Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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The settlement between Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and former campaign spokesman James Hallinan, who accused her of inappropriate conduct during a campaign meeting, is right out of the informal PR manual on how to deal with potential fallout from a sordid allegation. First, say the claim is absolutely without merit, even scurrilous and defamatory. Then, open up a checkbook and pay the person making the allegations, with details shrouded in confidentiality. Finally, say the settlement was made only to avoid “the continuing dis...
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday signed off on a $7.4 billion budget plan that will boost state spending and provide 1.5% pay increases to state employees and teachers. However, the Democratic governor used her line-item veto authority to strike down legislative earmarks for more than $1 billion from a federal stimulus plan for various state programs — including a largely depleted state unemployment fund, a popular college scholarship program and highway repairs. The governor also vetoed 17 bills passed by lawmakers, i...
SANTA FE — After years of hitting a brick wall at the Roundhouse, cannabis legalization finally burst through on Wednesday. New Mexico is poised to join a wave of other states in legalizing and taxing recreational cannabis sales, after both the House and Senate voted to approve a special session bill during a marathon day at the Roundhouse that featured lengthy debates and stinging political accusations. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has pushed for creation of what could be a multimillion-dollar industry, said she would s...
It has been clear for months that COVID-19 poses a higher risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death for seniors. But New Mexico is still playing catchup when it comes to vaccinating older people. The state doesn't categorize people 60 to 74 in their own phase based on age, but lumps them in with thousands of “other essential workers” in group 1C. That puts thousands of New Mexicans between the ages of 60 and 74 who don't have a qualifying medical condition near the tail end of the vaccine priority line — which is sh...
SANTA FE — Legislation to establish a New Mexico Civil Rights Act — a proposal sparked by protests against racism and police misconduct — won approval in the state Senate early Wednesday, pushing it to the brink of final passage. The measure passed the House a month ago, but senators revised the bill, so it will have to go back to the other chamber for agreement on the amendments. It passed the Senate on a 26-15 vote about 10 minutes after midnight. The legislation, House Bill 4, emerged quickly this year as one of the most...
ALBUQUERQUE — Douglas Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, will be visiting Albuquerque this week as part of a trip promoting the American Rescue Plan, the massive coronavirus relief effort. It will be Emhoff's first solo trip as the nation's first Second Gentleman, according to a White House official. Harris and Emhoff are scheduled to be in Las Vegas on Monday and Denver on Tuesday, before Emhoff comes to Albuquerque on Wednesday. Details about the Albuquerque trip haven't been announced....
SANTA FE — Legislation that would waive renewal fees for liquor licenses over the next year won approval without opposition in the House on Thursday, putting the bill on the brink of final passage. The proposal, Senate Bill 2, already made it through the Senate, but a House committee revised the proposal, so it will have to go back to the Senate for approval of the House amendment. Nonetheless, the bill quickly passed the House on a 64-0 vote Wednesday with no debate. The waiver of fees would apply to all liquor license h...
SANTA FE — The state House adopted legislation Sunday that would require private employers in New Mexico to offer paid sick leave to their workers, sending the measure over to the Senate with 20 days left in the session. Supporters said the proposal, House Bill 20, would offer critical protection for low-income New Mexicans who might otherwise have to choose between a paycheck or caring for a sick loved one. It would also, they said, reduce the spread of illness in the workplace. "This is the right thing to do, not only f...
Thanks to some transparency about how the Governor’s Office spends discretionary funds, we recently learned Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham used taxpayer money to buy almost $13,500 of goods and services over a six-month period in 2020. If we hadn’t been under a travel quarantine and a five-person limit on gatherings, that would have made sense — under normal conditions the governor entertains folks interested in investing in New Mexico. In fact $13,500 would be a bargain. But we were in the midst of a pandemic. And as tens of th...
SANTA FE — A $200 million pandemic relief bill aimed at propping up hard-hit New Mexico essential workers and restaurants is headed to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's desk for approval, after breezing through the state House on Wednesday. The 66-1 vote to approve the bill, part of a larger pandemic stimulus package, happened at the end of a long House floor session. Perhaps tired and screen-weary after lengthy debate on several other measures, House members did not offer any debate on the relief bill before voting to pass it. "...
SANTA FE -- Bipartisan legislation seeking to overhaul New Mexico's liquor laws passed the House Tuesday afternoon, despite an outcry of opposition from current liquor license holders. House Bill 255 was approved 41-27 and now heads to the Senate. The bill would create an entirely new license that would allow restaurants to sell liquor without full licensure, change the tax code for existing owners of liquor licenses and allow alcohol delivery under some circumstances. "This is the first time in 40 years a liquor bill has...
SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's recent suggestion that this might not be the right time for New Mexico lawmakers to pass bills imposing new requirements on businesses — including mandatory paid leave and a higher minimum wage — surprised advocates who say such measures are needed to protect front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. And backers of the bills, which have already drawn fierce debate during the 60-day legislative session, said Tuesday they would keep pushing the measures despite the gover...
SANTA FE — A bill allowing college athletes in New Mexico to make money from endorsement deals and sponsorships is headed to the House after winning decisive approval in the Senate. Members of the Senate voted 39-0 on Friday to approve the measure, Senate Bill 94, which is similar to laws passed in California, Colorado and several other states. "Our student athletes should be able to benefit from their hard work and earn a living," said Sen. Mark Moores, R-Albuquerque, a former University of New Mexico football player who i...
There comes a point in every child’s life when he or she first learns of the sin of slavery in America. While it’s a jolt to all children, those of us who are not African American can only imagine the dismay felt by young Black children when they first learn that their ancestors were dehumanized under the U.S. Constitution and state laws. That’s what makes Black History Month so important, and unique. We are a melting pot of diversity, a nation with a history of wrongs and rights, but it should go without saying that one o... Full story
SANTA FE — A proposal to repeal a 1969 anti-abortion law moved closer to final passage Monday as it cleared the House Judiciary Committee. The legislation, Senate Bill 10, could be taken up by the full House later this week, the last step necessary to send the measure to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has made its passage a priority. The proposal would repeal a state law that makes it a crime to end a woman’s pregnancy, except in certain circumstances. It’s largely unenforceable now because of the Supreme Court’s decisio... Full story
The forecast for the first session of the 55th Legislature includes some rays of transparency shining through the clouds. A bill that would finally require lawmakers to show their hands on capital outlay projects “Zoomed” through a House committee meeting Monday and is headed for the House floor. House Bill 55 would require the Legislature to publish a list of capital projects approved each year with details on which legislators sponsored what projects, and how much funding they allocated to each one. It’s amazing New Mexic...
An Albuquerque state lawmaker has unfortunately once again filed a bill to keep secret the names of those who apply for leadership positions in New Mexico like police chief or school superintendent. Under the bill filed by state Sen. Bill Tallman, all “appointive executive positions” would be subject to exemption from the state’s Inspection of Public Records Act. In addition to police chiefs, fire chiefs, school superintendents, city managers and other top taxpayer-funded positions, Tallman’s bill would exempt nonelec...
When Americans woke up last Wednesday, they still weren't sure who had won the presidential election as ballots were still being tabulated in several pivotal states. But New Mexico was not one of them. Despite rhetoric raising concerns of absentee balloting fraud, untallied or discarded absentee ballots, a Postal Service overwhelmed with mailed ballots, vulnerable drop boxes, long lines that would discourage in-person voting and not enough polling sites in general, the election went smoothly in New Mexico. By 7:34 a.m. last...
There’s good reason why New Mexico Educational Retirement Board policies don’t give staff the authority to pick and choose stocks from market-determined index funds. Index mutual funds are generally considered ideal core portfolio holdings for retirement accounts. They provide broad market exposure, allowing investors to buy all of the S&P 500 companies at the low cost an index fund offers, rather than picking out individual stocks. They’ve been safe investments over the long term for the 60,000 active members and 50,00...
New Mexico’s Inspection of Public Records Act makes clear the public is entitled to the greatest amount of information possible about its government and guarantees everyone access to public records. The law, commonly known as IPRA, has become a key tool not only for journalists but for citizens, allowing them to access records such as police reports and 911 tapes, government contracts and emails of public-sector employees. Its transparency is a key mechanism for keeping government accountable. But it is not without s...
SANTA FE — The food fight between Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration and the New Mexico Restaurant Association is getting messier. Attorneys for the restaurant association filed a new lawsuit in the Albuquerque-based 2nd Judicial District on Friday in an attempt to force the Lujan Grisham administration to turn over documents underpinning its decision to reimpose a ban on in-person restaurant dining. In the lawsuit, the restaurant group’s attorneys claim the Department of Health has not supplied them with records re...
Five decades after Congress passed the Land and Water Conservation Fund “to safeguard our natural areas, water resources and cultural heritage, and to provide recreation opportunities to all Americans,” it is going to fully fund the program. And it couldn’t come at a more opportune time. The Great American Outdoors Act combines the Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act and the Restore Our Parks Act. Just as the New Deal put people back to work improving our nation’s infrastructure during the Great Depression,...
SANTA FE — The economic damage inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic is likely to reshape New Mexico’s economy for years, killing smaller companies, and expanding the gap between high- and low-wage earners, university researchers told lawmakers Wednesday. Even if state employment bounces back by the end of 2024, they said, the jobs available may be different, with more of the state’s workforce at large employers rather than at small businesses that didn’t survive. “Some things you can’t just reverse,” said Jim Peach, a prof...
If only it were that simple. There is no question Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s tough measures to combat COVID-19 have kept New Mexico’s death toll relatively low — although we collectively mourn the tragedy of more than 500 lives lost to the virus. There is no question the measures have helped keep the state’s hospitals operating well within their capacity for treating COVID patients. That was a key goal of measures taken since March to “flatten the curve.” And there is no question that continuing an aggressive lockdown in...
SANTA FE — Citing an explosion in virus cases, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Thursday that New Mexico will reimpose a ban on indoor dining and call off high school football and other contact sports this fall. She also urged colleges and universities to postpone their football seasons but said she is still weighing whether it’s safe for New Mexico United, a professional soccer team, to play its season. The new rules — set to take effect Monday — will also require joggers and anyone exercising to wear a mask, elimina...
