Feb. 19 First News: Legislative Session Ends With Debate Over Crime Measures

House lawmakers have passed three anti-crime laws on the final day of the session, sending the bills to the governor's desk for final approval. Two of the bills would enact guidelines for stricter sentencing guidelines for repeat DWI offenders, and for pedophiles who possess, distribute and manufacture child pornography. Debate over the child pornography sentencing measure became heated in the last week of the session, with the attorney general saying he would withdraw support of the measure over a teen sexting exemption. The third bill that won final legislative approval in the House is "Jaydon's Law,” a measure that gives judges access to violent crime suspects’ youth criminal records if they wind up in court as adults.

State Democratic and GOP lawmakers have traded criticisms over failed crime legislation that Democrats rejected as misguided and GOP leaders argued was needed to crack down on violent crime. Sen. Michael Sanchez, a Belen Democrat and the Senate Majority floor leader, says his party prioritized public education during the session that ended Thursday, while addressing public safety in a "thoughtful way." The Senate voted down House proposals he says would have increased mass incarceration costs in the state. Meanwhile, he's touting passage of a constitutional amendment for bail reform and legislation that allows sexual assault victims to request a protective order after their attackers' prison release without a court appearance.

An effort to shift more money toward public schools from New Mexico's largest permanent reserve fund failed to win approval in the Legislature. The proposed constitutional amendment stalled in the House of Representatives as the legislative session came to a close. Democratic Sen. Michael Padilla sponsored the initiative that would have diverted about $110 million a year from the Land Grant Permanent Fund to public and specialty state schools. Public schools, state universities and other beneficiaries currently receive a 5.5 percent annual distribution from the $14 billion fund. That drops to 5 percent starting in July. The constitutional amendment proposed raising the distribution to 5.8 percent. Had it passed, the amendment still would have required voter approval.

Gov. Susana Martinez has appointed a longtime civil rights attorney to serve on the New Mexico Court of Appeals. The governor's office announced the appointment of Stephen French on Thursday. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Cynthia Fry. French has more than three decades of public and private-sector legal experience. For the past 26 years, he has focused on civil rights law through his private practice. Before that, he served as an assistant district attorney in Bernalillo County and later reviewed claims against the state during his tenure as the legal bureau chief for the state Risk Management Division.

With the legislative session wrapped up, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is now headed to Washington, D.C., for a series of meetings. Her office says she left the state Thursday afternoon for a gathering of the National Governors Association. She'll also attend a meeting scheduled by the Republican Governors Association. Martinez serves as president of the RGA. The group is paying for her travel. She is scheduled to return to New Mexico on Monday evening.

BNSF Railway says it plans to spend nearly $100 million on replacing and upgrading rails and other capital improvement projects around New Mexico this year. The company announced its spending plans Thursday, saying the focus will be on making improvements that are in line with forecasted demand for freight services. Company officials say another goal is to ensure that BNSF continues to operate a safe and reliable railway network. The company's plan includes surfacing and other improves along some 900 miles of track, the replacement of about 15 miles of rail and thousands of ties as well as signal upgrades for federally mandated positive train control. This year's investment is in addition to more than $325 million spent by the railroad in New Mexico over the past three years.

There are three Latinos Unidos convenience markets in Santa Fe, providing groceries as well as wire transfers and check cashing for Spanish-speaking immigrants in the City Different. According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, it’s these latter financial services that have made the markets a frequent target for robbery. The flagship location of Fernando Jacobo’s small franchise, a minimarket on Siler Road, was robbed last week by a suspect with a gun. Since 2008, Jacobo has increased security at his stores, installing more security cameras and better lighting outside, and even arming himself with a gun in case he should need it. But Jacobo can’t watch over all of his stores at the same time, and his extra measures haven’t deterred some thieves. Check cashing and money wiring services like the ones Latinos Unidos offer can be essential for Spanish-speaking immigrants who may not have bank accounts here in the US. But they require stores to keep a larger amount of cash on hand, leading prospective thieves to see the stores as an easy target. Last week’s robber didn’t take much cash, just $50 dollars, but Jacobo says his family and employees feel it’s their sense of security that’s been stolen.

Management at some Albuquerque apartment complexes offer perks including free rent to keep a patrol car in their lots. KOB-TV reports that Albuquerque Police Department spokeswoman Celina Espinoza says officers are encouraged to park their cars in visible locations when off duty to help deter crime and that sometimes apartments will forgo the price of rent to keep the petty crime deterrent at the complex. To get free rent for parking, officers have to get the agreement approved through the chief and resubmit for approval each year. Overall, the tradeoff is allowed with the department on a case-by-case basis.

Now this national news: 

A coalition of youth-oriented groups is calling on the nation's governors to reject measures it says are harmful to young transgender Americans. The group of seven organizations that includes the National Education Association and American Academy of Pediatrics released an open letter to the governors just days after South Dakota lawmakers approved a bill that would prohibit transgender students from using the bathroom of their choice. Supporters of the bill say it's meant to protect student privacy and not meant to be hurtful. But the coalition condemned such measures, saying they could increase risks of bullying and harassment. The Human Rights Campaign, which has spoken against the South Dakota legislation, solicited the groups and released the letter. South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard hasn't indicated whether he will sign the bill.

And the weather in Santa Fe: Today, Mostly cloudy and 64 degrees. Tonight, cloudy with an overnight low down to 38 degrees. Saturday, sunny and 65.