The GOP-controlled New Mexico House of Representatives has approved a contentious right-to-work bill that tacks on an increase in the minimum wage from seven-dollars, 50-cents to eight dollars an hour. The Republican-sponsored bill prohibits requiring workers to join a union or to pay dues as a condition of employment and applies to both public and private sectors. The House voted 37-30 Wednesday to move the bill along to the Senate, where it faces resistance. Democratic leadership says it is united in stopping right-to-work legislation in the Senate, where Democrats have a majority. Federal data shows about 43-thousand workers in New Mexico were members of unions in 2014, or less than six-percent of the total workforce. Wisconsin and Missouri are also considering right-to-work laws. Twenty-four states already have such legislation.
A bill that makes available to the public more information about state contracts by amending the State’s Sunshine Portal Act will be heard by the Senate Public Affairs Committee on Friday. Senate Bill 537 is sponsored by Republican Senator Sander Rue. *****022615-Rue-1 :19***** Rue says the bill benefits taxpayers by allowing citizen oversight over the contracts as well as creating an opportunity for local businesses to see deals that have been awarded to out-of-state firms and determine if they might compete for such contracts in the future. He says the measure adds transparency to the way the state spends public money. *****022615-Rue-4 :18***** The bill has bi-partisan support. It is sponsored in the House by Democrat Stephanie Garcia-Richard of Los Alamos, who notes the Sunshine Portal Act was approved in 2011 intending to open up to the public information that previously had not been readily available.*****022615-Garcia-Richard-1 :29***** The New Mexico State Auditor’s Office says that to the extent that the bill enhances disclosure requirements about state contracts, the legislation would provide a greater degree of transparency that may be helpful during its investigations.
While the Santa Fe school board will meet tomorrow seeking to approve incentives to retain school superintendent Joel Boyd and convince him not to take a job offer at the Fort Worth, Texas schools, published reports indicate some second thoughts about Boyd in the Texas district. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that at a Tuesday school board meeting there, a top teachers union official and two longtime school district volunteers urged the board to look more closely at their selection of Boyd as the single finalist for that city’s superintendent’s job. The paper says one school district volunteer was concerned about student achievement data in Santa Fe under Boyd. He said the Texas board should, quote, “spend a little more time in selecting a superintendent because the one I see has too many problems.”
A New Mexico man allegedly kept in filthy solitary confinement conditions and reportedly was denied proper health care has settled his federal lawsuit. A lawyer for 51-year-old Jerome Gonzales announced Wednesday that his client settled his lawsuit with Otero County for $2.9 million. Attorney Matthew Coyte said Gonzales suffered from mental illness and was not given proper treatment while in the southern New Mexico county jail. According to the lawsuit, Gonzales was place in solitary confinement in February 2012 following an arrest for driving with a suspended license. Court documents say county officials let Gonzales' mental state deteriorate to a point would Gonzales would strip naked and cover himself in feces. There was no immediate response from Otero County officials.
Almost two years after the last "Breaking Bad" episode aired, film and television production in New Mexico is showing no signs of slowing. AMC's "Better Call Saul," a Breaking Bad prequel, just wrapped up and NBC's "The Night Shift" is filming for its second season in Albuquerque. A new Adam Sandler western production is set to begin and the state film office is set to announce a major movie production. Albuquerque Studios chief operating officer Wayne Rauschenberger says New Mexico reputation as an attractive site for filming and the state's film tax breaks keep productions coming. In addition, he says productions can hire local crews.Gabe Sachs, an executive producer for "The Night Shift," says actors also enjoy relative anonymity around the state and don't have to worry about paparazzis.
Santa Fe Weather: Cloudy today with a 10-percent chance for snow, the high today 31. Tonight- snowy and windy, with the low down to 17. The chance for snow tonight is 100-percent and we can expect between two and four inches of new snow. Tomorrow-cloudy with a 40-percent chance for snow and a high of 26.