Lawmakers Wrap Up 2016 Session – Albuquerque Journal, The Associated Press
The New Mexico Legislature has adjourned after a 30-day legislative session. The House and Senate wrapped up work yesterday with major political compromises in place to revise driver's licenses for immigrants, overhaul the state's bail bond system and trim spending next year.
The Albuquerque Journal reports they also sent legislation regulating ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft to Gov. Susana Martinez. But efforts to create an ethics commission failed, as did a plan to change the way public works projects are funded.
Martinez said the session was mostly successful. Plummeting revenues required a re-write of the budget midway through the session. However, Martinez said she did not anticipate a need for a special session.
The legislature passed a $6.2 billion budget that shaves overall spending but includes some new money for public schools, Medicaid, prison guards and state police officers; $166 million for state and local capital improvements funded through severance tax bonds; $186 million for infrastructure projects funded by general obligation bonds. Funding for colleges and universities was cut.
Ex-New Mexico Secretary Of State Wants Her Probation Altered – The Associated Press & KRQE
Former New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran is asking a judge to reconsider the conditions of her probation.
KRQE reports Duran says the required speaking engagements will endanger her life and they should be reevaluated and removed.
She's also asking a judge to reconsider the number of community service hours she has to serve and that she be allowed to travel around the state without having to get permission first.
Duran resigned and pleaded guilty last October to felony counts of embezzlement and money laundering for using political campaign funds to fuel a gambling spree.
In December, Duran accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to serve 30 days in jail.
She's required to make four public appearances per month and to serve 2,000 hours of community service.
Notices Issued To Federal Contractors After Radiation Leak – The Associated Press
The federal government has issued a pair of preliminary notices of violation against two contractors after a radiation leak forced the shutdown of the nation's only underground nuclear waste repository.
The U.S. Department of Energy said Friday the notices mark the completion of investigations into the 2014 disaster as well as the enforcement process against the managers of Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
The notices cover worker safety violations at the southern New Mexico repository as well as violations stemming from the handling of waste at the lab.
The contractors did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Investigators determined the radiation leak was caused by waste that had been inappropriately packed at the lab then shipped to the repository for storage.
Budget Woes Could Call New Mexico Lawmakers Back To Work – The Associated Press
New Mexico's Legislature could be called back to the capitol for a special session later this year if state revenues continue their downward slide.
Lawmakers headed home warily Friday to distant corners of the state after approving a $6.2 billion budget that reduces spending.
The state is drawing down its reserve funds and pinching pennies to pay for day-to-day government operations because of plunging revenues linked to oil and natural gas production, as well as weaker-than-expected sales and income tax receipts.
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez says it's unlikely lawmakers will need to reconvene on budget matters. The state has a little more than $100 million in contingency funds available before it would need to tap into a tobacco settlement fund. That last resort measure requires the Legislature's approval.
New Mexico High Court To Weigh In On Workers' Comp Question – The Associated Press
The New Mexico Supreme Court plans to review a lower court ruling that cleared the way for farm and ranch laborers across the state to receive workers' compensation benefits.
The justices this week issued a brief order suspending a ruling by the New Mexico Court of Appeals until they can hear oral arguments and make a final decision.
The appellate court issued an opinion last year that declared unconstitutional a decades-old provision in state law regarding farm and ranch laborers.
That provision, on the books since the 1930s, excluded those employees whose duties focus primarily on growing and harvesting crops, meat or dairy products from receiving benefits if injured on the job.
The appellate court found that excluding such laborers went against the purpose of the Workers' Compensation Act.
Belen School Employee Under Fire For Profane Talk – The Associated Press
A Belen High School employee is under investigation for giving a profanity-filled talk to a classroom of students.
KRQE-TV in Albuquerque reported Thursday that a cellphone video shows a male staff member cussing several times in front of students.
The unidentified employee is seen sitting on a desk and letting loose with students.
At one point, he talks to the students about going to an adult store to buy adult sex toys.
A student recorded the conversation, which occurred a few weeks ago.
Belen Consolidated School Superintendent Max Perez says the employee, who is not a teacher, has been put on leave pending an investigation.
Perez says he will also not be in the proximity of students.
Railroad Plans $100M Investment In New Mexico For 2016 – The Associated Press
BNSF Railway says it plans to spend nearly $100 million on replacing and upgrading rails and other capital improvement projects around New Mexico this year.
The company announced its spending plans Thursday, saying the focus will be on making improvements that are in line with forecasted demand for freight services.
Company officials say another goal is to ensure that BNSF continues to operate a safe and reliable railway network.
The company's plan includes surfacing and other improves along some 900 miles of track, the replacement of about 15 miles of rail and thousands of ties as well as signal upgrades for federally mandated positive train control.
This year's investment is in addition to more than $325 million spent by the railroad in New Mexico over the past three years.
Child Pornography, DWI Laws Clear New Mexico Legislature - Mary Hudetz, Associated Press
House lawmakers have passed three anti-crime laws on the final day of the session, sending the bills to the governor's desk for final approval.
Two of the bills would enact guidelines for stricter sentencing guidelines for repeat DWI offenders and pedophiles who possess, distribute and manufacture child pornography. Debate over the child pornography sentencing measure became heated in the last week of the session, with the attorney general saying he would withdraw support of the measure over a teen sexting exemption.
The third bill that won final legislative approval in the House is "Jaydon's Law." The bill pushed by Republican Rep. Nate Gentry could give judge's access to adult defendant's juvenile criminal records.
Jaydon Chavez-Silver was a teenager killed last year in a drive-by shooting in Albuquerque.
New Mexico Governor Heads To Washington For Meetings – Associated Press
With the legislative session wrapped up, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is now headed to Washington, D.C., for a series of meetings. Her office says she's leaving Thursday afternoon for a gathering of the National Governors Association. She'll also attend a meeting scheduled by the Republican Governors Association. Martinez serves as president of the RGA. The group is paying for her travel. She is scheduled to return to New Mexico on Monday evening.
New Mexico Tech Announces New President – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro has selected a new president.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Stephen G. Wells, the president of the Desert Research Institute in Nevada, will replace Dan Lopez, who is retiring after 23 years as New Mexico Tech’s President.
Wells was a professor at the University of New Mexico’s geology department for 15 years and also led the department. He will make $315,000 a year under a five-year contract with New Mexico Tech.
New Mexico Tech was founded in 1889 as the New Mexico School of Mines. It is the state's smallest research institution with 2,200 students.
Albuquerque May Pull Bond Funding From Zoo In Light Of Tax – KRQE-TV
Though the Albuquerque zoo will soon begin receiving $15 to $17 million from a gross receipts tax increase, the city is considering moving bond money typically earmarked for the zoo to other projects.
KRQE-TV reports that voters approved a receipts tax increase to fund the Albuquerque BioPark that will take effect in July. Albuquerque Chief of Staff Gilbert Montano says as a result, roughly $3 to $4 million in bond money typically given to the zoo can now go toward other city improvements.
New Mexico BioPark Society Executive Director Julie Miller Rugg says the change was expected, but that the challenge will be recouping that money when the tax increase expires in 15 years.
City officials say even without the bond money, the zoo will receive more money for the day-to-day budget.
Railroad Plans $100M Investment In New Mexico For 2016 – Associated Press
BNSF Railway says it plans to spend nearly $100 million on replacing and upgrading rails and other capital improvement projects around New Mexico this year.
The company announced its spending plans Thursday, saying the focus will be on making improvements that are in line with forecasted demand for freight services.
Company officials say another goal is to ensure that BNSF continues to operate a safe and reliable railway network.
The company's plan includes surfacing and other improves along some 900 miles of track, the replacement of about 15 miles of rail and thousands of ties as well as signal upgrades for federally mandated positive train control.
This year's investment is in addition to more than $325 million spent by the railroad in New Mexico over the past three years.
Governor Makes Appointment To New Mexico Court Of Appeals – Associated Press
Gov. Susana Martinez has appointed a longtime civil rights attorney to serve on the New Mexico Court of Appeals.
The governor's office announced the appointment of Stephen French on Thursday. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Cynthia Fry.
French has more than three decades of public and private-sector legal experience.
For the past 26 years, he has focused on civil rights law through his private practice. Before that, he served as an assistant district attorney in Bernalillo County and later reviewed claims against the state during his tenure as the legal bureau chief for the state Risk Management Division.
French also has served on the city of Albuquerque's personnel board and as a member of the Rules Committee for the U.S District Court of New Mexico.
After Years Of Growth, Mexican Gray Wolf Population Declines – Associated Press
There are now fewer Mexican gray wolves roaming the American Southwest, and federal officials say the numbers show more work needs to be done to restore the endangered species.
The annual survey released Thursday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows at least 97 wolves are spread between southwestern New Mexico and southeast Arizona.
Federal officials say the numbers are disconcerting since the population had been on the upswing since 2010, with 2014 marking a banner year when the predators topped 110.
Biologists aren't certain whether the abrupt decline in 2015 was an anomaly. They're considering a number of factors, including the deaths of 13 wolves and a significantly lower pup survival rate.