WINNERS
New Mexico�s uninsured
Gov. Richardson opened the 30-day legislative session with universal health care at the top of his agenda. In the immediate aftermath, many cited sticker shock as a major liability of his plan. Still, four major proposals have already been introduced, and even Republicans seem open (resigned?) to some form of expanded access. Charlotte Roybal, executive director of the Health Care for All Campaign, is already declaring victory: �The cost of health care and health-care access has been ignored for so long that having this at the top of the agenda is already progress,� she tells SFR.
Rail Runner Express***image1***
While lawmakers are expected to consider a bill establishing a Rail Transit District to eventually provide operational funds for the train, the guv thinks that the Rail Runner is already one of the session�s winners. Here�s how Richardson�s new blog (
) puts it: �Hopefully, legislators, lobbyists�and most importantly, the public�will be using the Rail Runner for the 2009 session to see their state government in action.� The post argues that as commuters on a clogged I-25 trek to the Roundhouse each day, they�ll wish the Santa Fe leg was already up and running.
New Mexico�s poorest
The guv�s office released a lengthy list of budget priorities and capital requests for the coming fiscal year. One has the potential to alleviate one of NM�s major eyesores: Third-World poverty. If Richardson gets his way, $5 million will be spent on infrastructure improvements in the state�s so-called colonias. That�s the euphemism for both places along the border with Mexico, as well as just beyond Albuquerque�s borders where entire communities live in squalor: no electricity, no running water, no sewage.
LOSERS
Ethics reform
The session is still young, but at least one government ethics reformer isn�t a happy camper. �I�m not encouraged by the timeline,� Matt Brix, a member of the governor�s Ethics and Campaign Reform Task Force, tells SFR. He�s frustrated that none of the �big three� ethics reform proposals�public financing of statewide campaigns, a new ethics commission and limits on financial contributions to candidates for office�had been introduced as of Jan. 21. Even if they�re introduced now, Brix adds, a time crunch looms for committee hearings.
Lobbyist transparency
Another nifty recommendation from the Ethics and Campaign Reform Task Force is a proposal that all registered lobbyists wear name tags listing their clients� names. Presently, numerous well-dressed lobbyists roam the halls of the capitol, but few know the hired guns for each particular special interest. But Roundhouse sources tell SFR the governor is unlikely to allow the proposal to be considered, even though 10 other states already have it on the books. Plus, Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez already opposed the idea in a Jan. 18 KNME interview.
Human trafficking coyotes
State Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, D-Do�a Ana, is the �08 legislative session�s abolitionist crusader. Her proposal, SB 71, would make human trafficking a felony, thereby subjecting the coyotes who engage in this form of modern-day slavery to stiffer criminal penalties. Human trafficking often involves sexual slavery or the indentured servitude of teenagers, many of whom are smuggled into the country from Mexico. Currently, New Mexico is the only border state without such a law on the books. Garcia, the Senate majority whip, tells SFR the bill is her top priority for the session.
