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.
State Sen. Dede Feldman, D-Albuquerque, who sits on the Senate Rules Committee, where many ethics bills have been stalled, says on her blog that this session has been a bad one for transparency. She mourns the lack of progress…
NMI was webcasting live from the Senate Rules Committee again today as part of our ongoing coverage of ethics reform. Many ethics reform bills have been introduced so far this session, and several are still waiting in Rules. Unfortunately, no ethics bills were discussed today, but several important elections bills were heard. Read the transcript for details.
On Monday the Senate Rules Committee continued an excruciatingly slow pace on ethics reform. It skipped over the major reforms at the top of its agenda and instead heard two smaller ethics-related bills — but it didn’t vote on either.
NMI reported live from the Roundhouse Monday morning during a Senate Rules Committee hearing. On the menu were several ethics reform bills, including some addressing campaign contributions from state contractors, and proposals for a state ethics commission. Click on the headline to read the live blog transcript.
For nearly two weeks, the New Mexico Independent webcast ethics hearings from the Senate Rules Committee — some of them with the help of Mark Bralley — and substantive ethics reform discussions took place each time. But on Monday, NMI was unable to do it. Without a camera in the room, no ethics reform was discussed.
In an early morning letter, Common Cause New Mexico Executive Director Steve Allen lamented the fact that no ethics reform legislation was discussed “at all” in the state Senate Rules Committee Monday morning, and he speculated that it…
As part of our continuing coverage of ethics reform legislation, NMI was webcast live from the Senate Rules Committee Wednesday morning. Here is the transcript of our live blog.
Sen. Dede Feldman says a vote on a bill that would require disclosure of gifts from pharmaceutical companies to doctors will be a test of the Senate’s receptiveness to some reform bills that would increase transparency.
Former state lawmakers would need to wait a year after their terms end to return to the Roundhouse as a lobbyist under legislation that hurdled a Senate committee Friday. This week, the proposal will be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Senate Rules Committee had a huge agenda for Friday, but we were paying particular attention to a slate of ethics-related bills. Watch the archived video browse the transcript of the live blog!
Gov. Bill Richardson announced Monday that he would introduce legislation this week to ban campaign contributions from corporations, contractors and lobbyists.
A second piece of legislation his office will introduce will require contractors to register with the state and disclose…
Some high-profile ethics reform bills gained momentum today in the Senate Rules Committee.
The Senate Rules Committee was in session earlier today, considering several ethics reform bills. Check out the transcript of the conversation.
There’s at least one ethics-reform proposal that isn’t getting any discussion this year. In fact, some legislators, when asked about it, thought it already was part of state law. The proposal: require a campaign contributor to list his or her employer.
The Senate Rules Committee met Friday morning and discussed a couple of the ethics bills on its agenda. Read the transcript of our live blog and watch the archived video here.
If I didn’t know better, I’d be tempted to think the Legislature’s evolving omnibus bill was an attempt to kill ethics reform once again. Oh, wait — this is Santa Fe. Of course that’s what the omnibus bill is about.
The Senate Rules Committee is scheduled to hear a series of ethics bills, including the list below, at 8 a.m. Friday. The New Mexico Independent plans to webcast this meeting and live-blog during it. Our goal is to provide…
Motion on a number of ethics reform proposals has finally begun in the Senate, and that has reform supporters saying there is reason for optimism despite the committee’s late start on the issue.
After getting a late start, the committee that’s key to all ethics reform proposals in the Senate is scheduled to move into ethics overdrive this week.
The Daily Lobo reports today on how GRIPgate might affect the University of New Mexico, including an interview with Timothy Lowrey, a UNM Faculty Senate member.
Lowrey said it’s unfavorable for UNM to be associated with a federal
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