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Senate continues resisting reform, webcasting

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The Senate set the stage on Saturday for the possible killing a proposal to begin webcasting audio and video of its proceedings, and could vote down the bill as early as today. The body, which has been openly resistant to ethics reform and transparency measures in recent years, also killed an ethics-reform proposal on Saturday. An “ethics sham” is how Sen. Eric Griego, D-Albuquerque, characterized things after the Senate killed his bill that would prohibit lawmakers from becoming lobbyists for a year after their final term expires and added amendments to the bill that would authorize webcasting. The latter ensures that the bill needs approval of two-thirds of senators instead of a simple majority and appears likely to doom it. Gov. Bill Richardson was not pleased when senators killed Griego’s Senate Bill 163 on a vote of 14-22. Continue Reading

‘Um, duh,’ most voters in poll say

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The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said “Um, duh” when asked if the New Mexico Legislature is trying to kill ethics reform. Of 145 voters, 97, or 67 percent, gave that answer, while 39, or 27 percent, said “Ethics? What are ethics?” and nine, or 6 percent, said, “No, they just have their heads buried in the sand.” Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Our need for dignity in life and death

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© 2009 by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. Columnists often write about abstract topics such as the legitimate role of government in a free society. But there is a practical component in our lives that is much more important. That core is human dignity. Day by day, we lose more of our dignity and, at death’s door, many are entirely stripped of it. Yet, rarely do we talk about this all-important part of living and dying. Continue Reading

Bill seeks more disclosure from investment firms

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A bill that would require additional disclosure from investment firms seeking to do business with the state has cleared the House and is awaiting a hearing in a Senate committee. In light of the pay-to-play allegations dogging the Richardson administration — which, in the federal grand jury investigation and the separate lawsuit brought by Frank Foy, have to do with state investments — the bill seems especially relevant. House Bill 876, sponsored by Miguel P. Garcia, D-Albuquerque, would require companies seeking contracts with the state that deal with alternative investments — those other than stocks and bonds – to disclose the employment of any third-party marketers it’s employing to help secure the contract, including public relations firms and lobbyists. If the bill is enacted, the relevant agencies — the State Investment Council, Educational Retirement Board and Public Employees Retirement Association — will be required to pass on those disclosures in reports they make publicly several times a year, and also annually to the appropriate legislative oversight committee. With the current scrutiny of campaign contributions from the firms at the center of the pay-to-play allegations against the Richardson administration, the disclosure of any additional information about who is helping those firms would seem to make it easier for the public to understand the money involved. Continue Reading

AG postpones housing authority grand jury

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Sen. Papen is among those who are frustrated that the case hasn’t moved forward Attorney General Gary King has delayed his plan to take the drawn-out investigation of scandal in the state’s affordable housing system before a grand jury, and that has some frustrated. Witnesses in the case had been subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury in February, but that never happened. Multiple sources confirmed that the housing authority grand jury was postponed, but King’s office, which never confirmed its grand jury plans in the first place, won’t say now why the grand jury has been delayed. As is customary, AG spokesman Phil Sisneros would say only that his office doesn’t comment on the status of investigations. The delay frustrates Sen. Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces. Continue Reading

Senate webcasting debate to be webcast

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The Senate could vote Friday on whether to give final authorization to webcasting and establish the ground rules. The New Mexico Independent will be webcasting the webcasting debate. Joining NMI’s Gwyneth Doland on the liveblog accompanying the webcast will be the Santa Fe Reporter’s Dave Maass and hopefully some other prominent panelists. Anyone can join the chat while they’re watching the debate. Senate Resolution 3, sponsored by Mark Boitano, R-Albuquerque, is 19th on the agenda for Friday’s Senate floor session, but if and when the bill is considered is really up to Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, who isn’t the biggest fan of webcasting. Continue Reading

Guv wants more than ‘temporary ethics reform’

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In response to a Senate committee’s approval earlier this week of a campaign contribution limits bill that would sunset two years after it takes effect, Gov. Bill Richardson called today for the approval of permanent ethics reform. “I’m pleased that this issue is moving forward, but we don’t need temporary ethics reform,” Richardson said in a news release. “I urge legislators get me a bill with a firm and permanent cap on campaign contributions.” The bill, unanimously approved by members of the Senate Rules Committee, would limit contributions from individuals to $2,300, from political committees to $5,000 and from political parties to $10,000 per calendar year. It would take effect on Jan. 1, 2011 and includes a sunset clause of Jan. Continue Reading

Letters seek leniency for Aragon

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If you haven’t checked out the letter former Senate President Manny Aragon has written to a federal judge seeking leniency in the imposing of fines and restitution for his role in the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Courthouse scandal, you should. Also interesting are the letters a number of high-profile New Mexicans — including Senate President Pro-Tem Tim Jennings and Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan — wrote in support of Aragon’s plea for leniency. You can check out the letters by clicking here, and the Albuquerque Journal’s article on the letters here. Aragon pleaded guilty in October to three felony counts of conspiracy and mail fraud. He was accused of pocketing more than $600,000 in the scheme in which prosecutors say he and several others stole $4.2 million in taxpayer money by inflating and falsifying invoices during construction of the courthouse. Continue Reading

A golden opportunity for change

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By Tom Taylor and Keith GardnerOn behalf of the House Republican caucus New Mexico is in the middle of a fiscal crisis and, once again, the Democrat majority refuses to make the necessary changes to ensure we have enough money for the next year. The House Republican caucus voted “no” last week on House Bill 2, the budget bill, because it will not fix New Mexico’s fiscal problems. The Legislature had a choice — use a Band Aid and temporary money or set a new course of change for the way business is done. This budget is unfair to New Mexicans and depends too heavily on the federal stimulus money that has not yet arrived. The state is gambling on the future based on overly optimistic projections of oil and gas revenues. There was a $450 million budget shortfall this year because, last August, the Legislature predicted oil and gas revenues to bring in more money than they actually did, then continued to spend that extra money without restraint. Continue Reading

Lujan’s support should clear path for housing reform

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Once accused of trying to kill an overhaul of the state’s housing authority system, Lujan is now shepherding it through the House In 2007, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and Sen. Mary Kay Papen accused House Speaker Ben Lujan of trying to torpedo their attempt to reform the state’s affordable housing system. But this year, he’s shepherding their housing authority reform bill through the House for them. The move, announced Monday, indicates a great deal of consensus behind Papen’s Senate Bill 20, which unanimously passed the Senate this weekend. With Lujan’s backing, the bill is likely to sail through the House. The governor has endorsed it. Continue Reading

House approves e-mail records request bill

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The House unanimously approved today a bill that would require government agencies in New Mexico to accept requests for public records via e-mail and fax. House Bill 598, sponsored by Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, was approved on a vote of 64-0. It now moves to the Senate for consideration. “Government actors should not be able to rely on artificial barriers to avoid making public records available to the public,” Cervantes said following today’s vote. “With this legislation, no government actor can hide behind an argument that a records request must be printed and mailed or hand-delivered to constitute a valid request. Continue Reading

Rules Committee OKs contribution limits

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The Senate Rules Committee gave a do-pass recommendation today to a bill that would enact campaign contribution limits in New Mexico. On a vote of 7-0, the bill now moves to the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to the New Mexico Independent. It’s a committee substitute drafted after consideration of several contribution-limit bills over the last couple of weeks, and isn’t yet available online. The bill would limit contributions from individuals to $2,300, from political committees to $5,000 and from political parties to $10,000 per calendar year. It would take effect on Jan. Continue Reading

Senate committee OKs webcasting rules

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A resolution that would set the rules for live audio and video wecasting from the Senate floor was approved today by the Senate Rules Committee. The Santa Fe New Mexican’s Kate Nash is reporting about the committee’s do-pass recommendation for Senate Resolution 3, sponsored by Mark Boitano, R-Albuquerque. The measure now heads to the Senate floor. Last month, the Senate Committee’s Committee decided to take a step toward webcasting by allowing cameras to be reinstalled in the Senate gallery with the intention of beginning webcasting later this session. Boitano’s resolution would finalize that decision by setting in place the rules governing the webcasting. Continue Reading

‘Key witness’ says Malott pushed risky investing

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Former Educational Retirement Board Member Pauline Turner says the investment deal at the center of Frank Foy’s pay-to-play lawsuit was ‘hasty’ and ‘irresponsible’ Pauline Turner thought it was unusual for Bruce Malott, chairman of the New Mexico Educational Retirement Board (ERB), to call a special meeting in May 2006 for a vote on whether to invest $40 million with Vanderbilt Financial. Special meetings weren’t unheard of, but they were by no means common, she said in an interview. And Turner, then an ERB board member, had become increasingly concerned about the board’s move, under Malott’s leadership, toward what she saw as riskier investments. So she was in the minority in voting against the Vanderbilt investment at the May 12, 2006 meeting of the board. Turner explained her opposition at the meeting, according to the minutes: She felt the board was making “what appeared to be a hasty decision” because its members hadn’t been educated on the type of investment they were about to make and didn’t have policies and procedures in place to deal with such investments. Continue Reading

In new film, Iglesias says Gonzales lied under oath

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It appears that a documentary about the U.S. attorney scandal that plagued the Bush administration is going to be quite revealing — or salacious, depending on your point of view. InJustice, which is being produced by Storyville Films, is still in production, according to information about the documentary on the company’s Web site. But the company has released a 10-minute trailer. In the trailer, you’ll see a hint of emotion from David Iglesias, the former U.S. attorney for New Mexico who was among those fired, when he alleges that former Sen. Pete Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson pressured him to speed indictments in a case involving a high-ranking Democrat in time to sway voters in the 2006 election. “It was un-American, and the more I thought about it — in fact, I’m getting angry again just thinking about it, because it’s not what this country stands for,” he says. Continue Reading