Governor Signs New Hay Transportation Legislation
KOAT: APS Redistricting Plans Overturned
From KOAT-TV.com - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The New Mexico Senate overturned the controversial Albuquerque Public School District's redistricting map, giving hope to those wanting a new west side district. The Senate Rules Committee said under state law, it had the right to approve redistricting plans for large metropolitan districts like APS. But later that day, APS School Board President Paula Maes said the Senate had no right to do that, saying the district could continue with the new map because buried in the constitution was another law stating the legislation has no authority to vote on school redistricting. "What it basically means is that our map that we approved two weeks ago stands as is," said Maes. This means the west side will continue to have to full school board districts and a third made up of more than 50 percent of west side residents. Read more
N.M. Senate Approves Income Tax Change
The measure passed the Senate on a 28-13 vote on Monday and was sent to the House. Sen. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, says the legislation will help stop "big box retailers" from avoiding taxes by shifting part of their income to out-of-state subsidiaries. The proposal will require certain corporations to combine the income from their nationwide operations in determining how much is subject to taxation in New Mexico. Opponents say the change will increase taxes on large chain retailers and could cause them to reduce their New Mexico operations. The bill lowers the corporate tax rate to 7.5 percent from 7.6 percent.
Skandera confirmation, once again, unlikely
Commentary: Don’t poison the Sunshine Portal
Susana Will Take Redistricting Reversal To The US Supreme Court
Capitol Report New Mexico - Capitol Report New Mexico has learned that attorneys for Gov. Susana Martinez will appeal the recent decision by the New Mexico Supreme Court to reverse a redistricting judge’s decision concerning the state’s House of Representatives all the way to the US Supreme Court.
“We believe there are serious federal concerns,” Jessica Hernandez, general counsel for the Republican governor told Capitol Report New Mexico in an interview on Tuesday (Feb. 14), adding that the New Mexico Supreme Court’s reversal “raises important and unique questions the [US] Supreme Court will want to weigh in on.”
It’s unclear when the appeal to the highest court in the land will occur but Hernandez said “It’s just a matter of doing the research and getting the necessary paperwork done.” Read the full story here: News New Mexico
Disability: For Those Who Can't Milk Unemployment?
The reports I allude to, contended that many went on disability. In fact, they projected that nearly 25% of those not actively seeking a job had applied for, and been accepted, by disability - mostly Social Security.
One of the reports came from a site called SoberLook.com (a perfectly logical place for the Friends of Fermentation to be browsing). The Sober report quoted extensively from a report by JPMorgan. I was unable to locate the original JPM report but we’ll assume that Sober quoted from it correctly. Anyway, here’s a bit from SoberLook: Read full story here: News New Mexico
State Will Spend $5.6 Billion in Fiscal 2014
Santa Fe--The New Mexico State Senate passed the state’s proposed budget known as House Bill 2 with a vote of 34-6 last night. The budget that spends $5.6 billion in general fund dollars to run state government in fiscal year 2014. Of the $254 million in "anticipated" new revenue for fiscal year 2014, about $215 million will be spent. The remaining $36.6 million will be made available for tax relief or for other uses.The Senate amended the House budget bill by including additional dollars for drug court, for soil and water conservation and for additional judgeships.
Senate Democrats Still Refuse to Repeal Driver's Licenses to Illegals Policy in New Mexico
New Mexico crime rings operating in the illegal business of marketing the ease of obtaining a state driver’s license fraudulently, breathed a sigh of relief last night.
John Arthur Smith of Deming was the only Democratic Senator to join Republicans in rejecting the complex alternative to a more simple approach that would simply repeal the practice of issuing driver’s licenses to people in the state illegally.
The so-called compromise bill includes somewhat tougher requirements for foreign nationals than what was proposed last year when Democrats also blocked repeal of the old law. This year’s non-repeal version of the dubious bill requires license renewal every year, fingerprints and increased penalties for those who knowingly provide false paperwork for foreign nationals.In the end, the bill creates more administrative procedures for bureaucrats at the Department of Motor Vehicle offices which should slow service and create longer lines. However, the bill still leaves plenty of room for crime rings to game the system, which is what they were hoping for. The bill will be sent to the New Mexico House of Representatives that has already simply voted to repeal the old law. Governor Martinez called the process in the Senate a "sham" and suggested a veto would be forthcoming.
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