Roundhouse Roundup: Second Week of Legislative Session Puts All Guns, Food, and Liquor on the Agenda

Gun safety, criminal justice issues, the minimum wage battle, and the state senators’ ban on drinking alcohol were all discussed this week as New Mexico lawmakers wrapped up the second week of this year’s 60-day law.

Follow Journal Capitol Bureau reporters Dan Boyd When Dan McKay For daily coverage of the session. Here’s a rundown of this week’s main topics:

Return of the Danes.If you like crappy videos, tune in now and watch @danboyd NM Try Facebook Live. https://t.co/90rsSamlhl

— Dan McKay (@mckaydan) January 27, 2023

gun: Gun safety is a top priority at this year’s Roundhouse. House Bill 9 makes it a crime to store firearms in a manner that disregards the ability of minors to access them. The bill includes exemptions aimed at good faith efforts to keep guns safe. This includes adult gun owners who have their firearms stored in a secure container and keep their weapons locked and inoperable, gun owners whose homes have been broken into by minors, or who own a gun. Includes protection for humans. used for self-defense. The bill, co-sponsored by five Democrats, passed the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee this week with his 4-2 partisan vote. Other proposals range from a ban on possession of AR-15 style rifles to a 14-day waiting period for gun purchases.

Criminal Justice: A troubling debate over how best to handle pretrial detention returned this year as the legislature seeks ways to stem rising crime rates. Members scrutinized the Arnold tool, which analyzes the likelihood of an arrested person appearing in court hearings and avoiding new criminal charges if released. Senator Joseph Cervantes, a Las Cruces Democrat and chairman of the committee, said he would review New Mexico’s pretrial laws more directly to keep more defendants in prison pending trial. I am skeptical of the proposals that the governor supports. I promise the discussion will continue. Also, another proposal to allocate $20 million to a statewide warrant roundup would require state representatives to decide how the money would be spent and whether it could overwhelm county jail populations. The push is due in part to the initiative of many Albuquerque leaders who want to improve the criminal justice system.

Food on the table: If Congress approves the $30 million plan, the menu could include free school meals for all K-12 students in public and charter schools in New Mexico. Senate Bill 4, proposed by Sen. Michael Padilla of Albuquerque and Sen. Leo Jaramillo of Espanola with the governor’s support, would provide all public and charter schools with free breakfasts and lunches for students every day. It was a request. We also encourage private and tribal schools to follow suit. Among other changes, the measure provides additional funding for schools that purchase produce grown in New Mexico.

Spiritual Culture: A proposal from freshman Sen. Harold Pope Jr. would put a cork on his fellow congressmen’s drinking at work. I pitched a rule prohibiting drinking during meetings. For many legislators, drinking is part of the Legislative Council culture, and the day often extends into the night. argues that lawmakers should focus on the task at hand.

For some lawmakers, drinking is part of the Roundhouse culture. I am asking for alcohol ban after seeing some things like https://t.co/z0eKXZQ6z3 #nmleg

— Dan McKay (@mckaydan) January 24, 2023

minimum wage: The next major battle over New Mexico’s minimum wage is looming. Two separate proposals for future increases have been circulated, with growing stiff opposition. The current state minimum wage is $12 an hour. House Bill 28, sponsored by Rep. Miguel P. Garcia of D-Albuquerque and adjusted annually each January, ties future minimum wage increases to inflation. The minimum wage he could raise to $15.55 an hour by 2034, according to a legislative analysis of the bill. Meanwhile, the latest version of House Bill 25 — sponsored by Democratic Rep. Christine Chandler of Los Alamos — would raise the minimum wage to $13.50 an hour. Starting next year, it will be $15.50 per hour again in 2025, with future price increases indexed to inflation. Small business owners and industry lobby groups have opposed the measure, saying it would impose an additional burden on employers and lead to higher prices for consumers.

Fire reaction: If Senate Bill 6 passes, it could channel up to $100 million in state funds to communities trying to recover from last year’s devastating Calf Canyon/Hermit’s Peak fires. Sponsored by Democratic Las Vegas Senator Pete Campos and backed by the governor, the bill provides interest-free loans to towns, villages and counties to repair damaged roads, culverts and waterways. Meanwhile, a proposal was shown to the door by Alamogordo Republican Senator Ron Griggs to ban prescribed burns in New Mexico in the spring.

Northern country #NM Wait for federal recovery funds to arrive.The Governor’s Office-backed bill provides interest-free loans of up to $100 million for repair work to burn scars from last year’s Hermit’s Peak/Kerf Canyon fire: https://t.co/ Via RPSESteMLO @ABQ Journal #nmpol

— Dan Boyd (@DanBoydNM) January 23, 2023

Trans Rights: Legislators should uphold the law for transgender people by prohibiting school districts, government agencies, and public contractors from discriminating in the provision of services on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Supporters include Senate Majority Leader Senator Peter Worth, Las Cruces Senator Carrie Hambren, Santa Fe Rep. Andrea Romero, and Taos Rep. Christina Ortez. Congressman, says House Bill 207, sponsored by all Democrats, is needed to close the state loophole. In some cases, it allows discrimination by public authorities.

Same room, different parties: After a lengthy closed-door meeting on Friday, House Republicans voted to remove Rep. Jason Harper of Rio Rancho from his role as caucus whip and elect Roswell Rep. Greg Nibert instead. Harper, who has served six terms as a member of Congress and is also an engineer at Sandia National Laboratories, said he was working to study full-time staffing and field offices for members of Congress included in Congress’ spending bills. He was the only House Republican to speak out last week in favor of a bill that would cost $2.5 million. The change comes a week after newly-incumbent House Speaker Javier Martinez made waves by replacing fellow Democrat Patricia Landstrom as chairman of the House Appropriations and Finances Committee with Las Cruces Democrat Nathan Small. I was.