continue Reading
Some legislators have rightly suggested that budget cuts that will force state police to park their cars and reduce patrols are an unacceptable option under any circumstance, and I wholeheartedly agree. The same standard should be applied to prosecutors as well. Continue Reading
A group of Republican legislators released a list of 48 budget-cutting items they say Richardson can enact without legislative action, including releasing non-violent criminals early, selling the state’s jet and skipping the 2010 Rose Bowl Parade. Continue Reading
I believe the current budget deficit can be solved through increased operational efficiencies that every state agency is more than capable of identifying, auditing the current budget for unspent reverted funds, delaying some discretionary capital outlay projects and decreasing the rainy day fund by 1 to 2.5 percent. Continue Reading