Rep. Steve Pearce was one of the Republican members of Congress who voted to gut the independent office looking into ethics, according to a news report.

The vote came during a closed-door meeting by Republicans and became public Monday. After a major public outcry, Republican lawmakers changed course Tuesday and announced they scrapped plans to remove the functions from the Office of Congressional Ethics.

Politico reported that Pearce was one of those who supported removing many key functions of the independent OCE, including its ability to refer allegations to law enforcement. The now-dead proposal sought to send give more power to the House Ethics Committee, which is made up of...

Fewer ODs in New Mexico

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Health announced Dec. 28 that the state’s drug overdose death rate improved from 49th worst in the nation to 42nd. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New Mexico also saw a 7 percent decline in overdose deaths from 2014 to 2015. Meanwhile, overdose deaths increased nationwide by nearly 11 percent.

“This is an issue that we’ve been focused on since day one of my administration. While we’ve made important strides, we still have a lot of work to do,” said Governor Susana Martinez. “One overdose death is one too many, which is why we’re going to continue doing everything in our...

Tilden: ‘This is not a dead issue’

After the fourth reading of an ordinance to study the impact of uranium mining, processing and exploration during a three-year moratorium, the McKinley County Board of Commissioners voted 2-1 on a somewhat weakened resolution, a community member attending the meeting suggested afterward.

Commissioners Carol Bowman-Muskett and Genevieve Jackson voted in favor of the measure. Bill Lee, attending his first meeting since being elected last year, dissented. The changed language of the resolution does not address community concerns and, in a literal sense, passes the buck back to state and federal decision-makers, the community member said.

“Uranium...

Dems aim for statewide minimum wage increase

As Democrats gear up for a legislative session  after retaking the state House of Representatives and expanding their majority in the state Senate, several members are looking at ways to increase New Mexico’s minimum wage.

Two lawmakers have already pre-filed legislation to do so ahead of the session, which begins Jan. 17.

One measure would double New Mexico’s minimum wage from $7.50 an hour to $15 an hour by January 2018. Another more cautious bill ups the minimum wage to $8.45 an hour. Both measures include yearly cost-of-living adjustment increases to kick in after the increases.

Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero, D-Albuquerque, is...