Happy 4th of July!
While some will undoubtedly attempt to turn today into a political event (George Washington would have hated health care reform!), the rest of us can go ahead and enjoy a day off because of the founding of our country.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July.
Onto a shorter-than-usual version of the Word:
- Gov. Susana Martinez
- closed down the state's office in Washington D.C.
- With funding for the vital programs at Los Alamos National Labs in doubt, it will be interesting to see what, if any, effect this has on the funding of the major northern New Mexico employer and economic driver. For his part, the liaison in charge of the office (Brian Moore) said it was his choice to step down and go back home.
- State Rep. Brian Egolf isn't happy that the
- governor is spending state money refurbishing her offices as her office refuses to furnish a new state courthouse in Santa Fe
- .
- State Attorney General Gary King lauded the Supreme Court decision from last week that
- limited the use of executive privilege
- to deny Inspection of Public Records Act requests.
- The Court’s opinion also concluded that release of public records cannot be denied by government officials who claim that disclosure is protected by the “rule of reason,” a court-created doctrine under a prior version of IPRA. Essentially, the “rule of reason” was used to claim that the release of certain documents was not in the public interest, even if they were not specifically exempted by IPRA. The NM Legislature has since amended IPRA to enumerate specific exceptions to disclosure; exceptions that can be granted only if they fall under the exclusionary provisions in IPRA or if they are otherwise exempt from disclosure by provisions of law. In simple terms, the Court says there is no longer any reason for the “rule of reason” regarding release of public documents.
- Some election officials, including Secretary of State Dianna Duran,
- don't like a voter registration mailer sent out by a Washington D.C. non-profit
- . The critics say the mailers are being sent to those ineligible to vote, such as minors and (as with anything involving voting registration in the eyes of Duran) non-citizens.
- A billboard campaign is
- urging PNM to switch from coal power to solar
- .
- State Auditor Hector Balderas is investigating claims that there is
- money missing from the First Judicial District's Drug Court program
- .
- The Rio Grande Foundation says that environmental groups are
- being unfair to Heather Wilson by pointing out her votes on relaxing rules on MTBE
- . Paul Gessing says it is because lawsuits for illegally polluting water only help trial lawyers. MTBE is so toxic it has been
- banned in a number of states
- -- thought not New Mexico.
- Heath Haussamen says legislators
- should use public email accounts when they deal with public business
- .
