A proposal to expand the New Mexico's "three-strikes" law for sentencing habitual offenders has cleared another hurdle. The House Judiciary Committee voted 7-4 on Tuesday in favor of the bill filed by Rep. Paul Pacheco. The Albuquerque Republican says the current "three-strikes" law in New Mexico includes crimes that already can result in life sentences and is so narrow that no one has been convicted under it since it was enacted two decades ago. His proposed changes to the three-strikes law would add new crimes to the list that make defendants with at least three prior convictions eligible for life sentences, including voluntary and involuntary manslaughter. Democrats say they were concern the bill as written would target nonviolent offenders. The bill now goes before the full GOP-controlled House.
Also advancing is a bill to add law enforcement officers as a protected class to New Mexico's hate crimes law. The bill pushed by House Republicans passed 4-3 in the House Safety and Civil Affairs Committee on Tuesday as law enforcement agencies came out to support it. The proposal introduced by Representative Nate Gentry, an Albuquerque Republican, is one of a number of proposed justice system reforms for this legislative session in response to a string of high-profile crimes in the Albuquerque area. His bill comes as law enforcement advocates say outrage over officer-involved shootings and officers' use of force has sparked anti-police rhetoric in the U.S. Democrats say although they supported tougher penalties for violence against officers, they did not think hate crime laws applied to them.
New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez is asking lawmakers to consider a bill aimed at regulating ride-booking companies like Uber and Lyft. The Republican governor put legislation on her official call Tuesday and asked lawmakers to pass a bill to show that such companies are welcome in New Mexico. The legal status of the companies has been in limbo in the state since they began offering services in 2014. The companies say the state's Motor Carrier Act doesn't apply to them because they don't operate as commercial taxi businesses. Uber and Lyft offer an online service that allows people with cars to connect with people seeking rides. Traditional taxi companies say ride-booking services still need to be regulated. Representative Monica Youngblood, an Albuquerque Republican, is sponsoring a bill that would allow the companies to operate legally in New Mexico.
An agreement to settle the Navajo Nation's claims to water from the upper Colorado River basin in Utah is going before tribal lawmakers this week. The proposed settlement has been in the works since 2003. It would give the tribe nearly 82-thousand acre-feet per year of water that could be drawn from aquifers, Lake Powell, and the San Juan River and its tributaries. The Navajo Nation would waive any future claims to water from the basin. The settlement calls for the federal government to appropriate 200 million dollars to develop water infrastructure. Utah agreed to chip in eight-million, some of which already has been set aside. The Navajo Nation's water would come from Utah's unused share of the Colorado River under a multi-state compact that left out tribes.
The New Mexico State Auditor's Office says the embattled Martin Luther King, Jr. State Commission also is under investigation by its office for fraud and abuse. State Auditor spokeswoman Justine Freeman said Tuesday that the commission has been on the state's "at-risk" list for two years and now is facing an investigation. The New Mexico Attorney General's Office announced Tuesday it was launching its own investigation into the commission but declined to comment further. Commission executive director Kimberly Greene told the New Mexico State Board of Finance last month the agency overspent nearly 100-thousand dollars after Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton asked her to agree to a no-bid contract with an ACT/SAT prep company.
There's no threat of imminent collapse of an underground cavern formed by a brine well at a busy Carlsbad intersection, but New Mexico lawmakers gave their first nod Tuesday to legislation that would clear the way for the state to begin working on solutions. Officials are estimating the price tag could range from 25 million to 50 million dollars. Options include a controlled collapse of the cavern or backfilling it. An expert with the Oil Conservation Division testified before the Senate Conservation Committee on Tuesday and said it could be another 20 years before the cavern collapses. But if it does, officials warned would likely take with it part of the intersection, a major canal that supplies farmers with water and a neighborhood of mobile homes.
Santa Fe Weather: Sunny, with a high near 46. Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 9. Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, with a high near 50.