NM Senate Approves A $6.2 Billion Budget Bill - The Associated Press
The New Mexico Senate has approved a $6.2 billion spending proposal for the next fiscal year.
Senators Monday night took up a budget bill largely unchanged from what the House approved last month.
The spending plan includes pay raises for new teachers and state police officers. Most department budgets remain flat, but education, the state's child welfare agency and tourism department get more money.
Governor Susana Martinez and lawmakers have highlighted education as a priority with low performing schools. The bill calls for a $37 million bump for education initiatives.
The Senate Finance Committee unanimously approved the bill last week, slightly rearranging appropriations for health and human services, public schools, and restoring cuts in higher education.
Adopting a budget is a must-do assignment for lawmakers before the session adjourns Saturday.
Stun-Gun Rounds In Albuquerque Police Shooting In Question – The Associated Press
Stun-gun rounds fired before a deadly Albuquerque police shooting that sparked protests around the city may not have worked.
KRQE-TV in Albuquerque reports Taser International six months before the shooting warned users of XREP rounds, fired from a discontinued X12 shotgun. The warning said the rounds used "after its expiration date may result in malfunctions and lack of effectiveness."
Albuquerque police shot and killed 38-year-old James Boyd during an hours-long standoff in March 2014 after an officer fired the XREP rounds and it did not subdue the homeless camper.
Video of the shooting showed Boyd, who authorities later said suffered from schizophrenia, appearing to surrender before officers opened fire.
Two officers now face murder charges.
A lawyer for one of the officers say the failure of the weapon will play a key role in the criminal defense.
Effort To Get Social Promotion Bill Heard In NM Senate Fails – The Associated Press
An attempt to get the full New Mexico Senate to vote on a social promotion bill has failed.
Republican Sen. Bill Sharer of Farmington late Monday asked the bill be removed from Senate committees for a full Senate vote.
The motion failed on a party line 24-17 vote. The bill is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Public Affairs Committee Tuesday.
The legislation is backed by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez. Her plan to end social promotion has faced opposition from Democrats, who say it does not lead to better students.
House Republican leaders say Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez has delayed a vote on a "failed policy of social promotion" bill that passed the House more than a month ago.
Sanchez says it needs to follow the process.
PRC Nears Decision On Coal-Fired Power Plant Closure Plan - The Associated Press
New Mexico regulators are close to making a decision on what some energy experts have called a watershed case that could influence energy policy in the state for decades to come.
In response to federal pressure, the state's largest electric utility, Gov. Susana Martinez's administration and others negotiated a plan to shut down two units at the San Juan Generating Station to curb haze-causing pollution.
The plan has been the subject of numerous hearings and hours of expert testimony.
Another public meeting is scheduled Wednesday in Albuquerque.
Public Service Co. of New Mexico wants to replace the lost electricity with a mix of nuclear, natural gas and solar power.
But critics are concerned PNM could end up acquiring more coal to fill the gap, and that could cost customers more.
Senate Approves Bill To Keep NM On Daylight Saving Time - The Associated Press
The Senate has passed a bill to try and keep New Mexicans from springing forward and falling back every year when it's time to adjust clocks.
The Senate voted 28-10 Tuesday to approve Sen. Cliff Pirtle's bill to stick with daylight saving time year-round.
The Republican farmer from Roswell says changing the clock twice a year is an unnecessary inconvenience.
Some senators referred to the bill as a "family time bill" and a "working man's bill."
Pirtle's bill now moves to the House. If the measure is approved and signed into law, it does not mean the time will be permanently set.
The federal government would have final say by moving New Mexico to Central Standard Time zone and allowing it to keep its clocks unchanged.
Debate Over Senate Vacancy Lands Before NM Supreme Court – The Associated Press
A group of registered voters wants Gov. Susana Martinez and commissioners in four counties to move faster in filling a vacant state Senate seat.
Anthony and Jennifer Trujillo of Santa Fe County and Rick Lopez of Torrance County filed an emergency petition with the New Mexico Supreme Court on Monday.
They're seeking to force Bernalillo, Santa Fe, San Miguel and Valencia counties to exercise their duty to call emergency meetings so nominees can be chosen for the seat left vacant by the abrupt resignation of Democratic Sen. Phil Griego.
As an alternative, the petition asks the court to order Martinez to choose Griego's successor from names already submitted by Torrance and Lincoln county commissioners.
Lopez and the Trujillos say that without a senator, they have no representation as the Legislature wraps up its 60-day session.
New Mexico AG, Ant-DWI Advocates Team Up For Safe Rides - The Associated Press
Attorney General Hector Balderas and Mothers Against Drunk Driving New Mexico are urging party-goers to plan ahead for St. Patrick's Day and not drive after drinking.
Balderas says there are plenty of options from designated drivers and taxis to the Safe Ride Home services offered around the state.
He says it's not worth putting lives in danger or getting stopped by law enforcement.
The director of MADD New Mexico, Ben Lewinger, says even one life lost due to an impaired driving crash is one too many.
Alcohol is involved in 40 percent of all deadly traffic crashes in New Mexico, making alcohol-related traffic fatalities the single largest factor in this state's traffic deaths.
Officials say the ENDWI smartphone app lists all of the Safe Ride Home phone numbers available in New Mexico.
Los Alamos Lab Reduces Water Use In 2014 - The Associated Press
Los Alamos National Laboratory says it has cut down on its water use by more than a quarter.
And about one-third of the savings last year came from the switch to reclaimed water for cooling a supercomputing center at the northern New Mexico lab.
The lab's reclamation plant contributed more than 27 million gallons of re-purposed water to the Strategic Computing Complex, a secure facility that supports national security work and is one of the institution's larger water users.
The reclamation plant collects industrial wastewater and treats it for reuse.
Officials say the overall reduction in water use was thanks to a combination of conservation, the repairing of leaks and upgraded low-flow fixtures.
New Mexico has been dealing with severe drought for the past few years.
NM Legislature Oks Bill For Vaccines Payment From Insurers - The Associated Press
A bill with bipartisan support requiring health insurance companies to help the state purchase vaccines for privately insured children in New Mexico has cleared the Legislature.
New Mexico is among a handful of states that operate universal vaccine purchasing programs aimed at boosting immunization rates. But paying into the program is voluntary here.
The legislation sponsored by Democratic Sen. Bill O'Neill and Republican Rep. Terry McMillan and passed unanimously by both chambers this month awaits the governor's signature.
The legislation would require insurance companies to reimburse the Health Department for vaccine purchased for privately insured children. The department spends up to $12 million each year for that purchase.
Companies would be required to report the children they cover to calculate their share of total costs.
Santa Fe Facing $2.1M Deficit In Upcoming Fiscal Year - The Associated Press and Santa Fe New Mexican
Santa Fe is facing a budget deficit of more than $2 million in the upcoming fiscal year.
City finance director Oscar Rodriguez tells the Santa Fe New Mexican that the city has been operating with about $10 million less each year in gross receipts tax revenue for the past several years when inflation is factored in.
To keep from making cuts, the city dipped into reserves, deferred maintenance and tapped into bond money that was intended for brick-and-mortar projects.
Rodriguez says that strategy can't be sustained.
He says part of the problem is gross receipts taxes on retail purchases and services are a critical revenue stream, but they're volatile and fluctuate with the economy.
City Councilor Carmichael Dominguez has suggested that Santa Fe begin talking about tax reform.
NM Senate Confirms Nomination Of Child Welfare Agency Head - The Associated Press
The New Mexico Senate has confirmed Gov. Susana Martinez's nominee to head the state's beleaguered child welfare agency.
Secretary of the Children, Youth and Families Department Monique Jacobson's nomination sailed through with a 35-2 vote Monday.
About two dozen senators voiced confidence in Jacobson, praising her organizational and leadership skills.
Las Cruces Democrat Sen. Mary Kay Papen said New Mexico families and children "are very lucky" to have Jacobson as the head of CYFD.
Jacobson previously headed the Tourism Department with less than 100 employees. She now leads a 2,400-member department.
Laying out her goals for CYFD, Jacobson told senators at the committee hearing that she was ready for the job despite lacking a background in social work.
Several senators said Jacobson had made believers out of them.
Navajo President Approves Vote On Language Requirements - The Associated Press
Navajo President Ben Shelly has signed legislation that allows for a reservation-wide vote on language requirements for candidates seeking the tribe's top posts.
Shelly's chief of staff, Deswood Tome, says Shelly approved the bill Monday because he wants Navajos to weigh in.
Presidential candidates and their running mates must understand and speak fluent Navajo. If approved, the ballot measure essentially would remove that requirement and let voters decide whether candidates know Navajo and English well enough.
The bill originally sought nearly $318,000 to fund a belated presidential election on April 21st. Lawmakers amended it so that the referendum vote gets first priority for funding.
It's unclear how that affects the scheduled election.
Navajo Nation Council Speaker LoRenzo Bates plans to meet with the elections director Tuesday.
Carlsbad Moves Ahead With Plan To Ease Housing Shortage - The Associated Press and Carlsbad Current-Argus
The Carlsbad City Council has approved a zoning change that officials are hoping will help ease a housing shortage caused by the oil boom.
The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports that the zoning change will allow for developers to build an apartment complex on two lots that were previously zoned for commercial use.
California-based Silverado Land Company has plans to build a complex of two-story, town home-style apartments. The complex will include a community center with a playground.
Despite a drop in oil prices, communities in southeastern New Mexico continue to face housing shortages because of the booming oil industry.
The region includes part of the Permian Basin, which has seen the number of barrels produced each day more than double over the last several years.
2 Stores, 2 Bars Fined Over Fatal Car Crashes In New Mexico - The Associated Press
Two bars and two convenience stores in New Mexico have been fined and had their liquor licenses suspended for either eight days or two weeks.
The New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department's Alcohol and Gaming Division announced the penalties Monday against a Stripes store in Hobbs, a Circle K store in Tucumcari, the Topless Country bar in Moriarty and the Ojos Locos Sports Cantina in Albuquerque.
They say the four establishments sold or served alcohol to intoxicated customers who later became involved in drunken driving incidents that resulted in four deaths between September 2012 and September 2014.
Authorities say the Stripes store and the Ojos Locos Sports Cantina have been fined $12,000 apiece while the Topless Country bar and the Circle K store both were fined $10,000.
Clovis Man Arrested In Break-In; Numerous Guns Stolen - The Associated Press
A 19-year-old Clovis man is accused of stealing numerous guns from a gun store and police are investigating an earlier break-in involving gun thefts during which fires were set elsewhere to distract authorities.
Police said Stephen Baker was arrested Sunday on suspicion of stolen property and other crimes as police investigated an early morning break-in involving thefts of at least 20 guns.
Whitney said police investing Sunday's break-in found evidence from a February 15th break-in of a ranch-supply store during which fires were set at a lumber store and a hay barn as distractions.
An online court docket does not yet list Baker's case, and Whitney said he didn't know if Baker has a lawyer who might be available to comment on the allegations against Baker.