Tagged: 2013 Legislative Coverage

Gov. Susana Martinez has signed a nearly $5.9 billion state budget and agreed to a provision that will increase pay for state workers and educators for the first time since 2008.

The governor faced a Friday deadline for signing and vetoing bills passed by the Legislature.

Martinez also signed a measure to revamp the pension program for nearly 90,000 state and local government workers and retirees. Cost-of-living adjustments will be lowered under the new law.

 KUNM Call In Show Thu. 3/21 8a: Governor Susana Martinez says she'll sign the budget bill passed by lawmakers in a last minute deal right before the 2013 60-day session adjourned. She vetoed then signed the "Breaking Bad" bill that increases tax incentives for TV shows to produce in New Mexico. What else went down this session? We'll take your calls and comments! Email callinshow@kunm.org, post your comments online, or call in live during the show. 

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With less than two weeks left in this Legislative session, lobbyists and citizens are flocking to the Roundhouse in Santa Fe for a chance to speak to lawmakers about issues they care about. KUNM's Deborah Martinez reports on how that process plays out in the hallways. 

Several bills aimed at reducing penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana are scheduled for hearings this week in Santa Fe.  Advocates are using a new poll to illustrate that a majority of New Mexicans favor the idea.  

The House of Representatives today approved a bill that establishes a fund to expand the state's development of solar and wind power. 

House Bill 242 would provide general fund money to the quasi-government agency known as the New Mexico Renewable Energy Transmission Authority, or RETA.  Sponsor Bill McCamley is a freshman Democrat from Doña Ana County:

The Senate has confirmed two board members of the New Mexico Finance Authority, which was entangled in a scandal last year over a fake audit.

Clovis businessman Blake Curtis was unanimously confirmed and Albuquerque lawyer Nann Winter won confirmation on a 34-3 vote in the Senate on Monday.

Curtis is a former state legislator. Winter serves as the authority's board chairwoman.

New Mexico lawmakers this session are considering more than two dozen animal protection bills that propose everything from raising money for starving horses to increasing penalties for neglecting pets and continuing oversight of government-run shelters.

Animal rights advocates say the number of bills aimed at helping animals is higher than usual this year.

They say one reason is the increased awareness of the connection between cruelty to animals and abuse of people.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A proposal advocated by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez to increase penalties for human trafficking is heading to the Senate for consideration.

The measure would make it a first-degree felony for human trafficking if the victim was under the age of 16. Convictions could carry a basic sentence of 18 years in prison. That doubles the penalty because the crime is currently a lesser felony.

The proposal would triple the basic penalty — to nine years in prison — for human trafficking if the victim was 16 years or older.

Temporary relief provided by the state during the Great Recession enabled school districts across New Mexico to increase class sizes as a way to cope with reduced education funding from the state.

That relief is about to end unless it is extended by the Legislature, and that could mean additional costs for districts even as the state is restoring some funding.

The Albuquerque district has used waivers to exceed to exceed maximum class sizes — by 3 percent one year and by 7 percent for two more.

The Democratic-controlled Legislature and Republican Gov. Susana Martinez's administration are at odds over the state's revenue outlook.

The Department of Finance and Administration reported Monday there's no reason to change the most recent revenue forecast calling for the state to have about $283 million available for budget increases and to offset any tax cuts in the next fiscal year.