UPDATED DEATH PENALTY REPEAL PASSES SENATE 24-18, WEBCASTING PASSES 37-0
Live blog archive below!
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This is the page for the
/
live blog of the Senate debate over
, the bill to abolish death penalty in New Mexico.
Thing is--We don't know exactly when it will be heard on the Senate floor, the last stop before the governor's desk. Check back regularly. It could be Friday, it could be Saturday, it could be next week. Depending on the day we may even have live video.
If
, the rule to Web cast Senate floor sessions comes up for debate, we'll live blog that as well.
We try to arrange for guests, including senators from the floor. We're refining the process as we go: lawmaking and live-blogging are both chaotic endeavors. Double chaos, so bear with us.
We've got everything set up after below: live audio feed, live blog, important links. Email davem @ sfreporter.com with any questions or if you would like to schedule a slot on our live blog panel. Thank you so much.
UPDATE 10:45pm March 13: WE'RE LIVE. No word if death penalty repeal will be heard yet, but it is on the agenda.
UPDATE 7am March 13: Web casting is item #17 and the death penalty repeal bill is item #43 on today's calendar (pdf). In both cases that's further down the list than yesterday, though that doesn't necessarily mean anything. The Senate tends to jump around the calendar. At this point, we don't know when we'll begin live blogging. Check back for updates.
UPDATE 7pm March 12: SFR and the New Mexico Independent will be live for the floor session starting tentatively when the Senate convenes.
UPDATE 10am March 12: We're hearing that the Senate could debate the repeal of the death penalty as early as 2pm today. If so, we'll be live blogging it.
UPDATE 1:53 pm March 12: Received call from the office of Rep. Gail Chasey the sponsor of the bill: they are also hearing it *might* be heard this afternoon. Earlier, we were hearing 2pm, and Sen. Michael Sanchez reportedly stopped by the press room early this morning to tease the media that it *could* be heard today.
UPDATED 3:50pm March 12: Sen. Sanchez is closing the floor session. No debate on death penalty or web casting. We'll try again tomorrow, however Sanchez has indicated that tomorrow will be a short floor session.
HB 285 ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY
* Text of the bill (
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)
* Fiscal Impact Report, which is kinda like a summary (
)
* Today's Senate calendar (
)
Audio feed and Senate history below the live blog.
Or here:
Senators' votes in committees
Senate Judiciary Committee on HB 285
Yay: Cisco McSorley (D), Tim Eichenberg (D), Linda Lopez (D), Bernadette Sanchez (D), Michael Sanchez (D), Peter Wirth (D),
Nay: Clinton Harden (R), Richard Martinez (D), William Payne (R), Sander Rue (R), John Ryan (R)
Senate Public Affairs on HB 285
Yay: Dede Feldman (D), Tim Eichenberg (D), Mary Jane Garcia (D), Eric Griego (D), Cynthia Nava (D),
Nay: Vernon Asbill (R), Gay Kernan (R)
Excused: Mark Boitano (R), George Munoz (D)
See Steve Terrell's
for the historical context of the death penalty in New Mexico.