New sex offender law closes major loophole

Gov. Susana Martinez has signed legislation that will require convicted sex offenders who move to New Mexico to register with authorities for the crimes they committed in other states. 

The governor said Wednesday the new law closes a loophole that had allowed some out-of-state sex offenders to avoid registration in New Mexico. The measure also will require offenders to supply authorities with more information, including their email addresses and monikers used on social networking site. 

The new law takes effect in July. 

Currently offenders must register with law enforcement if they've been convicted of certain sex crimes in New Mexico or the equivalents of those crimes in other states. 

However, a state Supreme Court ruling last year highlighted problems in determining whether out-of-state crimes fall under New Mexico registration requirements.

New sex offender law closes major loophole

Bingaman takes fellowship at Stanford

Jeff Bingaman

Jeff Bingaman, the former head of the U.S. Senate energy committee, is headed to back to Stanford Law School. 

The New Mexico Democrat and Stanford alumnus will be joining the Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance as a distinguished fellow. The fellowship will last a year.

 The law school says Bingaman will be reviewing the status of renewable energy standards in dozens of states to determine what policies can be adopted to improve the programs. 

Bingaman says part of the mission is to find cost-effective solutions for advancing clean energy.

Bingaman takes fellowship at Stanford

NMSU regents approve 3% tuition increase

The New Mexico State University Board of Regents approved a 3 percent increase in tuition and fees starting with the Fall, 2013 semester.  

The increase means a full-time New Mexico resident undergraduate will pay $6222/year, while a full-time non-resident will pay $19,640.  Meal plan rates will rise 3.4%, which reflects an increase in costs, according to the University.  There will be no increase in housing costs.  

The increases received support from all members of the Board of Regents, with the exception of newly-appointed student Regent Jordan Banegas.

  NMSU remains among the lowest-priced schools among its peer institutions.

NMSU regents approve 3% tuition increase

Gov. signs corporate tax bill

Gov. Martinez

Gov. Susana Martinez plans to sign a measure into law to lower taxes on corporations as an economic development incentive.

The governor's office said Martinez will sign the legislation today.

Key provisions will reduce the state's corporate income tax rate from 7.6 percent to 5.9 percent over five years, and provide a tax break to manufacturers that sell most of their goods and services outside of New Mexico. 

Supporters say the tax changes can help New Mexico in recruiting businesses or encouraging them to expand, potentially bringing more jobs to the state.

New Mexico's top corporate income rate is the highest among neighboring states. 

Friday is the deadline for the governor to sign or veto measures passed by the Legislature during its recently completed 60-day session.

Gov. signs corporate tax bill

Study estimates 34.9% spike for NM when health care law takes effect

From Capitol Report New Mexico - People in New Mexico might face a big financial hit once the health care overhaul known as Obamacare takes effect. The Society of Actuaries has released a report that concludes claims costs in individual health plans which is expected to get more crowded as the Affordable Care Act kicks in will rise by an average of 34.9 percent in New Mexico and 31.5 percent throughout the U.S. once the landmark law is fully enacted starting in 2014. Why?
     According to a consulting actuary for the society, pools of high-risk patients are now expected to swarm toward individual health plans, thus offsetting any gains for insurers realized through higher volumes and the addition of lower-risk patients now being forced to get coverage. “The financial effect of those [high-risk] people used to be spread more widely,” Kristi Bohn told The Wall Street Journal’s Marketwatch. “Now they’ll all be in the individual market.”
     New Mexico may be taking an above-average hit but the people in Ohio are taking a gigantic one. The actuaries report estimates an 80.9 increase for the Buckeye state. While costs in individual plans are estimated to take a leap, the report does estimate that the percentage of uninsured in New Mexico will drop from 22.9 percent to just under 9 percent.
     “The major consequence of ACA is government expansion,” Dr. Deane Waldman of Albuquerque told New Mexico Watchdog. A pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Waldman has been a harsh critic of Obamacare. “This produces increased costs to insurance that they are passing on to consumers through higher premiums. For instance, the new regulatory application forms for insurance companies is 12 pages long, 10-point font,” he said in an e-mail. “The one prediction about all government bureaucracy that is certain is that it will always expand. The costs that the government will impose on insurance will continue to escalate, and insurance will continue to pass these on.” Read more

Study estimates 34.9% spike for NM when health care law takes effect

Los Angeles syncs up all 4,500 of its traffic lights

From MSN.com - It has taken 30 years and $400 million, but Los Angeles has finally synchronized its traffic lights in an effort to reduce traffic congestion, becoming the first city in the world to do so. Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa said with the 4,500 lights now in sync, commuters will save 2.8 minutes driving five miles in Los Angeles, The New York Times reported. Villaraigosa also said that the average speed would rise more than two miles per hour on city streets and that carbon emissions would be greatly reduced as drivers spend less time starting and stopping.
     The initiative, Automated Traffic Surveillance and Control, began ahead of the 1984 Olympics to preempt traffic snarls as visitors swarmed to events. Today, it uses underground magnetic censors to measure traffic conditions. That data is sent through fiber-optic cables to a central control where, without human intervention, it's analyzed and stored to predict future patterns.
     According to the Times, the control system adjusts traffic signals and has the ability to extend green lights for buses traveling in bus-only lanes during periods of heavy congestion. It also accounts for special events, like the Oscars or a presidential visit, by releasing light patterns to vehicles that advise them of alternative routes. The censors also detect bicycles and pedestrian traffic in certain neighborhoods.
     Despite what the city is calling a victory for commuters and the environment, experts aren’t so sure the expensive innovation can combat greater factors at play. According to a Texas A&M Transportation Institute report, drivers nationwide have wasted more time commuting since 2008. In 2011, they were delayed almost 5.5 billion hours on the road, up from 1.1 billion in 1982. Individuals spent 38 hours delayed in 2011.
     "If we reduce average travel time in Los Angeles by 20 percent, then we will see more people traveling," professor James E. Moore II, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Southern California, told the Times. "It's money well spent, but part of the benefit is not speed but throughput." Read more

Los Angeles syncs up all 4,500 of its traffic lights

Silver Alert program to go live in July

Gov. Susana Martinez has signed legislation into law to create a statewide Silver Alert program to help locate missing people with dementia and other conditions. 

The law takes effect in July, and the program will notify law enforcement agencies, the news media and others when a person 50 years or older suffering from Alzheimer's, dementia, or a brain injury goes missing. 

About 30 other states operate similar programs, which are modeled after the Amber Alert system that provides for emergency distribution of notices of a child's abduction.

In signing the measure on Monday, Martinez said the Silver Alert program "will protect seniors who might not be able to protect themselves." 

The governor's father died late last year after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Silver Alert program to go live in July

Gov. approves funds for horse testing

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez plans to sign legislation into law to finance more testing of race horses for illegal drug use and impose tougher penalties for violations. 

The governor's office said Martinez is to sign the legislation Tuesday in Las Cruces.

 One measure is to provide an estimated $700,000 a year for testing by the State Racing Commission. The money will come from an existing tax on pari-mutuel wagering at horse racing tracks. 

Under another bill, the commission could impose civil penalties up to $100,000 for violations of rules against performance enhancing drugs for horses. 

The legislation to toughen regulation came after a New York Times investigation last year highlighted horse deaths and jockey injuries at tracks in New Mexico and across the nation.

Gov. approves funds for horse testing

Volunteer firefighter retirement benefits to increase

Retirement benefits will increase for New Mexico's volunteer firefighters under legislation that has been signed into law by Gov. Susana Martinez. 

The measure, which takes effect in July, will boost retirement benefits to $250 a month — up from $200 currently — for volunteer firefighters who are at least age 55 and served for 25 or more years. 

Retirement benefits will increase to $125 a month — from $100 currently — for those who are age 55 and have served at least 10 years but less than 25 years.

 There are about 670 retirees and nearly 5,100 active volunteer firefighters across the state.

Volunteer firefighter retirement benefits to increase

Judge puts NM water lawsuit on hold

A judge has put New Mexico's lawsuit against the federal government over Rio Grande water management on hold while the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether to take up a separate lawsuit by Texas against New Mexico. 

U.S. District Court Judge James Browning ruled that Texas' lawsuit might render the issues in the state-federal lawsuit moot. 

The litigation revolves around water flowing out of Elephant Butte Reservoir to farms and cities in southern New Mexico and northwest Texas. 

New Mexico alleged the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation was releasing water from Elephant Butte for use in Texas that really belonged to New Mexico. Texas alleged groundwater pumping in the Hatch and Mesilla valleys of southern New Mexico was draining the Rio Grande.

Judge puts NM water lawsuit on hold