Morning Word: County clerks want same-sex marriage guidance

And the rest of New Mexico's news

  • The county clerks in New Mexico
  • want the state Supreme Court to decide on same-sex marriage in the state
  • .
  • ----
  • Let's just do quick hits on the rest of the same-sex marriage news.The state Supreme Court
  • refused to consolidate the same-sex marriage cases
  • , calling the idea "moot."
  • Sen. William Sharer
  • wrote a blog post about why he opposes same-sex marriage
  • . He cites Alexander the Great, who had homosexual relationships but then married to secure an empire.
  • Talking Points Memo picked it up
  • .
  • U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham backs same-sex marriages and said in a statement, "While Judge Malott’s ruling that the New Mexico Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is great news, we must not rest until all New Mexicans and all Americans have the opportunity to marry the person they love and have that marriage officially recognized in the eyes of the law."
  • Attorney General Gary King, after hearing marriage licenses of the 64 same-sex couples who married in Sandoval County in 2004 were marked "Void," issued an opinion saying only a court can invalidate a marriage license, not a county clerk.
  • Federal authorities heard
  • directly from clients
  • about the disruptions in behavioral health services following a suspension in funding. The suspension in funding for 15 behavioral health providers came after a behavioral health audit allegedly found fraud and other problems with Medicaid funding.Arizona groups were brought in to provide behavioral health care in their place.
  • The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government
  • hinted it will join the fray as well
  • .
  • The Santa Fe New Mexican
  • looks at the state Medicaid revamp
  • .
  • “What we’re trying to do with Centennial Care is slow that rate by identifying people with the most need and coordinating care around them so that they get … the right care at the right place at the right time rather than just getting very sick and ending up with avoidable in-patient stays, avoidable emergency room visits,” said Julie Weinberg, director of the Medical Assistance Division in the Human Services Department.
  • The Constitution and Green parties
  • didn't receive enough votes to make the ballot in 2014
  • . Parties must reach at least one-half of one percent of the votes in the presidential or gubernatorial race to stick on the ballot. The Libertarian Party was luckier, with former governor Gary Johnson garnering 3.5 percent of the vote.
  • There is still hope for the two minor parties.
  • If either party wants to re-qualify for the ballot, they must submit petitions with signatures equal to one half of 1 percent of the total votes cast for governor in 2010, Ken Ortiz, chief of staff of the Secretary of State’s Office said Wednesday. That would be slightly more than 3,000 signatures, Ortiz said.
  • .
  • An audit found
  • the state overbilled the Social Security Administration by $1.4 million
  • .
  • New Mexico Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Director Ralph Vigil, however, says that the $1.4 million isn't actually over-billings but rather "relates to our accounting methods."
  • Common Cause honored Rep. Jim Smith, R-Sandia Park,
  • with its Best in Government Award
  • .
  • Damn, I thought he was getting the award because he brought Dog the Bounty Hunter and robots to the Roundhouse this year.
  • The state ruled in favor of
  • deregulating the land line phone business
  • , the Albuquerque Journal reports.
  • The Attorney General's office
  • found no violations of the Open Meetings Act
  • in Rio Rancho when the city's Governing Body amended the animal welfare ordinance.
  • The Los Alamos County Council
  • changed their fee structure
  • after it became clear money would not be coming in from Los Alamos National Labs as heavily as before.
  • The
  • Ruidoso Record
  • :
  • State health officials came under fire from patients, behavioral health providers and advocates Wednesday during a telephone conference, during which officials repeatedly deflected criticism about the recent decision to defund community health centers.
  • The Sandoval County Clerk won't issue marriage licenses until she gets a court order. However,
  • she tells the Rio Rancho Observer, "It's coming."