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 Abuquerque Journal reports that about two dozen complaints against the Bernalillo County government have been dismissed. The complaints run the gamut from improper hiring decisions to someone angry because his neighbor’s dogs bark “for no good reason.”
For four years Gov. Bill Richardson and state lawmakers have wrestled over how to set up a state ethics commission, who would sit on it and who would appoint them. That an agreement has proved elusive is an understatement; the concept has proved deeply unpopular at the Capitol.
Democrat Diane Denish says she’ll appoint an independent ethics commission “on day one.” But Republican Susana Martinez says an ethics commission would amount to nothing more than window dressing.
Former Republican state legislator Ben Hall and former Democratic Doña Ana County commissioner Bill McCamley both want to clean up the powerful and scandal-plagued state Public Regulation Commission. The men, who are fighting over outgoing Commissioner Sandy Jones’s District 5 seat, both told The Independent they want to see increased PRC scrutiny of utility and insurance companies’ rate hikes, and increased accountability at the PRC’s semi-autonomous Division of Insurance. But the candidates differed on how they would achieve those goals.
An obscure branch of the federal government responsible for distributing millions of tax dollars to religious organizations is drawing criticism for poor oversight of how the money is spent. Good-government advocates warn that without rigorous transparency, the likelihood for corruption, ethics violations and unconstitutional spending of tax dollars is high.
Add another item to New Mexico state lawmakers’ to-do list: Soon they’ll have to take a course on ethics, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports today.
The course is being developed in collaboration with New Mexico State University and…
Rocked by recent scandals, resignations and controversies, the state Public Regulation Commission (PRC) began staff ethics training Tuesday.
Former chief of staff Dan Mayfield‘s prohibition on PRC employees speaking to journalists was still in effect, staffers…
Michael A. Rivera of Corrales has been appointed as the state Public Regulation Commission (PRC)’s new Chief of Staff. Rivera will oversee a PRC staff of more than 270 employees. His position pays $130,000 a year.
Rivera arrives at the…
While a number of high-profile ethics and transparency measures died as the clock expired on the regular session last week, the New Mexico Legislature also sent a number of significant proposals to the governor for action.
After two days of turmoil, over four hours of heated debate and lots of procedural wrangling, the House on Tuesday passed a major piece of ethic legislation. HB 118 would ban campaign contributions from lobbyists and big state contractors from giving money to state-wide candidates and political parties. The bill now has less than 48 hours to try and get through the Senate.
Senator Steven Neville, R-Aztec is appealing directly to House Speaker Ben Lujan, D-Santa Fe, to hear his bill in the House. The measure, which would restructure the State Investment Council, passed the Roundhouse last year but was vetoed by Governor Richardson. In the second time in as many days the Senate voted to override a veto, sending Neville’s bill back to the House. Speaker Lujan told the Independent after the Senate’s first veto override that it likely wouldn’t get a hearing in the House. More …
Over three weeks ago Governor Bill Richardson handed a full plate of initiatives to the Roundhouse. So with just about one week left, how much are lawmakers listening?
With the proposal to create a state ethics commission under consideration in the Senate Rules Committee, activists lobbying for the bill say they’d like to see a better balance between confidentiality and the public’s right to know than would be created by some of the bills under consideration.
The Senate Rules Committee on Tuesday passed a bill that would make changes to the state’s Governmental Conduct Act, including adding local government officials to the list of public employees who are bound by its ethical provisions.
For the third time in about a week, supporters of House Bill 118 tried to move their bill through the House Voters and and Elections Committee. The committee had asked the sponsor of HB 118Rep. Jose Campos, D-Santa Rosa, to…
On Tuesday the House Voters and Elections Committee tabled a bill designed to combat pay-to-play, asking supporters to work with Rep. Gail Chasey, D-Albuquerque, the sponsor of a similar bill.
House Bill 118 is sponsored by Rep. Jose Campos,…
A bill that would prohibit candidates from appearing in public service ads passed through the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee Thursday afternoon.
The most conspicuous example of an elected official appearing on public service ads is former Secretary of…
The Wall Street Journal has given the indictment of former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and three others a national profile, the Santa Fe New Mexican’s Steve Terrell blogged this afternoon.
The New Mexico Legislature’s Courts, Corrections and Justice committee met in Red River Wednesday and there were several interesting topics on the agenda, including double-dipping, predatory lending and a proposed ethics commission. NMI live blogged from the meeting.
Gov. Bill Richardson just sent out a press release urging legislators to work on ethics reform. The release said Richardson “applauded” the Senate Rules Committee’s passing a campaign contribution cap.
“I’m pleased that this issue is moving forward, but we…
