New Mexico Court Approves Changes To Speedy Trial Rule – The Associated Press
The New Mexico Supreme Court has approved changes to a rule designed to diminish the backlog of criminal cases awaiting trial in Bernalillo County.
The court made the announcement Wednesday, saying prosecutors in the state's busiest judicial district will have more time for handling cases.
The changes also include safeguards for limiting when cases may be dismissed for failure to comply with the so-called "speedy trial rule."
The changes will take effect Feb. 2 for new cases and for those pending cases that are assigned on or after next Tuesday.
The justices heard from prosecutors, public defenders and law enforcement officials last year about changing the rule, which was implemented in February 2015. Critics argued it was overtaxing the local district attorney's office and allowing more criminals to evade prosecution.
Warrant Points To Allegations Of Fraud At MLK Commission – The Associated Press
A search warrant targeting bank records, emails and other documents related to the financial activities of the Martin Luther King, Jr. State Commission is shedding new light on accusations of fraud and embezzlement by the commission's executive director.
The warrant was made public Wednesday, a day after state agents seized documents and computers from the commission's office in Albuquerque.
State prosecutors have yet to file any charges, but investigators detailed checks issued to executive director Kimberly Greene and what's believed to be a forged invoice for more than $51,000.
Greene hasn't returned phone messages or emails left by The Associated Press, and the phone went unanswered at the commission's office Wednesday.
Greene faced intense questioning last month when she went before the State Board of Finance to request nearly $100,000 in emergency funding.
New Mexico State Revenues Plunge On Low Energy Prices – The Associated Press
New Mexico is revising downward estimates for revenue growth to $30 million from previous expectations of $232 million as the Legislature crafts a new budget.
The New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration announced Wednesday that a perfect storm of low energy prices had eroded revenue expectations for the budget year starting in July. Economists from three executive agencies and the Legislature agreed on the new estimate.
The revised figures threaten to upend priorities for spending during the Legislature's abbreviated 30-day budgetary session.
Prior to the revisions, Republican Gov. Susana Martinez recommended a $230 million increase in spending. That plan included increased funding for Medicaid health care, law enforcement, early education programs and teacher pay.
Low oil prices in particular have eroded state income from severance taxes and royalties.
Committee Advances Bill To Hold Back Some Third Graders – The Associated Press & The Santa Fe New Mexican
A House bill that calls for third graders who don't show proficiency in reading to be held back is moving forward in the Legislature.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that on Tuesday the House Education Committee recommended approval of the measure which would have students not reading at grade level repeat the third grade and be given intensive remediation.
Introduced by Rep. Monica Youngblood, an Albuquerque Republican, the bill includes exceptions so that it ultimately only applies to about 2,000 of the state's roughly 25,000 third-graders.
Opponents of the bill say retaining students damages them psychologically and intervention can be done without retention.
New Mexico State Auditor Flags 56 Entities For Late Reports – The Associated Press
New Mexico's state auditor is flagging a long list of state agencies and local government authorities for failing to turn in annual audit results on time.
State Auditor Tim Keller announced Wednesday that 56 entities have not submitted audits for the fiscal year ending in June 2015.
Audits are overdue from the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Department of Public Safety, Cibola and Harding counties, and the cities of Carlsbad and Espanola.
Keller found indications of possible financial misstatements in audit findings for the town of Estancia and Lordsburg Municipal Schools.
Keller said annual audits are a standardized and useful tool for reducing the chances that public funds are misused.
New Mexico Bill Adding Officers To Hate Crimes Law Advances – Associated Press
A proposal to add law enforcement officers as a protected class to New Mexico's hate crimes law has cleared its first hurdle.
The bill pushed by House Republicans passed 4-3 in the House Safety and Civil Affairs Committee on Tuesday as law enforcement agencies came out to support it.
The proposal introduced by Rep. Nate Gentry, an Albuquerque Republican, is one of a number of proposed justice system reforms for this legislative session in response to a string of high-profile crimes in the Albuquerque area.
His bill comes as law enforcement advocates say outrage over officer-involved shootings and officers' use of force has sparked anti-police rhetoric in the U.S.
Democrats say although they supported tougher penalties for violence against officers, they did not think hate crime laws applied to them.
New Mexico State Auditor Flags 56 Entities For Late Reports – Associated Press
New Mexico's state auditor is flagging a long list of state agencies and local government authorities for failing to turn in annual audit results on time.
State Auditor Tim Keller announced Wednesday that 56 entities have not submitted audits for the fiscal year ending in June 2015.
Audits are overdue from the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Department of Public Safety, Cibola and Harding counties, and the cities of Carlsbad and Española.
Keller found indications of possible financial misstatements in audit findings for the town of Estancia and Lordsburg Municipal Schools.
Keller said annual audits are a standardized and useful tool for reducing the chances that public funds are misused.
State Auditor Also Probing MLK State Commission – Associated Press
The New Mexico State Auditor's Office says the embattled Martin Luther King, Jr. State Commission also is under investigation by its office for fraud and abuse.
State Auditor spokeswoman Justine Freeman said Tuesday that the commission has been on the state's "at-risk" list for two years and now is facing an investigation.
The New Mexico Attorney General's Office announced Tuesday it was launching its own investigation into the commission but declined to comment further.
Commission executive director Kimberly Greene told the New Mexico State Board of Finance last month the agency overspent nearly $100,000 after Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton asked her to agree to a no-bid contract with an ACT/SAT prep company.
Greene and Stapleton did not return phone messages from The Associated Press.
Gov. Martinez Eyes Bill Aimed At Ending Uber, Lyft Stalemate – Associated Press
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is asking lawmakers to consider a bill aimed at regulating ride-booking companies like Uber and Lyft.
The Republican governor put legislation on her official call Tuesday and asked lawmakers to pass a bill to show that such companies are welcome in New Mexico.
The legal status of the companies has been in limbo in the state since they began offering services in 2014. The companies say the state's Motor Carrier Act doesn't apply to them because they don't operate as commercial taxi businesses.
Uber and Lyft offer an online service that allows people with cars to connect with people seeking rides.
Traditional taxi companies say ride-booking services still need to be regulated.
Rep. Monica Youngblood, an Albuquerque Republican, is sponsoring a bill that would allow the companies to operate legally in New Mexico.
Las Cruces District Allegedly Violated Open Meetings Act – Associated Press
The New Mexico Public Education Department has sent the Las Cruces school district a letter about alleged violations of the state's open meetings act.
Secretary of Education Hanna Skandera wrote that the alleged violations have been referred to the state Attorney General's office for investigation and action.
She says it's clear that school board members either don't understand or choose to ignore their roles and responsibilities in providing oversight of the district.
As a result, Skandera is directing the school board to undergo training specific to its roles and responsibilities as well as training specific to the open meetings act.
The training must be completed within 60 days and refresher training will be scheduled at least twice annually until the board shows it can comply with the open meetings act.
Proposal To Expand New Mexico's 'Three-Strikes' Law Advances – Associated Press
A proposal to expand the New Mexico's "three-strikes" law for sentencing habitual offenders has cleared another hurdle.
The House Judiciary Committee voted 7-4 on Tuesday in favor of the bill filed by Rep. Paul Pacheco.
The Albuquerque Republican says the current "three-strikes" law in New Mexico includes crimes that already can result in life sentences and is so narrow that no one has been convicted under it since it was enacted two decades ago.
His proposed changes to the three-strikes law would add new crimes to the list that make defendants with at least three prior convictions eligible for life sentences, including voluntary and involuntary manslaughter.
Democrats say they were concern the bill as written would target nonviolent offenders.
The bill now goes before the full GOP-controlled House.
Lawmakers Move Forward To Address Carlsbad Brine Well – Associated Press
There's no threat of imminent collapse of an underground cavern formed by a brine well at a busy Carlsbad intersection, but New Mexico lawmakers gave their first nod Tuesday to legislation that would clear the way for the state to begin working on solutions.
Officials are estimating the price tag could range from $25 million to $50 million. Options include a controlled collapse of the cavern or backfilling it.
An expert with the Oil Conservation Division testified before the Senate Conservation Committee on Tuesday and said it could be another 20 years before the cavern collapses.
But if it does, officials warned would likely take with it part of the intersection, a major canal that supplies farmers with water and a neighborhood of mobile homes.
New Mexico Cult Leader Could Be Getting Out Of Prison Early – Associated Press
A cult leader convicted of sex crimes in 2008 may be closer to being released early from a New Mexico prison after being diagnosed with skin cancer.
A hearing was held Tuesday in state district court in Taos for 74-year-old Wayne Bent, who has been in prison for nearly seven years.
A judge told lawyers for both sides to get together with the state Department of Corrections and try to agree on conditions of release for Bent within 15 days.
Bent was sentenced to a decade in prison after being found guilty of inappropriate sexual behavior with two teenage girls at his northern New Mexico compound.
He also was convicted of second-degree criminal sexual contact with a minor and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Navajo Lawmakers Approve Water Rights Settlement With Utah – Associated Press
Lawmakers on the Navajo Nation have approved legislation to settle the tribe's claims to water in the upper Colorado River basin in Utah.
The legislation passed Tuesday without any debate and with few people in attendance at the Navajo Nation Council chambers in Window Rock.
The settlement with the state of Utah now goes to tribal President Russell Begaye, who has said he supports it. It also needs to be approved by the Utah Legislature and the U.S. Interior Department.
The settlement gives the tribe 81,500 acre-feet per year of water that could be drawn from aquifers, Lake Powell, and the San Juan River and its tributaries.
The tribe would waive any future claims to water from the basin.
The settlement calls for the federal government to appropriate $200 million for water infrastructure.