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.
New Mexico Attorney General Gary King highlighted an expansion of an ethics law this morning that passed the Legislature and was signed by Gov. Susana Martinez. The expansion comes to New Mexico’s Governmental Conduct Act. The changes include adding local government officials to the list of public employees who are bound by its ethical provisions.
“The new law expands and clarifies the definition of a public officer or employee covered by the Act and amends the prohibition against certain designated political activities to include elected or appointed officials or employees of state and local government agencies,” King wrote in a statement. “This means employees and officers of village, county, city governments, (the definition in the bill says “local government agency” means a political subdivision of the state or an agency of a political subdivision of the state) are now subject to the ethical principles and prohibitions set out in the Act.”
The act previously only applied to state employees.
King has long pushed for such a measure to become law. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Tim Eichenberg, D-Albuquerque, passed both the House and Senate with no dissenting votes.
The bill would also create other changes to the Act. One such change would bar employees of state and local government agencies from participating, either directly or indirectly, in the contracting process.
Another change would prohibit state agencies from entering into a contract with the business of any employee or public officer or the officer’s or employee’s family member or spouse unless the contract goes through a competitive process and there is public notice.
“As Attorney General, I have long held that the absence of a uniform set of ethical standards, applied statewide, undermines public faith in government in general and creates confusion in the public mind,” King wrote. “More importantly, the newly expanded code of conduct will most definitely make it easier for law enforcement to address corruption all over New Mexico.”
King, a Democrat, won reelection last year for a second term as Attorney General.
