Slain woman’s mother endorses DNA bill

The Associated Press

SANTA FE — The mother of a murdered New Mexico State University student urged lawmakers Thursday to pass legislation requiring DNA samples from everyone who is arrested for a felony.

“We can’t bring our Katie back ... but through this law we can save so many other lives,” Jayann Sepich of Carlsbad said at a news conference at the Capitol.

Kathryn “Katie” Sepich was sexually assaulted and strangled, and her partially burned body was found at an old Las Cruces city dump.

A business student working on a master’s degree, the 22-year-old was last seen leaving a party on Aug. 31, 2003. Her killer has not been found.

“Katie fought, and she fought hard. ... She left us a clue,” said Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, referring to DNA evidence on the body.

Senate approves bed tax repeal

SANTA FE — The Senate gave quick approval Thursday to a measure that will repeal a politically unpopular tax on nursing home care.

House Speaker Ben Lujan, D-Santa Fe, said the House would take up a similar proposal early next week, raising the possibility that the Legislature could reach a final agreement on the measure and send it to Gov. Bill Richardson early in the session.

On Tuesday, Richardson surprised lawmakers by proposing the repeal of the nearly $9-a-day surcharge imposed on each occupied bed at nursing homes, residential treatment centers and intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded.

The tax was approved in 2004 to help finance Medicaid, and under current law it’s scheduled to be eliminated in mid-2007.

Speaker pushes minimum wage

SANTA FE — House Speaker Ben Lujan pledged Thursday to push ahead with a proposal to boost the state’s minimum wage to $7.50 an hour starting next year rather than phasing in the increase over three years as recommended by Gov. Bill Richardson.

Lujan, D-Santa Fe, was joined by chairmen of key House committees at a news conference in a show of unified Democratic leadership support for the minimum wage measure. Lujan is sponsoring the legislation.

“We feel it’s important to do it now,” Lujan said of a one-step increase to $7.50 an hour from the current $5.15 an hour, which also is the federal wage floor.

Lujan’s proposal would annually adjust the wage rate for inflation, providing for automatic increases. Oregon and Washington currently have state minimum wages that are indexed for inflation.

Treasurer tapped for ethics package

SANTA FE — Gov. Bill Richardson has tapped the state treasurer and the former dean of the University of New Mexico School of Law to lobby for passage of his anti-corruption package.

Treasurer Doug Brown, named to the position after former Treasurer Robert Vigil was indicted and resigned, will focus on the initiatives to provide more oversight of the independently elected treasurer.

Robert Desiderio will work on the other legislation, including changes in campaign finance reporting, tougher penalties for public officials convicted of misconduct and tighter regulation of campaign contributions from contractors.

Republicans propose saving windfall

SANTA FE — The Legislature should save $200 million of the state’s revenue windfall by depositing it in a permanent fund that will generate money to pay for future needs, House Republicans said Thursday.

The Legislative Finance Committee is advocating a similar move but is recommending the transfer of $125 million into the Severance Tax Permanent Fund, which provides a yearly distribution of money for financing general government operations and public education.

The state is enjoying higher-than-expected revenue collections mostly because of taxes and royalties on oil and natural gas production.

A group of GOP leaders and budget committee members said at a news conference that the Legislature should not spend all available revenues in the upcoming budget year.

Session bill goes to governor

SANTA FE — A bill to pay for the Legislature’s 30-day session went to the governor Thursday after getting approval from the Senate.

The measure, known as the “feed bill,” provides $4.2 million for session expenses. It also allocates almost $13.3 million for year-round operations of the Legislature.

The bill had been approved Wednesday in the House.

The money appropriated for the cost of the session is about 3 percent higher than what was allocated two years ago for the last 30-day session and 28 percent more than actual session expenditures in 2004.

Fingerprinting immigrants proposed

SANTA FE — The Richardson administration is proposing that illegal immigrants who apply for a New Mexico driver’s license be fingerprinted for background checks.

That would strengthen border security and ensure that applicants for licenses “are who they say they are,” Taxation and Revenue Secretary Jan Goodwin said Wednesday.

New Mexico is one of 11 states that don’t require driver’s license applicants to prove they’re legal residents of the United States.

The state’s 2003 immigrant license law lets foreign nationals present a passport, a federal tax identification number or a consular identification card to apply for a license. Since its passage, about 27,000 immigrants have obtained licenses, Goodwin said.

The program has decreased the rate of uninsured drivers and has increased safety on the roads, Goodwin said.