New Mexico
A KOB4 News report reveals that all but $50 supporting a measuer on the Albuquerque ballot came from Redflex, the camera maker who stands to profit if the measure passes. City politicians are defending the company’s actions, while civil rights supporters say the company shouldn’t be taking money from citizens. Retired police sergent Paul Heh asks:
Why do we even have these when we pay police officers to do the same job and your rights aren’t violated?
Yesterday, Citizens in Charge Foundation sent out a joint press release with the Rio Grande Foundation highlighting the poll results of New Mexico voters on their support for initiative & referendum:
New Mexico’s teacher’s union is circulating a petition to protest an increase in their personal pension contributions. Pension contributions increased by 1.5% this year in an attempt to solve state budgetary problems. The union has suggested raising taxes on New Mexico workers to pay for the pension increase.
Article IV
Sec. 1. [Vesting of legislative power; location of sessions; referendum on
legislation.]
The legislative power shall be vested in a senate and house of
representatives which shall be designated the legislature of the state of
New Mexico, and shall hold its sessions at the seat of government.
The people reserve the power to disapprove, suspend and annul any
law enacted by the legislature, except general appropriation laws; laws
providing for the preservation of the public peace, health or safety; for
You have Referendum rights, whereby citizens can suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters do not enjoy any process for Initiative.
Poll:
See the results of a poll on support for statewide initiative & referendum here.
In 1910 statehood was just around the corner, and New Mexico voters
elected delegates to a convention that drew up a constitution for the
proposed new state.
Voters would be asked to extend legislators’ terms from two years to four years under a bill that nearly 60 members of the House co-sponsored last week.
The measure raises an issue in perennial discussion over the past decade, with backers saying less-frequent elections would mean less time spent raising money to run for office.
“It would take half the money out of it,” said Rep. Hugh Holliman, a Lexington Democrat and the House majority leader. “We start the session, spend our first year here, and then we spend the whole second year campaigning.”