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.
On Friday afternoon, the state Senate voted to uphold Sen. Eric Griego’s amendment to add a requirement that staff compile a list of at least $150 million in potentially cutable capital outlay projects to a bill that would make widespread reductions in state government. But that came only after tensions erupted over some serious allegations made against Senate leaders.
On Friday afternoon, the Senate increased the amount of capital outlay–also known as “pork”–legislators will have to give up, with Lt. Gov. Diane Denish casting the tie vote to move the bill forward.
The amendment to the big budget bill…
The New Mexico State Legislature passed a series of budget bills on Friday, the last day of a weeklong special session. Click the headline to read a transcript of our live blog, which tracked the developments in real time.
A budget bill that would cut K-12 education by less than 1 percent while trimming the budgets of most state agencies nearly 8 percent cleared the House late Thursday.
Governor Bill Richardson has made it three in a row — that is three days in a row that he has used his blog to push back at criticism from legislators. This time, it is over his hiring freeze,…
The solutions the Legislature is now considering to close this year’s budgetary shortfall rely heavily on a pot of money that once emptied cannot be refilled.
While we sit in the recess in both the House and the Senate, let’s take a look at what news outlets around the state said about the state Legislature and what happened at the Roundhouse yesterday.
House Bill 17, which would implement some $220 million in cuts to most state agencies, public education and Medicaid, contains an interesting provision related to the state’s district attorneys.
The bill requires the district attorneys and the administrative office…
The Legislature appears to be moving toward asking Gov. Bill Richardson to make cuts to his spending on exempt employees, rather than trying to force him to do it.
But it’s mostly a symbolic gesture.
“Everybody wants to do…
Several major budget bills moved through the House and the Senate while we were watching on Thursday, and the Independent hosted a lively conversation about the various proposals. Click the headline to read transcripts.
A possible deal to close this year’s huge budgetary shortfall emerged from a powerful House committee late Wednesday night, but some lawmakers are upset that the bill includes $54 million in cuts from K-12 education.
An analysis prepared for the Legislative Finance Committee—but not widely distributed—showed that at least $50 million could be raised this fiscal year through sin taxes and other measures.
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish issued a statement immediately following the Senate floor debate tonight lamenting the passage of House Bill 3 by the Senate, while stating that it was necessary. House Bill 3 transfers money from various funds and agencies into…
Senator Eric Griego, an Albuquerque Democrat, has made a proposal that avoids cuts to public schools and higher education, if legislators will simply choose “people over pork,” he said. His proposal was made available to press watching the Senate floor…
During a discussion on the Senate floor Wednesday about whether lawmakers should voluntarily reduce their per diem as the Legislature addresses a massive budget shortfall, Sen. Richard Martinez, D-Española, spoke out heatedly about colleagues who he said abuse the…
Gov. Bill Richardson is pushing back against state lawmakers again. For the second time in two days, the governor’s office is taking umbrage with state lawmakers on its blog.
The only bill the Senate seems to agree on so far is Sen.Tim Keller’s Medicaid protection bill, SB 4, which passed late Tuesday.
At a press conference outside the Roundhouse on Tuesday, the House Republicans released 48 ideas to help close the budget gap.
On Wednesday, the House and Senate inched closer to a possible budget deal after hours of debate on the floor and in committee. Click the headline to read a transcript of our marathon live-blogging session.
