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 is getting a federal grant to help beef up consumer protection efforts. The money will be used to help consumers file complaints and to appeal insurance company decisions, track and analyze trends in those complaints, and to fund a full-time staff position to assist consumers who are seeking health insurance coverage,
New Mexico’s Motor Vehicle Division recently won an award from the Center for Digital Government for its new website that allows drivers to renew their vehicle registrations online and check wait times at local offices.
Hooray! NMI is proud to report that we’ve been selected to receive the annual First Amendment Award, to be given by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico (ACLU-NM) at its Bill of Rights Celebration in October.
ACLU-NM Executive Director…
A Chimayó man who admitted to threatening a state court judge would have faced felony charges, and more time behind bars if convicted, had the Legislature passed legislation earlier this year raising the punishment for such threats, the Santa Fe…
State Sen. Sander Rue, R-Albuquerque, has won a national Legislator of the Year Award for his advocacy for New Mexico’s “Sunshine Portal,” according to a news release issued today.
Rue carried legislation this year that cleared the New Mexico…
A steady activity of film and TV shoots is raising New Mexico’s profile in Hollywood as several films or TV series shot here racked up Oscar and Emmy awards. But the bigger profile is also raising the amount of money New Mexico pays out to film and TV productions through a controversial tax credit program. Critics say it’s a program we can’t afford, but supporters say the program has brought hundreds of millions of dollars in spending and created thousands of high-paying jobs.
At a time when more New Mexicans are struggling financially, the state has restricted access to a program that helps low-income parents find and keep jobs. So far this year about 1,000 families have been added to a waiting list for a childcare subsidy, a bit of financial help that low-income parents often need to move into the workforce. The waiting list also means fewer children will be in childcare centers, which often function as the state’s eyes and ears for neglect or abuse, a state official said.
Government agencies can’t ask job seekers whether they’ve been convicted of a crime starting today under a new state law, the Albuquerque Journal tells us.
The new law, colloquially referred to as ban-the-box, would prohibit municipal and state governments…
Gov. Bill Richardson has identified at least 1,071 vacant, state government positions for elimination, his office announced Friday.
Richardson’s action doesn’t save the state any money because the positions are vacant, but it does shrink state government. That’s because Richardson’s action…
The state will soon decide whether to close 14 of the state’s 32 rest stops in order to save money. A similar move in Arizona last year provoked a public uproar.
A new Arizona law will allow folks 21 and older to carry concealed weapons without needing a permit from the state first. But that doesn’t mean New Mexico should follow Arizona’s lead, said Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, who was…
As state legislators drew the March special session to a close, they gave Gov. Bill Richardson authority to cut agency budgets and education without convening the Legislature into special session, and authorized him to dip into the state’s reserves for…
New Mexico’s financially strapped school districts could have received $15 million in “additional bonus money” if Gov. Bill Richardson hadn’t vetoed a measure that would have directed federal stimulus funds to education. But the governor’s office says legislators overstepped their bounds and only governors–not legislatures–can appropriate federal money. Meanwhile, schools are strapped for cash.
The longstanding battle over who owns the state’s more than 1,900 voting tabulators – the counties or the state – appears settled, and none too soon with this year’s elections fast approaching. A bill Gov. Bill Richardson signed into law…
Colorado lawmakers recently decided to impose an online sales tax, a move that is generating a battle in Denver and highlighting the pressure states face to find new revenues. The New Mexico Legislature considered a bill to tax online sales during the 30-day regular session, but the bill never got out of the first committee assigned to study it. Rep. Eleanor Chavez, D-Albuquerque, who sponsored that legislation, said she’s planning on introducing a similar bill in 2011 if she’s re-elected.
Today was the final day for Governor Bill Richardson to sign bills that were passed in the final days of the 2010 regular session. The eight bills that Richardson did not sign into law were pocket-vetoed. Richardson only vetoed…
Governor Bill Richardson announced in a press release today that he signed a bill that would allow concealed weapons in some restaurants. While doing so, Richardson announced that he was directing the New Mexico Department of Public Safety to…
“Currently insurers in New Mexico can charge women up to 20 percent more than men for individual and small group health insurance plans. This is unacceptable…,” Richardson said Tuesday in a press release announcing that he had signed Senate Bill 148.
The…
Any bill from the 2010 regular legislative session that is not signed by Wednesday will be “pocket vetoed.” So far, Gov. Bill Richardson and Lt. Gov. Diane Denish have signed a total of 94 of the 130 bills passed in…
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish signed into law today a bill that will create a publicly accessible, online database of financial information from government agencies in New Mexico.
