New Mexico Education Reforms Advance To Senate Floor - Associated Press
Public education reforms that would raise teacher salaries, extend the school calendar and increase spending on students from low-income and minority families are headed toward a vote of the New Mexico state Senate.
The Senate Finance Committee endorsed the bipartisan bill on Thursday after nearly three hours of deliberations. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports a nearly identical bill in the House was approved by the House Appropriations and Finance Committee by an 11-3 vote.
Lawmakers are confronting a court order to increase resources to school districts and widespread frustration with a troubled public education system.
Minimum salaries would increase roughly 11 percent to $40,000 for starting teachers and $60,000 for teachers with advanced credentials. About $120 million is set aside for a program that adds five weeks to the elementary school calendar.
A draft budget would increase education spending by over $480 million.
New Mexico Will Tax Nonprofit Operators Of Federal Labs - Associated Press
State government will continue taxing contractors that manage national laboratories in New Mexico even when they have nonprofit status.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the tax measures into law Thursday.
Without the legislation, the state might forgo tens of millions of dollars in taxes on sales and business services as it seeks to boost spending on public schools, infrastructure projects and pay increases for state workers.
The management group that took over Los Alamos National Laboratory last year includes nonprofit organizations such as Battelle Memorial Institute, the Texas A&M University System and the University of California. A tax-paying, for-profit contractor currently oversees Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque.
House Embraces Multicultural Education Bills - Associated Press
The New Mexico House of Representatives is embracing a package of bills designed to improve academic achievement among minority students and revitalize local linguistic and cultural traditions.
The House voted Thursday without opposition on two bills in the package of legislation. One would expand training for teachers of English as a second language and bilingual instructors. The other would enlist a network of existing teacher cooperatives to collaborate with local Native American tribes.
A related bill to create new divisions at the Public Education Department to focus on multicultural education and Hispanic education also passed the House.
Supporters of the bills say they respond to a court order to provide greater resources to the state's troubled public school system. A district court judge says the state is failing to provide an adequate education to students from low-income and minority communities, especially children who speak Spanish or Native American languages at home.
New Mexico Congresswoman Backs Same-Day Registration Bill - Associated Press
U.S. Rep. Debra Haaland is co-sponsoring a bill that would require all states to provide same-day voter registration on Election Day for federal elections.
The first-term Democratic Congresswoman from Albuquerque on Thursday introduced the bill on Capitol Hill that would amend the existing 2002 Help America Vote Act.
She says the changes would make it easier for eligible voters to participate in the democratic process and that registration deadlines prior to Election Day are a holdover from bygone days when voter rolls were maintained by hand.
Under current New Mexico state law, voter registration closes 28 days before Election Day. Democratic state legislators are advancing bills that would allow same-day voter registration and automatically register eligible voter during transactions at state motor vehicle offices.
New Mexico Bill Urging 'Clowning' In Schools Gets 1st Test - Associated Press
A New Mexico proposal that would seek funding to promote circus arts such as "clowning" and "giant puppetry" in schools is scheduled to face its first test.
The bill sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Nancy Rodriguez is slated to be heard in the Senate Education Committee on Friday and has faced ridicule from Republicans.
Under the proposal, the state would allocate $100,000 to the Public Education Department for a program to educate children in "trapeze, aerial fabrics, unicycling, juggling, clowning, stilt-walking, giant puppetry and partner acrobatics."
Rodriguez says circus arts are an effective way for children to get active.
House Republicans, however, have chided Rodriguez and Democrats for proposing to spend $100,000 on "clowning" while voting for a proposal that would exclude private schools from receiving state funding for textbooks.
GOP Lawmaker Wants To Allow Recall Elections In New Mexico - Associated Press
A Republican state lawmaker wants to create a process to recall elected officials who disappoint voters after taking office.
New Mexico state Rep. Bill Rehm of Albuquerque on Thursday proposed a constitutional amendment to allow recall elections. In midterm elections last year, Democrats consolidated control of all statewide elected offices.
Triggering a recall election would take a signature petition from one-quarter of the number of people who voted in the original election. A valid petition would result in a recall vote within 90 days.
New Mexico has no provisions for recalling officeholders.
Rehm says he wants to increase accountability among officeholders. Constitutional amendments require a vote of a majority of all legislators and a statewide vote.
Governor Nominates Regents For 5 New Mexico Colleges - Associated Press
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has nominated regents for five New Mexico colleges, representing her latest set of higher education appointments.
Lujan Grisham, a Democrat who took office in January, announced the nine appointments Thursday for Eastern New Mexico University, New Mexico Highlands University, New Mexico Military Institute, Northern New Mexico College and Western New Mexico University.
All but one of the appointments would fill six year terms ending at the end of 2024 if confirmed by the New Mexico Senate.
Joseph William Gergel, who is studying political science at Eastern New Mexico University, has been nominated for a two-year student regent term for his school.
$3M In Matching Funds Awarded For Work On Southwest Chief - Associated Press
Members of New Mexico's congressional delegation have secured $3 million in matching funds to help complete safety upgrades and maintenance along the Southwest Chief train route.
The delegation said Thursday that money provided by Amtrak will result in an investment of more than $26 million in the Southwest Chief, which connects Chicago to Los Angeles with stops in New Mexico and Colorado and other states.
U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, a New Mexico Democrat, said the funding marks a major investment in rural infrastructure and will help to ensure the future of the historic long-distance passenger rail service.
The delegation also pointed to legislation recently passed by Congress and signed by the president that prohibits Amtrak from replacing a significant portion of the route with bus service.
New Mexico Jail Admits To Sharing Information With ICE - Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
A county commissioner says New Mexico's largest jail violated policy by alerting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers when specific prisoners were released.
The Albuquerque Journal reported Wednesday that records department employees at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque acted in response to requests from ICE.
A jail spokeswoman could not say how many times information was shared or when the most recent communication occurred, but called it "extremely rare."
The interactions between jail personnel and ICE came to light after the Bernalillo County Commission passed a nondiscrimination resolution on Tuesday.
Maggie Hart Stebbins, the county commission chair, says sharing inmate information with ICE breaches county policy. The commission passed a resolution two years ago banning the use of county resources to determine an individual's immigration status or apprehend anyone using the information.
New Mexico Supreme Court Delays Power Plant Proceedings – Associated Press
The New Mexico Supreme Court has granted a request from the state's largest electric provider, delaying regulatory proceedings related to the closure of a coal-fired power plant that provides electricity to customers throughout the region.
The court on Friday granted a petition filed earlier this week by Public Service Co. of New Mexico. The utility was facing a deadline to turn in its application for abandoning the San Juan Generating Station near Farmington.
The state Public Regulation Commission had previously ordered PNM to file by Friday a plan that included details on costs, effects and plans associated with the San Juan shutdown.
The utility argued that initiatives pending before the Legislature could affect the state's energy landscape and what resources will be used to replace the San Juan plant.
Albuquerque Mayor Seeks Increased State Funding – Associated Press
The mayor of New Mexico's largest city wants more financial assistance from the state government to deal with issues including crime and homelessness.
The Albuquerque Journal reported Thursday that Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller wants state officials to increase funding to help the city contend with the costs of operating facilities such as the state's largest airport and the annual influx of thousands of University of New Mexico students.
Keller said increased funding to address city priorities will benefit the state as a whole.
The mayor wrote in a letter to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and legislative finance leaders that "Albuquerque's success is New Mexico's success" and that the city can "help lift up the entire state."
Keller said Albuquerque has not received significant capital funding from the state since 2012.
New Mexico Sheriffs' Gun Laws Protest Follows Other States – Associated Press
Dispute over a slate of New Mexico gun-control measures has raised questions over the local law enforcement officials' legal standing in refusing to enforce the proposals should they become law.
More than 20 county commissions in New Mexico have passed sheriff-backed resolutions that express support for sheriffs in deciding not to enforce gun laws that they find violate gun-owners' rights under the constitution. In the resolutions, the counties declare themselves sanctuaries for the Second Amendment.
The legislation includes a proposal to expand required background checks on private person-to-person gun sales.
The sheriffs and their supporters say the bills infringe upon gun-owners' rights and are unenforceable, which Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, disputes.
Bills to expand background checks and additional gun-control proposals in other states have routinely sparked outcry from the county-level law enforcement officials.
New Mexico Contemplates Tax Hike To Underwrite Education – Associated Press
The New Mexico House of Representatives is poised to vote on changes to the state tax code that would increase personal income taxes on some households and impose new taxes on e-cigarettes, nonprofit hospitals and online sales.
The House was scheduled to vote Friday on the Democrat-sponsored bill designed to trim the dependence of state government on the oil and natural gas sector and shift the tax burden toward higher earners.
Rep. Javier Martinez of Albuquerque says the promised benefits of prior income tax cuts never materialized and that reforms are needed to underwrite improvements to public education and roads. Republican legislators say it does not make sense to raise taxes when the state has a budget surplus.
The top rate for personal income taxes would increase to 6.5 percent.
US Attorney In New Mexico Adds Immigration Prosecutors – Associated Press
The U.S. attorney for New Mexico has added more than 20 new prosecutors to his staff since taking office last year, including lawyers focused on a growing caseload of immigration cases.
U.S. Attorney John Anderson told KOB-TV on Thursday that increased numbers of immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border highlight the need for heightened security.
Anderson notes that changes at the border in the past decade include increased numbers of immigrants coming from places other than Mexico.
Earlier this week, 67 Ecuadorian and Guatemalans who crossed the border illegally were located in a southeastern New Mexico house.
Anderson said his department will work closely with state and local departments to reduce crime.
Susana Martinez To Join Board Of Jeb Bush's Ed Reform Group – Associated Press
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has announced former New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is joining the board of his education reform organization.
Bush, the founder and chairman for the Foundation for Excellence in Education, said Friday that Martinez will become a member of the group's board of directors and help push reforms in other states. Both Bush and Martinez are Republicans.
Bush called Martinez a "visionary leader" who adopted strong education reforms as governor from 2011 to 2018.
But her appointed comes as the Democratic-controlled New Mexico Legislature is set to vote on far-reaching reforms to the state's public education system, reversing many of the policies under Martinez.
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's administration also is set to rollback policies on teacher evaluations and school grades.
Education Overhaul Puts School Districts In Hot Seat – Associated Press
Far-reaching reforms to New Mexico's public education system that are poised for votes by the House and Senate would put school districts in new command of their own fates with major budget and salary increases.
Struggling school districts also can say no to money that extends the school year and risk a backlash and litigation from parents and student advocates.
Democratic Sen. Jacob Candelaria of Albuquerque warned Thursday that school districts that languish could be the next focus of lawsuits similar to the one that has spurred lawmakers to seek a half-billion dollar increase in annual school funding.
House and Senate bills to overhaul public education funding and accountability measures differ slightly on minimum salary increases for teachers but both boost spending on students from low-income and minority students.
Judge Won't Dismiss Suit Against EPA Over Mine Waste Spill – Associated Press
A judge has denied the U.S. government's request to dismiss a lawsuit that New Mexico, Utah and the Navajo Nation filed against the Environmental Protection Agency over a mine spill that polluted streams in three states.
U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson issued his decision Thursday.
The lawsuit stems from the 2015 spill of 3 million gallons of wastewater from the Gold King Mine in southwestern Colorado. An EPA crew inadvertently triggered the spill, releasing nearly 540 U.S. tons of metals. Rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah were polluted.
New Mexico, Utah, the Navajos and about 300 individuals filed lawsuits seeking more than $2 billion in damages. The suits were consolidated, and Johnson is presiding over the case in Albuquerque, New Mexico.