SANTA FE – Senate Finance Chairman John Arthur Smith spoke on the Senate floor Feb. 13 about the serious fiscal challenges facing the Legislature as it begins to tackle the FY18 Budget. Budget forecasts estimate that nearly 300 million new dollars will be needed in order to address the next fiscal year’s shortfall and establish a responsible level of reserves.

 

Senator Smith’s remarks, as transcribed, are below:

 

We believe that there will be a new revenue forecast on Wednesday, and hopefully, we will receive House Bill 2 (Budget) by the middle of next week.

 

I want to remind people that under the present revenues that we have, and if they do not change, we will...

SANTA FE – Today, the Senate overwhelmingly approved two measures aimed at creating jobs and opportunities through increased broadband access and increased internet speed across the state.



Currently, New Mexico internet connection speed ranks 48th in the nation and is similar to the average connection speed of Iraq and Molodova. According to  Federal Communication Commission study, even a 7 percent increase in broadband adoption could create an estimated 15,000 jobs to New Mexico.



Senate Bill 24 sponsored by Senator Michael Padilla, which passed the Senate by a vote of 37-2, would streamline current statute to facilitate local government investment in broadband...

SANTA FE – With solid bipartisan support, the Senate today passed by a vote of 29 – 11 legislation that strongly reforms New Mexico’s medical cannabis laws for the first time in ten years.  The bill was sponsored by Senator Cisco McSorley (D-16-Bernalillo), who also was the sponsor of the original medical cannabis law in New Mexico.  Last-minute changes to SB 177 were made on the Senate floor including requiring that veterans be diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition to enroll in the program, like any other patient or applicant, and mandating that patient renewals occur annually, albeit in a streamlined fashion thereafter.



“I am proud of my colleagues from...

GMCS gets a chance to shine

The annual graduation rate at Gallup-McKinley County Schools went down one percentage point in 2016, but remained steady with rates in the mid-60s for 2015 and 2014, state Public Education Department statistics show. The district-wide graduation rates for elementary, middle and high schools in New Mexico were released Jan. 16.

Gov. Susana Martinez issued a news release on the state’s graduation rates on Jan. 16. In the release, Martinez noted that more students are graduating from state high schools than ever before. Graduation rates increased for Native-American, Hispanic, African-American, low-income and disabled students, according to the governor’s...