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.
Attorney General Gary King announced today that ethics and campaign finance reforms are among his agenda items for this year’s legislative session. He also wants legislation to help prevent DWIs and underage drinking as well as bills to aid against border violence.
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.
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.
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?
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,…
House Bill 118, a measure that would prevent registered lobbyists, state contractors and agencies seeking subsidies from making contributions to state candidates, was tabled in committee Thursday, but supporters say it’s a temporary setback. The bill would also make nonprofits that…
On Thursday, Gov. Bill Richardson gave the nod to a bill that sponsor Sen. Tim Keller said would be “the most sweeping investment fund reform in state history.” The bill incorporates more than 20 recommendations made by…
The first day of the 2010 session ended as it began: with no clear plan to solve New Mexico’s worst budget troubles in decades. If past experience is any guide, the budget negotiations will come fits and starts over the next four weeks, with bouts of frustration interspersed with glimmers of hope.
At a time when lawmakers are checking every crack of state government for a few dollars, the state auditor says there is a lot of money not being watched closely enough.
“There’s a billion dollars out there last year that…
Election victories by progressives helped spark ethics reform in Albuquerque and state government. Now some say it’s time for similar reforms in Las Cruces
For whatever it’s worth, Gov. Bill Richardson announced today the ethics reforms he plans to push in the 2010 session.
Why so skeptical? Richardson did the same thing a year ago, unveiling his ethics agenda for the 2009…
Common Cause, a government watchdog group, is hosting a bipartisan panel of state legislators for a discussion of ethics reform this weekend. Panel members include state Sens. Sander Rue and Peter Wirth, and state Reps. Kathy McCoy and Eleanor Chavez.…
Attorney General Gary King plans to push a number of ethics-reform proposals during the 30-day session of the state Legislature that begins in January. At the top of his list is the creation of an independent ethics commission.
At a forum in Santa Fe on Wednesday night, several candidates for Lt. Governor criticized the chair of the Senate Rules Committee for failing to pass a bill that would have established an independent ethics committee, reports…
Despite Gov. Bill Richardson’s claims of vindication, over the weekend several state newspapers ran editorials about the two-term Democratic governor and the end of a federal probe into whether there was pay-to-play involved in deals at the New Mexico Finance…
By any measure, the 60-day session of the New Mexico Legislature that just ended was the most successful in recent memory for ethics-reform advocates who have been pushing for years to fundamentally change the way state government does business.
The conservation group WildEarth Guardians thinks more of the greater Gila region in southwestern New Mexico should be protected as wilderness, The Associated Press reports. Referring to the area as the Yellowstone of the West, the group has released…
Want to know why it’s so difficult to pass any ethics-reform measure in Santa Fe? A news release sent out by the governor’s office Monday evening provides a clue about one of the big reasons.
As part of our ongoing coverage of ethics reform, NMI was webcasting today from the Senate Rules Committee, where several ethics and elections-related bills were still waiting. Today, the Committee voted 3-2 to table a proposal to ban all campaign contributions from contractors that do business with the state.
