Legislative roundup: Feed bill passes house

The New Mexican

Legislative Roundup

Days remaining in session: 58

Feed bill passes House

The Legislature’s 60-day session will cost taxpayers $138,778 a day.

A bill to pay for operations of the session was approved on Wednesday by the House. There was no debate or questions about the spending measure before it passed unanimously and was sent to the Senate for consideration.

The measure, known as the “feed bill,” provides $8.3 million for the expected costs of the legislative session. That’s about 5.7 percent more than lawmakers appropriated for the most recent 60-day session, in 2007.

However, the $8 million is about 21 percent higher than the actual expenses of the 2007 session.

Green Jobs Cabinet

Economic Development Secretary Fred Mondragon today will introduce the members of the Green Jobs Cabinet, an initiative Gov. Bill Richardson talked about Tuesday in his State of the State speech. Mondragon will also give details about the cabinet.

The group “will coordinate workforce training, economic development and education initiatives to develop New Mexico’s clean energy economy,” according to the Governor’s Office.

Still not sure where to park?

Parking near the Capitol is bad and set to get worse. But the Legislature has posted information on free shuttles on its Web site, http://www.nmlegis.gov. There is an aerial map of places that have free parking with shuttle service to the Roundhouse.

Looking Ahead:

• New Mexicans Concerned About Tobacco plan to release results of a public opinion survey about tobacco taxes as well as talk about its efforts to protect the state’s Dee Johnson Clean Indoor Act at 10 a.m. today in the Capitol Rotunda.