Governor, Legislature, withdraw your swords!
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N.M. taxpayers will be the ultimate winners if the Legislature and governor stop competing against each other and start competing against other states for revenue and jobs. Continue Reading
An idea whose time has come
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This session I sponsored legislation to allow my colleagues an avenue by which they could support and fund our public schools without raising taxes, and to allow the citizens of New Mexico the chance to vote on their support for our public schools. It didn’t pass, but there’s time to try again next year. Continue Reading
Lawmakers increase pension contributions, but not for themselves
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In the legislative session that just ended, “lawmakers voted to increase the pension contributions of just about everybody else in state government but themselves. They let a bill to increase their own retirement contributions die,” The Albuquerque Journal is reporting. Continue Reading
Legislature faced difficult choices, strived for compromises
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This year’s legislative session will be remembered as one of the most difficult in years, as the economy forced legislators to cut spending for the third year in a row. Continue Reading
First State Investment Council webcast comes today
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UPDATED: Gov. Susana Martinez promised last month to start webcasting meetings of the State Investment Council, and she’s making good on that pledge starting today. Continue Reading
Say no to Obamacare health insurance exchanges
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Obamacare is unpopular, unwieldy, expensive, likely unconstitutional, and will shortly be a prime target for repeal. And the worst is yet to come: Obamacare expects states to do much of the law’s dirty work. Continue Reading
Session ends with meltdown; capital outlay bill dies
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Two behind-the-scenes battles exploded in public view and consumed the final hour of the 2011 legislative session today, causing the $240 million capital outlay bill to die as time expired. Continue Reading
Driver’s license bill appears to be dead
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A controversial bill dealing with driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants appears to be dead, giving Gov. Susana Martinez an opening to make good on her threat to use regulations to deal with the issue. Continue Reading
Liveblogging the last day of the session
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KUNM’s government project is liveblogging the last day of the 2010 regular legislative session. You can join in here. Continue Reading
Bill expanding Governmental Conduct Act on guv’s desk
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Certain lawmakers and the attorney general have been working for years to try to pass a bill that would apply the provisions in the Governmental Conduct Act to local government officials. Continue Reading
Legislature OKs Martinez’s school-grading bill
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Lawmakers gave final approval early this morning to Gov. Susana Martinez’s proposal to assign letter grades to schools based on performance. Continue Reading
Driver’s license bill goes to conference committee
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The House and Senate both refused this evening to accept the other chamber’s version of a controversial bill dealing with driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants, so a conference committee will try to work out the differences. Continue Reading
Martinez will sign expansion of Katie’s Law
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Gov. Susana Martinez will sign a bill approved by lawmakers tonight that would expand Katie’s Law to require a DNA sample from anyone arrested for a felony crime in New Mexico. Continue Reading
Bill requiring guv to webcast cabinet meetings lingers
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A bill that would require Gov. Susana Martinez to webcast meetings of her cabinet has been on the Senate floor calendar for at least a couple of weeks without getting a hearing. Continue Reading
Martinez racks up a couple of victories
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Gov. Susana Martinez is in danger of losing some hard-fought battles with lawmakers as the end of the session approaches, but she has racked up a couple of victories. Continue Reading