I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
The New Mexico Senate Rules Committee voted 3-2 to table a proposal to ban all campaign contributions from contractors that do business with the state.
State Sens. Tim Jennings, Stuart Ingle and Dianna Duran voted to table the proposal while Sens. Dede Feldman and Peter Wirth opposed the motion.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Tim Keller, was one of the ethics-reform proposals sought by Gov. Bill Richardson. There is some legislative pushback against Richardson for trumpeting his support for the bill because the governor is viewed as having taken millions of dollars from state contractors in his 2002 election bid and his bid for re-election in 2006. He is barred from running again for governor in 2010.
A legislative analysis explains that the bill would have prohibited:
“a principal of a state contractor or prospective state contractor from making a contribution to or soliciting a contribution on behalf of a candidate for state public office or a candidate’s political committee. The prohibition begins when a bid is submitted to the state and lasts for two years following the expiration of any state agency contract. For bid submissions after July 1, 2011, if a prohibited contribution has been made in the two year period before the bidding process the prospective state contractor will be prevented from contracting with the state and any contract entered into is can be cancelled by the contracting agency.”
The analysis goes on to say:
GSD (the state’s General Services Department) states that in cases of a violation, the tracking of suspended companies will require a system that is available to all state agencies and instrumentalities such as the SHARE system. A flag or notation capability will be required but it is unclear who will provide the resources for implementation.
