Governor Susana Martinez has signed three public safety bills, including one that cracks down on child prostitution. Martinez signed the bills Tuesday at an Albuquerque child and family focused resource center. One of the other pieces of legislation she signed into law requires all cell phone and pager companies to issue Amber Alerts via text to customers for children believed to have been abducted by family members if officials believe the child is in danger. The third bill provides additional compensation for victims of violent crimes. On another topic, the Governor says she has yet to decide who will fill the state Senate seat left vacant by the abrupt resignation of Democrat Phil Griego. In a news conference following a bill signing Tuesday in Albuquerque, she said her office is still interviewing candidates and she hopes to soon make an appointment. Senate District 39 is made up of six counties. Martinez is expected to choose Griego's replacement from the list of nominees submitted by the counties. When asked if she would pick a Democrat, the governor answered that she'll pick the best candidate. Griego held the seat for more than 18 years but submitted his resignation last month because of an ethics issue that stemmed from his role in the sale of a state-owned building in Santa Fe.
Work is underway to thin trees and other debris from the mountain sides that supply Santa Fe with its drinking water. State officials say the restoration work will cover 80 acres at Hyde Memorial State Park. Funding for the project comes from the U.S. Forest Service and is being implemented by staff from New Mexico State Forestry's Returning Heroes Program, which employs military veterans. State Forester Tony Delfin says the project will complement the work already done on nearby national forest land. The area is considered at high risk for wildfire.
State Forestry is in the process of implementing 14 watershed restoration projects throughout the state. These projects were funded with a more-than six-million dollar capital outlay appropriation that was authorized last year. The work at Hyde Park is expected to last through fall 2016.
Albuquerque residents have already beat conservation goals for the first three months of the year, and officials are urging them to stay on track. The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority announced Tuesday that customers used about 250 million gallons less since January than the same period last year. The chair of the water authority's board, Trudy Jones, says customers stand to have another great year in terms of conservation. She says the goal is the same as last year — per capita use of 135 gallons per day. The water authority also announced restrictions to limit outdoor watering during certain hours and days. Those restrictions take effect Wednesday and will last through November first. Officials say violations can result in fines starting at 20-dollars for a first offense.
Third-District New Mexico Congressman Ben-Ray Lujan says in the five years since Congress approved the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare,” the health care law has had a positive impact on New Mexicans. Lujan, a Democrat, says that for too long New Mexico ranked high on the list of people lacking health insurance…adding the stories heard by people who lacked coverage or those denied coverage because of a pre-existing conditions were “heartbreaking.” Lujan provided an example of “Yvonne” from Santa Fe who had lost her job when the company she worked for shipped jobs overseas. *****033115-Lujan-2 : 48***** Lujan says as a result of the Act, 16 million Americans who had no health insurance now do. And he says the number of uninsured New Mexicans is down by nearly five-percent, meaning that thousands of New Mexico families are no longer one accident or illness away from financial ruin.
A tax on junk food sold on the Navajo Nation takes effect today. Tribal officials passed legislation last year for an additional 2 percent sales tax on food with little to no nutritional value. The tax expires in 2020, but it can be extended by the Navajo Nation Council. Advocates for the junk-food tax say it could serve as a model for Indian Country to improve the rates of diabetes and obesity among tribal members. The tax is expected to generate about one-million dollars a year. It will fund projects including farmer's markets, vegetable gardens and exercise equipment in Navajo communities. Representatives of the beverage industry had lobbied the tribe to reject the tax that applies to sports drinks and fruit juice as well as cookies, chips and sodas.
Santa Fe Weather: Mostly sunny and windy today and tomorrow… today’s high, 68, dropping to 65 tomorrow. Tonight: Mostly clear skies and windy with the overnight low, 40.