{"id":25106,"date":"2011-01-18T07:55:20","date_gmt":"2011-01-18T14:55:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=25106"},"modified":"2011-01-18T09:48:31","modified_gmt":"2011-01-18T16:48:31","slug":"legislature-opens-today-with-speaker-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2011\/01\/legislature-opens-today-with-speaker-vote\/","title":{"rendered":"Legislature opens today with speaker vote"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

The Roundhouse in Santa Fe (Photo by Heath Haussamen)<\/p><\/div>\n

The 2011 N.M. Legislature<\/a> opens sometime after noon today, with the biggest question being who will be elected speaker of the House.<\/p>\n

Tea party groups are making a last-minute attempt to hinder a potential coalition between Republicans and Democrats to overthrow current speaker Ben Luj\u00e1n<\/a>, D-Namb\u00e9. The Las Cruces Tea Party<\/a> passed a resolution late last week opposing a potential coalition. Here\u2019s the group\u2019s statement:<\/p>\n

\u200e”We, the members of the Las Cruces TEA Party strongly recommend that the Republican Legislators nominate their own candidate for speaker of the House and vote in unison for that candidate. We do not support any coalition with progressives nor with those with a voting record that contradicts our conservative values.”
\nSince then, several other tea party groups from around the state have passed similar resolutions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And members of the Las Cruces group met with House Minority Leader Tom Taylor<\/a>, R-Farmington, to share their concerns last week when he was traveling down south.<\/p>\n

Will the lobbying from the active segment on the fringes of the GOP have an influence on conservative lawmakers who are considering a coalition to make Rep. Joseph Cervantes<\/a>, D-Las Cruces, the new speaker? Time will tell. Here\u2019s an article<\/a> on where the race stands from The Santa Fe New Mexican.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, here\u2019s what else to watch for today:<\/p>\n

Martinez\u2019s big speech<\/h3>\n

The speaker vote, if there are fireworks or breaks for caucus deliberations, could greatly delay other opening-day activities. But let\u2019s not forget that new Gov. Susana Martinez<\/a> has a big speech to give today. The state of the state address will be webcast by KNME-TV in Albuquerque. You\u2019ll be able to watch it by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We already know a lot about Martinez\u2019s legislative priorities. She gave us a preview<\/a> yesterday. (Hint: She\u2019s going to call for spending cuts.)<\/p>\n

One area that\u2019s been hot in recent years that we haven\u2019t heard much about from Martinez is ethics and transparency. I asked her office last week about what transparency-related legislative proposals she had planned, and the response was that her staff was \u201ccontinuing to develop\u201d her agenda.<\/p>\n

In other words, nothing yet.<\/p>\n

The issues<\/h3>\n

The Albuquerque Journal and Santa Fe New Mexican published in-depth articles on Sunday about what policy issues to keep an eye on during the 60-day session. Click here<\/a> for the Journal\u2019s and here<\/a> for The New Mexican\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Check back<\/h3>\n

I\u2019ll be working the speaker story this morning and keeping an eye on opening-day activities. Keep an eye on NMPolitics.net throughout the day for updates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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