Speaker Lujan OK’s committee to investigate Block Jr.

From Capitol Report New Mexico.com - New Mexico Speaker of the state’s House of Representatives, Ben Luján, approved on Tuesday (Aug. 23) what could be the first step in the impeachment of Public Regulation Commissioner Jerome Block Jr. Speaker Luján sent out a letter to leaders of the legislature’s Democratic and Republican delegations announcing he will appoint a subcommittee to investigate whether impeachment charges should be brought against the 34-year-old Block, who has come under fire on multiple fronts in the past month. The subcommittee will be made up of members of both parties and will be held during the upcoming special session of the legislature, which begins Sept. 6. By rule, impeachment proceedings have to begin in the state’s House of Representatives. Block has been urged by Gov. Susana Martinez and members of his own Democratic party to step down in wake of the allegations and the corresponding investigation by the state’s Attorney General’s office. “I think it’s an appropriate decision on the part of the Speaker,” Rep. Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe), who has been urging Block to resign to avoid what could be an expensive impeachment proceeding. “It’s a step in the right direction.” Read more

Speaker Lujan OK’s committee to investigate Block Jr.