Branco Cartoon – Manufacturing Crisis
Bill to ban texting and driving stuck in Senate logjam
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 6 initially voted to table the bill. Normally that means a bill will never again see the light of day for the rest of the session. But then Wirth, D-Santa Fe, agreed to craft a substitute bill answering some of the concerns of the bill’s opponents. On Feb. 18, the Judiciary Committee gave a do-pass recommendation to the new version of the bill on a 6-2 vote. Telephone companies AT&T and Verizon have testified that they support SB 17. The only opposition at the Judiciary Committee came from the New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
But if that seemed like a miraculous comeback for SB 17, it soon became apparent that the bill’s newfound momentum would be short-lived. The bill has been sitting on the lower end of the Senate floor calendar every day for nearly two weeks. But SB 17 has not been moving its way up the agenda, getting closer to the top as other bills get debated. Just the opposite. Last week, the bill was No. 28 on the calendar. On Monday, it had sunk to No. 38. By Tuesday, it wasn’t even in the top 40 anymore. It was No. 50.
According to Senate rules, bills that make it through the committee process don’t get heard on the floor in the order they come out of committee. The agenda is the responsibility of the majority floor leader, Sen. Michael Sanchez, D-Belen. Concerning SB 17, Sanchez has not made a secret of his opposition. He was one of the two members of the Judiciary Committee to vote against the latest version of the bill. Sanchez, a lawyer, has been consistent throughout his career in the Senate in his opposition to imposing stricter penalties for crimes. Read more
Lawmakers consider lottery scholarship expansion
Students who wait to go to a two-year-
post-secondary school would be eligible for a Lottery Scholarship under a bill
that just passed the House.
The House Education Committee
Substitute for House Bill 27 sponsored by Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton cleared
the House by a vote of 49-13.
The legislation will extend the
Legislative Lottery Scholarship eligibility to students who are accepted to
attend a two-year state educational institution within two years of completion of
a high school curriculum at a public or accredited private NM high school,
receiving a
high school equivalency diploma or beginning service in the US armed forces or
honorable service or medical discharge from the service.
Diane Denish won't run for Mayor
 |
| Diane Denish |
Denish, a Democrat, said in a written
statement that she hopes the campaign will force candidates “to take on the
real challenges our city faces such as the crushing lack of job creation, the
threatened rights of workers and their opportunity to make a living wage, and
making much needed changes in the approach to protecting all of our citizens
from crime and gun violence.”
In
the race so far are: Former City Councilor Pete Dinelli, a Democrat; incumbent
Richard Berry, a Republican; retired police Sgt. Paul Heh, a Republican; Jay
Flowers, an office worker and Republican; and former Albuquerque
House approves legislation to crack down on DWI
Convicted drunken drivers with an
ignition interlock will be prohibited from buying alcohol under legislation
approved by the House.
Democratic Rep. Brian Egolf of Santa Fe New Mexico
Egolf said he developed the legislation after seeing
a man buy a soda and two miniature bottles of whiskey at a convenience store,
mix them and drive off in a vehicle equipped with an interlock.
The bill passed
the House on a 59-5 vote Monday and goes to the Senate for consideration.
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