Days remaining in session: 1
SANTA FE - As is the case every year, not all the bills introduced during the session, even the ones that make it through committees, will be heard.
On Thursday evening, House Majority Leader Ken Martinez, D-Grants, announced that if the House took an average of 37.5 minutes to debate all the bills currently on the House calendar, "we'll be here until June 23."
Nobody checked the math, but nobody disputed the estimate.
•Zap me some documents: Here's good news for reporters, political operatives and others who request state records. Under a bill passed by the Legislature on Thursday, agencies would have to provide copies of public records in electronic format if specifically requested and those records are available in electronic format. Senate Bill 52, sponsored by Sen. Steve Fischmann, D-Las Cruces, also allows an agency to charge a "reasonable fee" for creating, converting or compiling a record that didn't previously exist, should the agency agree to do that.
The House passed the measure by a 62-3 vote. It goes on to the governor for her signature.
•Local eats: State hospitals, prisons and college cafeterias, as well as local schools and other agencies that serve food, would have to serve a higher percentage of locally grown food if a bill passed Thursday is signed by the governor.
Sen. Tim Keller, D-Albuquerque, said the bill "would boost local food producers and ensure state and local government rewards
SB63 requires increasing minimum percentages of local buying in state and local government food procurement over the next five years. "With passage of SB63 we'll be able to see actual, not estimated results," Keller said. "And we will know for sure exactly how beneficial this program is to the state of New Mexico."
•Looking Ahead: Friday is the last full day of the session, which ends at noon Saturday.
•Quote of the day: "If you're going to talk about how I'm to the left of Karl Marx and how I'm planning to take over state government for my friends in the Weather Underground, at least use a decent photo."
- Sen. Eric Griego, D-Albuquerque, during a Senate floor debate on a campaign finance reporting bill.
The New Mexican




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