New Mexico Lawmakers Reach Budget Deal As Tense Session Ends – Associated Press
In the predawn hours, the state House endorsed a $7.6 billion general fund budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. It raises annual spending by $536 million, or nearly 8% — sending the bill to the governor's desk. The move came hours before lawmakers ended the 30-day session Thursday.
Lujan Grisham can veto any portion of the budget or the entire bill.
In the final hours and days of a rapid-fire 30-day session, legislators fulfilled several policy initiatives backed by the governor on health care and public safety.
A rooftop solar tax credit that expired in 2016 was reinstated to offset up to $6,000 for households and businesses that install solar energy systems. Another bill would place a monthly $25 cap on the amount diabetes patients pay monthly for insulin.
The Legislature's budget increases the public safety agency's budget by $10.4 million, or more than 7%. The budget bill provides $180 million in general fund spending on roads.
The House and Senate approved a measure that would reverse requirements that police destroy seized electronic evidence obtained through a search warrant when the investigation didn't target the evidence.
Enhanced sentences for gun possession by felons or in the commission of a felony were sent to the governor for approval.
Out-Of-State Applicants Increase At University Of New Mexico – Associated Press
The University of New Mexico has confirmed an increase in the number of nonresident applications for the coming school year.
There are 5,694 out-of-state applications, a 56% increase from last year at this time, when the school had received less than 3,700 out-of-state applications, the Albuquerque Journal reportedWednesday.
But in-state student applications for the next school year are down about 6%, University President Garnett Stokes told the Board of Regents during a presentation Tuesday.
“I would like to think it’s because New Mexico is doing a better job of talking about what a great location this state is,” Stokes said. “I see it as very positive. One of the challenges is that these states are actively recruiting New Mexico students to go there. We’re in competition.”
California, Texas, Arizona and Colorado have the most out-of-state applications this year, said Dan Garcia, vice president for university enrollment management.
It is unclear how many of the students who applied will end up enrolling.
“These are preliminary results; it’s not over till it’s over. But we’re encouraged,” Regent President Doug Brown said.
The university has admitted about 10% more students so far this year, or 6,639 compared to 6,057 at this time last year, university officials said.
“We need to be careful we’re not preferring out-of-state students over in-state students because it’s local taxpayers that pay our support,” Brown said. “We’re trying to do our best on both fronts.”
New Mexico Sues Google Over Collection Of Children's Data – Associated Press
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque claims Google is using its education services package that is marketed to school districts, teachers and parents as a way to spy on children and their families.
Attorney General Hector Balderas said that while the company touts Google Education as a valuable tool for resource-deprived schools, it is a means to monitor children while they browse the internet in the classroom and at home on private networks. He said the information being mined includes everything from physical locations to websites visited, videos watched, saved passwords and contact lists.
The state is seeking unspecified civil penalties.
Google dismissed the claims as “factually wrong,” saying the G Suite for Education package allows schools to control account access and requires that schools obtain parental consent when necessary.
New Mexico's claim cites violations of the state's Unfair Practices Act and the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires websites and online services to obtain parental consent before collecting any information from children under 13.
New Mexico Official: Flu Is More Pressing Concern Than Corona Virus – Associated Press
The COVID-19 virus should be subject to "heightened awareness"" but the flu “remains a more significant illness" in New Mexico, the department said in a statement.
There haven't been any cases of the virus in New Mexico but the flu season “continues with many cases still being reported at New Mexico’s clinics and hospitals," Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel said. “Flu is the more pressing health risk in our state right now.”
The department advises that people get a flu vaccination annually “and practice common sense habits like washing your hands frequently and covering your mouth when you’re sick and have to cough."
New Mexico Counties Partner To House Juvenile Defendants – Associated Press
The county commission this week approved contracts with Rio Arriba and Los Alamos counties to keep youth at the facility in Farmington at a cost of $225 per individual per day.
San Juan County already has agreements with McKinley and Cibola counties.
The Farmington Daily Times reports that youth from Rio Arriba and Los Alamos counties currently are housed at Santa Fe County's juvenile detention center but that facility is limiting who it takes in and could close in the future.
There are six juvenile detention centers in New Mexico and two may close.
San Juan County Juvenile Services Administrator Traci Neff said the state may move to having regional juvenile detention centers. If that happens, San Juan County would service the northwest part of New Mexico.
Since juvenile detention centers have to meet more requirements and can be costly to operate, Neff said some counties save money by closing their centers and transporting youth elsewhere.
New Mexico has seen a more than 80% drop in its youth incarcerations over the last decade due to reforms aimed at less restrictive placements and early intervention, according to legislative analysts.
NM House OKs Bill To Stop Forcing Police To Erase Evidence – Associated Press
The proposal approved early Thursday seeks to fix a bill passed in 2019 that required law enforcement to wipe out some digital evidence. The requirement may have affected some pending cases in Albuquerque, where crime has soared in recent years.
The bill now heads to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is expected to sign it. The law would take affect immediately.
Democratic Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto of Albuquerque said the change is needed because law enforcement has no choice under current law but to eradicate certain digital evidence after 30 days.
“The problem is that law enforcement oftentimes has multiple investigations against the same person,” Ivey-Soto said.
The new bill allows police to seal the seized electronic evidence and get a court order to use it in another unrelated investigation.
The measure gained steam in the final days of the New Mexico legislative session after district attorneys and representatives from the city of Albuquerque and the American Civil Liberties Union urged lawmakers to fix the 2019 law that has sparked confusion among police and prosecutors. That measure was passed through the “rocket docket,” a bundle of bills that were fast-tracked to the governor's desk.
Police Say Human Bones Discovered In New Mexico City Field – Associated Press
The Carlsbad Police Department responded to a report of the discovery around 10 p.m. Tuesday, The Carlsbad Current-Argus reported.
Detectives and evidence technicians responded early Wednesday morning and began processing the scene in the southeast New Mexico city.
Officers found the skeletal remains as well as weathered pieces of clothing and other articles that may assist the investigation, authorities said.
Carlsbad Police spokesman Lt. Jaime Balencia could not say whether the remains were related to any missing person case.
“We are keeping all options open at this time. This is still very new information we have come across over the past 12 to 14 hours,” Balencia said.
New Mexico House Approves Senate Spending Increases Sending Budget To Governor - Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, KUNM News
The New Mexico Legislature, which is led by Democrats, haggled over annual spending priorities into the morning while racing to lock in significant policy initiatives on public safety, education funding, tobacco regulation, and incentives for infrastructure investments, as a 30-day annual legislative session winds down.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the House accepted a $7.6 billion Senate-approved budget bill early Thursday that would increase general fund spending by nearly 8% for the fiscal year starting July 1. The bill had passed the Senate Wednesday with significant amendments on a 35-7 vote.
The budget plan hikes spending on public schools by $216 million and increases salaries for most teachers and state employees by 4%. A surge in oil production has provided an $800 million increase in state general fund income.
The approved budget now heads to the desk of Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who can veto any portion of the bill.
The 2020 legislative session ends at noon Thursday.
Largest New Mexico Utility Aims To Improve Customer Service - Associated Press
New Mexico's largest electric utility is changing the way it interacts with customers.
Public Service Co. of New Mexico said Wednesday that new communication methods are being implemented to make it easier for New Mexicans to do business with the utility. Those methods include a phone system that allows for reporting outages and the ability to retrieve account balances, request payment extensions or report outages via text.
PNM has about 530,000 customers throughout the state. Its contact center took more than 650,000 calls in 2019 and 55,000 calls just last month. Every call is answered locally by a customer experience adviser in Albuquerque.
With the changes, the company says it has seen a drop in call volume where nearly 100,000 inquiries have been fielded through other channels instead of over the phone.
Group: Change In Bandelier's Status Could Lead To Problems - Associated Press
A conservation group is calling on members of New Mexico's congressional delegation to rethink proposed legislation that would change the designation of Bandelier National Monument to a national park.
While one of the goals is to attract more tourists to the region with the "national park" brand, the nonprofit group Caldera Action said Bandelier would not be able to cope with additional crowding because of inadequate and crumbling infrastructure and limited staffing.
The group also is worried about opening up part of Bandelier to hunting and trapping, saying there are other locations throughout the Jemez Mountains that already allow for hunting and doing so at Bandelier would complicate management for the National Park Service.
The group's board of directors sent a letter to U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich outlining their concerns. They called on the two Democratic senators to push Congress to address severe funding shortfalls for the National Park Service before promoting park service sites as economic development tourist attractions.
Report: Work To Reduce Wildfire Risks Has Economic Benefits - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
A federal report shows that projects to reduce the risk of wildfires and protect water sources in the U.S. West have created jobs and infused more money in local economies.
The U.S. Geological Survey study focused on several counties along the New Mexico-Colorado border that make up the watershed of one of North America's longest rivers, the Rio Grande.
The projects include forest thinning and other work funded by a partnership between governments and businesses that has become a model in other countries.
The Nature Conservancy launched the partnership and estimates it has resulted in an economic impact of about $18 million within five years.
New Mexico School Districts Unveil First Propane Buses – Associated Press
Three New Mexico school districts will be rolling out the state’s first propane-fueled buses for the upcoming school year.
Districts that serve schools in Los Lunas, Magdalena and the Moriarty area have purchased propane buses as part of a partnership with the state Public Education Department.
Officials say the 17 new buses will help cut costs since propane prices average 50% less than diesel and maintenance costs are expected to be less. Manufactured by Georgia-based Blue Bird Corp., the buses also emit less pollution.
Teresa Salazar, the superintendent of the Moriarty-Edgewood School District, said the district has had to dip into operational funds to supplement transportation costs over the last several years.
Other school districts have expressed interest. Officials with Blue Bird and the engineering company ROUSH CleanTech plan to continue working with districts, transportation contractors and the Public Education Department to bring more propane buses to the state.
Officials said additional savings are available with the extension of the federal alternative fuel excise credit, which covers propane at 36 cents per U.S. gallon and propane fueling equipment up to a certain amount. The VW Environmental Mitigation Trust and diesel replacement funds also can be tapped to help districts purchase propane buses.
Flags Ordered At Half-Staff For Fallen New Mexico Soldier - Associated Press
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has ordered flags to fly at half-staff in honor of a New Mexico soldier who was killed in eastern Afghanistan.
The U.S. Department of Defense identified Sgt. 1st Class Antonio Rey Rodriguez of Las Cruces as one of two servicemen who died during a combat operation earlier this month.
He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
“Our entire state grieves the loss of this young New Mexican who, at age 28, had already distinguished himself as a soldier through 10 deployments in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan,” the governor said Wednesday. “My prayers remain with his wife, his parents and all who loved him. His service to our country will be remembered.”
A rosary will be held at Thursday evening at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Las Cruces. The funeral Mass will be Friday at noon. Internment will follow at Arlington National Cemetery on March 3.
Under the governor's order, flags will fly at half-staff from sundown Thursday through sundown Friday.
Wildlife Managers Investigate Deaths Of 3 Mexican Wolves - Associated Press
State and federal wildlife managers are investigating the death of three endangered Mexican gray wolves found last month in Arizona.
Officials with the wolf recovery team did not release any details about the circumstances of the animals' deaths or the specific areas where they were found. One of the wolves was a female that belonged to the Saffel Pack. The other two were single females.
Officials also reported that wolves were found to be responsible for seven livestock kills in January. Two nuisance incidents also were investigated.
A subspecies of the Western gray wolf, Mexican wolves have faced a difficult road to recovery that has been complicated by politics and conflicts with livestock since reintroduction efforts began more than two decades ago in Arizona and New Mexico.
Survey results released last year indicated there were at least 131 wolves in the wild in the two states at the end of 2018. The population count for 2019 is expected to be released in the coming weeks.