Politics

New Mexico House Passes Minimum Wage Increase

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House Speaker Brian Egolf

STATE News:

  • Bill to Raise Minimum Wage to $9.25 an Hour Passes Along Mostly Party Lines

SANTA FE – House Bill 442 passed the House Friday night along mostly party lines in a 37-30 vote. HB 442, sponsored by Representatives Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe), Debbie Rodella (D-Española), Patricio Ruiloba (D-Albuquerque), Carl Trujillo (D-Santa Fe), and Miguel P. Garcia (D-Albuquerque), would raise the state’s minimum wage to $9.25 an hour, a sensible increase over the current minimum wage of $7.50 per hour.

The increase will put more than $3,000 a year in additional earnings Read More

AG Balderas Issues Statement About Jeff Sessions

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Attorney General Hector Balderas. Courtesy photo
 
AG News:
 
SANTA FE ― New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas released the following statement Thursday regarding Attorney General Jeff Sessions:
 
“As a chief law enforcement officer, I take testimony extremely seriously, whether it be in the courtroom or before the United States Senate. There were questions asked about conversations with Russia and that information was omitted by Attorney General Sessions during his testimony.
 
“Attorney General Sessions needs to promptly address the omission, and he needs
Read More

House Agrees Dads Can Change Diapers, Too

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STATE News:

SANTA FE – House Bill 106, Baby Changing Facilities in Men’s Rooms, passed on a 44-22 vote Friday evening. Sponsored by Rep. Andrés Romero (D-Albuquerque), the bill would require that all new construction or major renovations of restrooms in public places include baby changing stations in both the women’s and men’s bathrooms.

“It’s about time we recognize the role that both parents play in raising children,” Romero said. “I’m glad we are one step closer for mothers and fathers to both have a safe, designated space to change their babies.”

House Bill 106 does not apply to restrooms Read More

Isolated Confinement Bill Moves To House Floor

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STATE News:

SANTA FE – Today in the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Antonio “Moe” Maestas’ (D-Albuquerque) House Bill 175 passed by a 7-6 vote. HB 175 bans the use of isolated confinement for pregnant women and minors in New Mexico prisons and jails. It also sets a 48-hour maximum for solitary confinement of inmates with severe mentally illness.

“Isolated confinement is overused and misused in our great state,” Rep. Maestas said. “It is detrimental to public safety. If you put a human being in prolonged isolated confinement, that human will never, ever be the same. That makes us all less Read More

UNM-LA: Public Notice Of Possible Quorum

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UNM-LA Public Notice:

A joint swearing in ceremony for UNM-Los Alamos Advisory Board members and Los Alamos Public School Board members has been scheduled:

  • Monday, March 6, 2017
  • 3-4 p.m.
  • Los Alamos County Judge’s Chambers in the Justice Center at 2500 Trinity Dr., Suite C

A Quorum of UNM-LA Advisory Board Members may be present. No action will be taken. Read More

Udall Statement On His Vote To Confirm Rick Perry As Secretary Of Energy

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U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry
 
SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Tom Udall released the following statement on his vote to confirm former Texas Gov. Rick Perry as U.S. Secretary of Energy.
 
Udall is a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee and a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, which writes the budget for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
 
“New Mexico’s economy and the jobs of thousands of New Mexicans are deeply connected to the U.S. Department of Energy. Our state and the DOE
Read More

State Auditor Launches Probe At City Of Jal

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State Auditor Tim Keller
 
STATE News:
 
SANTA FE ― State Auditor Tim Keller confirmed that auditors from the Office of the State Auditor (OSA) are in the City of Jal conducting field work for a special audit.
 
The special audit was initiated to review Jal’s compliance with laws, regulations and policies after concerns related to favoritism and accuracy of water billing came to light. State law calls for auditors to have unrestricted access to relevant documents and City staff.
 
“Our office has boots on the ground looking into water billing procedures in Jal,” Keller said.
Read More

Innovations In Teaching Act Passes House

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HOUSE DEMOCRATS News:

  • Bill Supports Teachers Who Engage in New & Cutting-Edge Curriculums

SANTA FE – The Innovations in Teaching Act passed the House floor Thursday night by a vote of 37-30. House Bill 105, sponsored by Rep. Andrés Romero (D-Albuquerque) and Rep. Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces), encourages teachers to delve into innovative and cutting-edge curriculums by allowing them to apply for a waiver from standards-based assessments.

“Rather than focus solely on high stakes testing, this bill allows teachers to innovate in their classrooms without being punished on their evaluations,” Read More

Letter To The Editor: If You Are Going To Quote Numbers, You Need To Provide Credible References

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By KHALIL SPENCER
Los Alamos

There were near mirror-image letters in the Los Alamos Daily Post (link) and Santa Fe New Mexican Thursday claiming that state level background checks are credited with reductions of 46 or 47 percent fewer women shot to death by their partners and 48 or 53 percent fewer law enforcement officers killed by handguns. The problem is, nowhere do the authors of these letters provide sources for this information.

I put the quotes from the letters into a web search and came up with an Everytown For Gun Safety source (there may be others), almost verbatim, with links to details Read More

Bill To Level Playing Field For Minority-Owned Businesses Passes House Unanimously

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Rep. Antonio Maestas
 
SENATE News:
 
SANTA FE ― Rep. Antonio Maestas’ (D-Albuquerque) HB198, the Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Opportunity Act, a bill that will bolster minority-owned small businesses by promoting opportunities, passed unanimously Tuesday through the House.
 
“In a minority/majority state, if our minority- and women-owned businesses don’t grow, our state will not grow,” Maestas said. “This will encourage all state agencies to utilize HUB businesses in contracting and sub-contracting,
Read More