State

House Dems Rework Tax Overhaul Proposal

By ANDREW OXFORD
Democratic lawmakers proposed a new overhaul of the state’s tax code on Monday, offering a revamped version of a bill filed earlier in the session and roundly criticized.
 
Rep. Jim Trujillo, D-Santa Fe, who chairs the House Taxation and Revenue Committee, said House Bill 6 had since been “changed substantially.”
 
Perhaps most notably for the average taxpayer, the 131-page bill adds brackets to the state’s personal income tax.
 
The state currently levies a 4.9 percent income tax on families filing
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Senators Pare Back Proposed Childhood Ed Agency

Michael Padilla, D-Albuquerque, sponsor of a bill to create an early childhood education department, stands on the Senate floor Monday at the State Capitol in Santa Fe. Photo by Luis Sánchez Saturno/The New Mexican
 
By ROBERT NOTT
A bipartisan group of state senators on Monday balked at creating a new department to centralize early childhood education programs, stripping the proposed agency of about half of its responsibilities.
 
Members of the Senate Education Committee voted 5-4 to amend Senate Bill 22, which would establish the centralized
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UNM Poll: New Mexico Voters Confident In Elections

By ANDREW OXFORD
Finding a polling place. Waiting in line. Filling out a ballot.
 
Most New Mexico voters don’t seem to have many complaints about that part of Election Day.
 
But while a new survey has found plenty of confidence in the democratic process as it plays out at the polling place, it also found plenty of concerns about the sanctity of New Mexico’s elections, whether it is the specter of hackers, the influence of big-spending campaign donors or a news media that many view as biased.
 
And the recent survey found many back what
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House OKs Bill To Revamp Teacher Evaluation System

By ROBERT NOTT
For years many educators, public education supporters and teacher union representatives have said New Mexico’s teacher evaluation system is punitive and unfair.
 
But immediately after taking office in early January, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order requiring the Public Education Department to retool that system.
 
On Monday night, the House of Representatives took a step toward making that goal a reality when it voted 52-14 to give a “do pass” recommendation to House Bill 212, which would
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FBI: Two Men Rob Northeast Albuquerque Bank

FBI News:
 
The FBI and Albuquerque Police Department are looking for two men who robbed a northeast Albuquerque bank Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019.
 
Bank of the West, 780 Juan Tabo Boulevard NE, was robbed at approximately 10:12 a.m.
 
The robbers fled in a white pickup truck south on Juan Tabo Boulevard. The suspected getaway driver is described as a heavy-set Hispanic male in his late 20s to mid-30s, approximately 5’8” tall, with a small dark tattoo on the right side of his neck.
 
He wore a light-colored hooded sweatshirt, a dark baseball cap with a star on the front, and
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Legislative Roundup: Feb. 26

Daniel ‘DC’ Casillas of Albuquerque, who works with On Set FX, applies movie makeup to Nicole Montoya of Glorieta as part of a demonstration Monday during Film and Media Day at the Capitol in Santa Fe. Photo by Luis Sánchez Saturno/The New Mexican
 
By The Santa Fe New Mexican:
 
Days left in the session: 18
 
Confirmed: The Senate on Monday voted 34-0 to confirm Jackie White as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
 
White, 44, previously worked as a captain for the Albuquerque Fire Department. She heads the agency responsible for coordinating
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SB 458 Requiring Transparency In Land Deals To Be Heard In Senate Conservation Committee Tuesday

STATE News:

  • Bill backed by Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard would require public notice on land exchanges and sales, proposals for large transmission lines and pipelines

SANTA FE – SB 458, introduced by Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto (D-15), will have its first hearing at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb 26 in the Senate Conservation Committee. The bill requires public notice and input prior to the land office taking final action on proposed land sales, land exchanges and rights-of-way (ROW) permits for large-scale electrical transmission lines and oil/gas pipelines involving state trust lands. Read More

Udall Fights To Improve VA Outreach, Health Care And Benefits For Native American Veterans

U.S. Sen. Tom Udall
 
U.S. SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) to introduce bipartisan legislation to improve VA outreach, health care and benefits for Native American veterans through establishment of a VA Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs.
 
The Advisory Committee will facilitate communication and understanding between the VA and Tribal governments to better address the unique barriers Native American veterans face when accessing
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NMPED Plans Overhaul Of School Rating System

The Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Courtesy/SFNM
 
By DILLON MULLAN
The New Mexico Public Education Department aims to scrap the state’s A-F grading system for public schools, which critics have said puts too much emphasis on student test scores.
 
Under proposed changes to the state’s plan to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, the agency says it will replace an accountability system that identifies schools as failing with one that classifies them by the amount of state and federal support they require.
 
“This
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