The State Legislature’s Committee on Compacts will be taking public comment Saturday on the proposed new gambling compacts negotiated between Governor Susana Martinez’ office and the Navajo Nation, the Mescalero and Jicarilla Apache tribes and the pueblos of Jemez and Acoma. The joint House-Senate Committee held its first meeting of the year on Tuesday. The Governor’s General Counsel who led the team that negotiated the proposal—Jessica Hernandez—says a lot of the core concepts in the new proposal are consistent with what’s in place under the current compacts. *****022515-AM-GamblingCompactsFeature 2:17 (Q: Absolutely.”) *****
Meantime, American Indian tribes that operate casinos in New Mexico shared with the state nearly 16 million dollars in gambling revenues in October, November and December. The New Mexico Gaming Control Board released the 2014 fourth quarter numbers today. Sandia Pueblo reported the most net winnings during the period with more than 36 million.
The New Mexico House of Representatives has approved a six-point-two billion dollar budget for the next fiscal year that includes pay raises for new teachers and state police officers, but keeps most state agency budgets flat. Notable exceptions in House Bill Two that passed Tuesday on a 42-to-25 vote following a three-hour debate are increased spending levels for education, the Children, Youth and Families and Tourism Departments. The bill now moves to the Senate. Adopting a budget is a must-do assignment for lawmakers before the session adjourns on March 21st.. The amount of spending in the bill is nearly the same as that outlined by Governor Susana Martinez and the Legislative Finance Committee earlier this year.
The New Mexico Senate has passed a proposal that would require some New Mexico residents with severe mental illness to receive court-ordered outpatient treatment. Senators approved Tuesday by a 30-11 vote a measure strongly supported by mental health advocates. The bill would allow judges in some counties to order patients to take medication and undergo treatment if they are deemed a danger to themselves and their community. Senate President Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen says it's "like a modified version" of the New York's Kendra's law. That measure was named after Kendra Webdale, a 32-year-old woman who was pushed in front of an oncoming subway train in 1999 by a man battling untreated schizophrenia. Papen, who is sponsoring the bill, says the state measure is tailored to the New Mexico.
The environmental group WildEarth Guardians, which has been pushing the federal government to let the Rio Grande flow freely, is taking aim at a levee project along the river. The group on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It claims the construction of dozens of miles of levees from the San Acacia Dam south to Elephant Butte Reservoir would have a negative effect on the Rio Grande silvery minnow and other endangered species. The Fish and Wildlife Service declined to comment on the litigation.The Army Corps of Engineers has already started construction on six miles of the project. WildEarth Guardians wants the agency to use non-structural means to address flood concerns on the project's remaining 37 miles.
Santa Fe Weather: Mostly sunny today, with a high near 43. Tonight: Mostly cloudy with a 30-percent chance for snow mainly after midnight with the overnight low, 24. Tomorrow: Cloudy with a high near 33 and a slight chance for snow.