Richard Martinez

A bill that would require the Educational Retirement Board to publicly disclose the pension amounts for each of its 30,000 members passed the Senate Tuesday night and will now go to the governor for his signature.

State lawmakers should have judged Neri Holguin on her professional qualifications, not her past political work, Gov. Bill Richardson said Tuesday, after the Senate rejected his nominee to the state Environmental Improvement Board by a vote of 17 to 25. “I think there were some personal issues. She is a very dedicated environmentalist,” Richardson said [...]

The vast majority of government retirees couldn’t “double dip” after July 1 under a bill the Senate passed Monday. Most retirees after July 1 would have to sit out 12 months following retirement before returning to government work and then give up their pensions for as long as they work. Those exempted from the new rules include elected officials, temporary legislative employees and the more than 1,400 people who currently double dip.

A bill that would have allowed people to register to vote at early voting sites and cast their ballot on the same day was left hanging late last night by a tie vote in the Senate Judiciary committee. It was subsequently voted down this morning by the House Voters and Elections Committee.

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 system.

With the recent additions of Iowa and Vermont (not to mention Washington D.C.) to the ranks of states that allow same-sex marriage, some New Mexico Democrats hope the Land of Enchantment joins that short list soon.