You might be able to buy a lottery ticket in New Mexico using your debit card in the future.The Senate voted 25-16 Wednesday to pass a bill to move in that direction in an effort that supporters say will help boost lagging ticket sales and thus pump more lottery money toward college tuition scholarships. The legislation does away with a requirement that 30 percent of gross lottery revenues be transferred to the tuition fund. It now calls for officials to transfer net revenues monthly for deposit into the fund. The bill by Democratic Senator John Arthur Smith of Deming garnered debate with some lawmakers saying it was risking funds that were required to be transferred, while supporters said allowing debit card use would be good for lottery sales.
A bill to rein in illegal doping of horses that take to New Mexico's race tracks has passed the Senate. The legislation sponsored by Senate President Pro-Tem Mary Kay Papen was approved 39-3 Wednesday. It now moves to the House. Regulatory changes in the state's horse racing industry continue and come after a 2013 New York Times investigation highlighting drug use, horse deaths and jockey injuries at tracks across the nation, including in New Mexico. Governor Susana Martinez signed into law last year another bill that allowed for testing more horses for illegal drugs and imposition of tougher sanctions for violations. Papen's bill requires the New Mexico Racing Commission to follow the Association of Racing Commissioners International guidelines for handling pre-race, post-race, out-of-competition, and autopsy testing of samples taken from race horses.
A memorial that asks the Secretary of State to study the feasibility of using Biometrics for voter ID in the future is headed to the Senate Floor after passing the Senate Judiciary Committee. The memorial’s sponsor is Senate Minority Whip Bill Payne. *****030515-Payne-1 :37***** Payne says the study would examine the costs, feasibility, and benefits of implementing a voter identification system based on biometric measures. Those include thumbprints, eye irises, handwriting styles, face shapes and voice patterns.
A New Mexico House panel is set to consider a proposal that would tighten eligibility rules for all sheriffs in the state. The House Safety and Civil Affairs Committee is scheduled to debate a bill today that would call for sheriffs to have at least seven years of professional experience in law enforcement. Under the proposal, sheriffs cannot have been convicted on a felony and must be a certified law enforcement officer. The New Mexico Sheriff's Association supports the changes. Current state law allows anyone to run for sheriff. The move comes after former Rio Arriba County Sheriff Tommy Rodella was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for abusing a driver in a bizarre, off-duty traffic stop that prosecutors described as a fit of road rage.
A lawmaker on the country's largest American Indian reservation has introduced a bill to reaffirm the tribe's stance against legalizing marijuana. Navajo Nation Council Delegate Edmund Yazzie says legalizing marijuana for medical or recreational use contradicts Navajo values and tradition. His bill introduced this week comes in response to an announcement last year by the U.S. Department of Justice to allow American Indian tribes to grow and sell marijuana within certain guidelines. Navajo lawmakers can take action on Yazzie's bill after a public comment period. Yazzie has said legalizing marijuana would drive up crime rates and drug addiction on the vast reservation that extends into New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. Other tribes across the nation are cautiously debating whether to approve marijuana sales and use.
Federal officials say planted chile acreage in New Mexico dropped 10 percent last year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday that final production numbers came in at 58,700 tons in 2014 compared to 65,000 the previous year. The value of New Mexico chile was estimated at $38.7 million, compared to $49.5 million in 2013. Farmers blame the drop on drought, labor shortages and other market changes. In addition, the department said there was a decrease for all varieties in acreage harvested from the 2013 crop year.
Santa Fe Weather: Sunny today through tomorrow—the high today, 39, warming to 47 tomorrow. Tonight: Mostly clear with the overnight low 21.