New Mexico House Committee Votes In Favor Of Abortion Bills – The Associated Press
A New Mexico legislative committee has voted along party lines on a second abortion-related bill, this one requiring minors to notify parents within 48 hours before ending a pregnancy.
The House Regulatory and Public Affairs Committee voted 4-3 Friday, with Republicans in the majority. More than an hour earlier in an identical vote after a five-hour hearing, the panel approved a bill banning late-term abortions.
That bill prohibits abortions after five months' gestation and if the doctor determines the fetus is viable. Supporters say the legislation is designed to bring New Mexico in line with 42 other states.
Committee members heard from nearly 100 people from both sides of the issue during seven hours of hearings.
New Mexico Officials To Oversee Reform Of Campaign Finances - The Farmington Daily Times, The Associated Press
New Mexico officials are creating a task force to overhaul campaign finance practices in the state.
Attorney General Hector Balderas and Secretary of State Dianna Duran announced Friday that the task force will review issues of campaign finance reporting, enforcement and the referral process.
The task force will be made up of employees from both their offices.
Balderas says he plans to look for solutions that he can bring before state lawmakers.
The Farmington Daily Times reported earlier this month that Duran's office has only collected 4 percent of roughly 2,000 fines imposed on candidates who were found to violate state campaign finance law.
The newspaper says Duran waived one-third of them and no enforcement action was taken on any of the fines.
Gov. Martinez Appoints New Director Of Stream Commission – The Associated Press
Gov. Susana Martinez has tapped an engineer to serve as the next director of the Interstate Stream Commission.
Deborah Dixon's appointment was announced earlier this week. She'll take over as director March 16.
She most recently worked as a senior vice president with Bohannan Huston, Inc. in Albuquerque, where she managed operations for a technical water group and served as the principal-in-charge on water-related projects.
The nine-member Interstate Stream Commission is charged with protecting New Mexico's right to water under several interstate compacts.
In addition to water planning, the commission also has broad powers to investigate, conserve and protect the state's waters.
New Mexico Lawmakers Look To Fill Highway Funding Gap – The Associated Press
New Mexico now has a true inventory of the tens of thousands of miles of pavement that crisscross the state, and it shows some roads are in worse condition than previously thought.
The head of the state transportation department, Tom Church, outlined the findings of a recent state-of-the-art road assessment during a legislative committee meeting this week.
The survey found more than 5,200 miles need anywhere from minor rehabilitation to reconstruction.
Officials say it's becoming increasingly more difficult to address those needs thanks to shrinking state and federal budgets and growing debt.
New Mexico's unfunded need for building and maintaining roads will top $450 million this fiscal year and the total outstanding debt for infrastructure projects stands at nearly $2 billion. That has legislative leaders scrambling to fill the gaps.
Atari Games Left In Landfill Brings $56K To New Mexico City – The Associated Press
What some have called the worst video game ever made is still bringing in thousands of dollars for a city in New Mexico.
KRQE-TV reports that Alamogordo officials say old "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" game cartridges have brought $56,000 to the city. And officials say they still have around 500 games to sell.
The games were dug up from the Alamogordo landfill last year after being buried since the 1980s. They've been selling on Ebay for hundreds of dollars each to people all over the world.
Organizers have even created a map of where they're going, and many are going to Sweden. In the U.S., most have gone to Florida and California.