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.
One conservative lawmaker joined a bloc of liberals on the Senate floor Tuesday in attempting to bring back a handful of tax bills that a Senate committee had previously shot down.
The action on the floor reflected bi-partisan frustration with the guidelines for the session issued by Gov. Bill Richardson.
It all started when Sen. Dede Feldman, D-Albuquerque, objected to a normally routine motion to adopt a committee report saying that her bill–which would have eliminated a tax loophole for insurance companies–would not be considered during the session.
Feldman was supported by other liberal Democrats who had introduced tax bills, including Sen. Tim Keller, Cisco McSorley and Gerald Ortiz y Pino of Albuquerque, Sen. Peter Wirth of Santa Fe—and Albuquerque Republican Rod Adair. Yes, Rod Adair, one of the Senate’s most conservative members.
After listening to several senators argue that the governor’s guidelines were unconstitutional, Senate Minority Whip William Payne, R-Albuquerque, said those who opposed the committee’s recommendation were merely “grandstanding.”
“You want to argue some broad, vague, ‘We’re the legislature and we can do anything we darn well please because we’re the legislature,’” Payne said to his opponents on the issue.
Immediately after Payne spoke, Adair stood up and bucked the party line.
“I think we have to go by the rules and the constitution,” Adair said. Adair had spent much of the previous half-hour conferring with Wirth and a copy of the New Mexico Constitution.
Feldman had said the proclamation leaves the legislature “handcuffed” in their efforts to solve the budget problems that caused the governor to call the special session.
Senator Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, echoed the handcuffed feeling, saying, “I want to get the job done. I feel like I’m handcuffed here.”
Most Senate Republicans were left in the odd position of defending Governor Bill Richardson. Senator Clint Harden, R-Clovis, said, “We’re playing this game by [Richardson's] rules.”
Harden told those who objected to the bill that they had two options — either call for an extraordinary session or take it to the Supreme Court. The legislature would need three-fifths in each chamber to call for an extraordinary session.
After the debate, the Senate voted 22-16 to adopt the committee’s recommendation that the tax bills were not to be discussed during the special session.
The same group of senators objected several more times, and forced several more roll call votes, with the same result.
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