Wooly Bully!

Someone just played this Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs classic on the House floor, in honor of Rep. Bob Wooley, R-Roswell, passing a memorial.

Best thing I've heard in the Legislature all day.

Scorecard - 3 Days Out

Here’s an update on the number of bills passed, courtesy of the Senate Democrat communication staff.

(This was sent about 1 p.m., so the numbers have gone up slightly and will go up even more by the end of the day)

The House has introduced 612 bills and passed 243
The Senate has introduced 591 and passed 208
-------------------------
The House has passed 26 Senate Bills
The Senate has passed 20 House Bills

That means the governor has received (or will soon receive) 46 bills

HB 78

The House just voted 30-40 to not concur with the Senate amendments to HB 78, the bill, which in its original form would have banned illegal immigrants from getting driver's licenses.

The bill goes back to the Senate, which will have a chance to withdraw its amendments. If they don't, there will be a conference committee on the bill to try to reach a compromise.

Some Miscellaneous Bill Action

I'm a political reporter, but I get tired of predictable political talking points that both sides fall into all too frequently. That's why I appreciated the debate on House Bill 644, which sets a minimum retirement age of 55 and reduces the cost-of-living adjustment for most public employees.

The bill, which was voted down on Sunday, was reconsidered by the House and eventually passed 37-32. But it was hardly a party-line vote. And you couldn't see any other frequent breaking lines such as rural vs. urban. Apparently all these representatives were thinking for themselves, and there were good arguments on both sides.

Here's some other bills that have passed today:

* HB368, sponsored by Reps. Nate Gentry and David Doyle, both R-Albuquerque, which would prevent state officials from sealing their records after they leave office. It passed unanimously This bill was inspired by the uproar early this year over Gov. Bill Richardson sealing his office's documents for eight years, as other governors have done before him. The attorney general ordered the state Archives to allow inspections of the Richardson documents, but this bill would set that into law. It goes on to the Senate.

* SB17, sponsored by Sens. Tim Keller, D-Albuquerque, and Steve Neville, R-Aztec, which would remove the governor from the State Investment Council. Under the bill, which already cleared the Senate, Gov. Susana Martinez could stay on the council for the next two years, until July 1, 2013. The House passed it 50-18. It goes now to Martinez for signature.

* SB11, sponsored by Sen. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe. In case you thought this bill had gone to the dogs, think again. This landmark legislation, which would allow restaurants to allow dogs in outdoor eating areas, passed the House 50-17.

I was just disappointed that nobody brought a snake to the floor as Sen. Bill Sharer, R-Farmington did in the Senate last week.

UPDATE: 7:03 p.m. The bill number for SB 17 has been corrected.

Another Annual Ritual: Hear Our Bills or We Won't Hear Yours!

State Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez just threw down the gauntlet to the House.

If you don't start hearing more Senate bills, we'll stop hearing House bills.

It's not unusual to hear such threats from one chamber or another at this point in the session.

Sanchez said he'd heard that a House committee chairman was threatening to hold all Senate bills until a certain House bill is heard in the Senate.

At the outset of today's floor session Sanchez said the House had passed 7 Senate bills while the Senate had passed the same number of House bills.

You Say You Want an Evolution ...

Should science teachers in public schools who teach "controversial" topics like creationism and that global-warming is a hoax be protected?

That's what Rep. Tom Anderson, R-Albuquerque says. His HB 302 would do that, he said, although scientific organizations say it's just a backdoor way to teach religious tenets in public schools.

My story in today's New Mexican is HERE

Below are links to sites by bill opponents and supporters:

• New Mexicans for Science and Reason

• A site created by Intelligent Design Network, New Mexico Division

And whatever side you're on, enjoy some music while you read all this stuff.

Nunez Goes Indie

Rep. Andy Nunez of Hatch made it official this afternoon and switched party registration from Democrat to "Declined to State." He signed the papers in the Secretary of State's office. (Larry Dominguez of the SOS office looks on in the above photo.)

This is all fallout from the failed leadership coup in which Nunez vocally backed a proposed coalition between Republicans and southern Democrats. That cost Nunez his chairmanship of the House Agriculture Committee as well as his membership on the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Asked why he did not want to join Republicans, Nunez said, "I'm just not that far right." His wife, however changed her registration from Democrat to Republican last week after Nunez lost his chairmanship.

Nunez becomes the first independent legislator in New Mexico in at least 30 years, but the sixth to change parties since 1983.

"At least I don't have to go to caucus meetings anymore," he joked.

More in tomorrow's New Mexican.

Bratton Is New House GOP Whip

House Republicans on Thursday chose Rep. Don Bratton of Hobbs to be the party whip, House GOP Leader Tom Taylor of Farmington said.

Bratton, an engineer, was elected to his sixth term in the Legislature.

He defeated Rep. Jimmie Hall of Albuquerque for the whip position — the number two position in the Republican caucus.

Bratton will replace Rep. Keith Gardner of Roswell. Gardner recently was chosen by Gov.-elect Susana Martinez to be her chief of staff.

Taylor Hangs on to House Minority Leader Post

The state House Republicans, meeting in caucus this morning, voted to keep their current slate of leaders.

In a secret vote, Rep. Tom Taylor of Farmington survived a challenged from Rep. Larry Larranaga of Albuquerque. Also re-elected were GOP Whip Keith Gardner of Roswell and Caucus Leader Anna Crook of Clovis.

In a written statement Taylor said, "The state needs to get its fiscal house in order and our caucus is resolute in doing just that ... we have a great opportunity to reform government and create a new environment for growth and jobs”.

But still a lurking question is whether the House Republicans are willing to back the possible insurgent candidacy of Rep. Joe Cervantes, who might be challenging House Speaker Ben Lujan.

Stay tuned.

R.I.P. Ted Hobbs

Ted Hobbs, former leader of the New Mexico House Republican Caucus, is dead.

The Albuquerque lawmaker was the top Republican in the House when I began covering the Legislature in 2001. He was always accessible, friendly and nearly always had something quotable to say.

The first time I ever interviewed Ted, I was getting Republican reaction to a public campaign financing bill introduced by Democrats. "Public financing of campaigns frankly is an evil idea," he told me.

I was ready for him to say it was a "bad" idea, but when he brought up "evil" -- with a smile on his face, of course -- I knew he was going to be fun to cover.

Ted always wore a necktie with elephants. I'm probably wrong, but don't think I ever saw the same one twice.

I was sorry when he didn't seek re-election to the House. I'm even sorrier now.

The state GOP released the following joint statement this afternoon from Hobbs' successor, Tom Taylor and state Republican Party chairman Harvey Yates Jr.:

“Ted Hobbs was a respected colleague and great example to many of us in the legislature,” stated Taylor. “Although Ted was a passionate Republican, he was always willing to bridge partisan divides to improve the lives of all New Mexicans. On behalf of the entire Republican caucus, I extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”

“Former Representative Ted Hobbs was a great advocate for commonsense principles in this state,” commented Yates. “His commitment to his constituents and his leadership in the Roundhouse will be long remembered. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Hobbs family during this time.”

During his tenure in New Mexico’s House of Representatives (1994-2006), Hobbs served as the minority whip and minority leader. Prior to his work in the legislature, Hobbs served his country in the United States Army and was employed by IBM for over three decades.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 am on Thursday, April 15, 2010 at French Lomas Blvd. Chapel (10500 Lomas Blvd. NE Albuquerque).

Andrew Barreras Where Are You?

The House of Representatives is going through a procedural votes before debating the Senate tax bill.

But Rep. Barreras is missing and there's a call of the House, which means everyone is supposed to be there before the vote can take place.

Rep. Dennis Kintigh, R-Roswell just raised the possibility of sending state police looking for him.

Let's have a moment of silence for former Rep. Benjie Regensberg ....

UPDATE: They found Barreras. (And I can't find any online link to explain my Benjie Regensberg joke.)

House Republicans Try to Blast Veto Override Out of Judiciary Committee

House Republicans just tried to blast the veto override of Senate Bill 531 out of the House Judiciary Committee.

They failed. House Majority Leader Ken Martinez made a motion to table Rep. Paul Bandy's motion to blast the bill. The tabling motion won 37-29.

That means the override effectively has been overridden.

The Judiciary Committee tabled the override Wednesday afternoon on a party-line vote. My story on that is HERE.

The bill, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Tim Keller, would have forced state agencies to provide the Legislative Finance Committee with confidential information about contracts and programs. The measure last year had unanimously passed both chambers of the Legislature before Richardson vetoed it.

The bill stemmed from last year's refusal by Pam Hyde, then secretary of the Human Services Department, to comply with a Legislative Finance Committee request for information about Medicaid, including costs by managed-care companies that administer health care services in New Mexico through state contracts.

Katie Falls, the newly confirmed secretary of the Human Services Department, told the House committee that the decision to withhold the information was her predecessor Pam Hyde's. Falls said she had no problem providing the requested information and already had talked to LFC director David Abbey about it.

House Passes Two Ethics/Transparency Bills

Within a few minutes the House passed a couple of bills aimed at making government more open and less corrupt.

Most recent one first: They passed the Whistleblower Act, SB96 by a 61-1 margin. This would protect people who report official wrongdoing from retaliation.

This bill will be sent to the governor for his signature. Though Richardson vetoed a different whistleblower bill in 2007, this year, he put it on his call and asked for such a n act in his State of the State address.

This vote came after House approval, by a 65-1 vote of the Sunshine Portal Transparency Act, SB 195. This bill would create a Web site that would include a monthly list of the revenue received by the state -- broken down by source, such as taxes, fees or fines. The portal would include tools for tracking the status of capital-outlay projects and public meetings.

The House amended the bill to not include the names of classified state employees and their salaries. However the names and salaries of exempt employees would be part of the portal.

Because it was amended the bill has to go back to the Senate for concurrence before going to the governor.

Contributions Bill Gets Watered Down, Held Back for a Day

After debating HB118 -- the bill to prohibit campaign contributions from lobbyists and state contractors -- for more than an hour, the bill's sponsor Rep. Joe Campos, D-Santa Rosa asked to "roll over" the bill so than a proposed amendment could be printed and distributed.

A few minutes later, the House recessed to go into caucus, assumedly to talk about the budget bill.

This has to be considered a blow to the bill's chances of passing. The clock is ticking on the session, which ends noon Thursday. If it does pass tomorrow, it still would have to go through the Senate and its committee process.

Before taking a break from the debate, Campos moved an amendment that cut out the prohibition against "bundling" -- people prohibited from contributing collecting contributions from others to give to a candidate.

Also he House also amended the bill to allow public utilities to make contributions. Campos said the utilities are regulated by the Public Regulation Commission and don’t compete for contracts. However Rep. Joe Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, pointed out that utilities do contribute to candidates.

House Democrats rejected an amendment from Republican Whip Keith Gardner that would have restored a prohibition of people seeking "targeted subsidies" from the state. That provision was cut out sometime during the committee process.

UPDATE: Despite the fact the bill won't be voted on until Tuesday, Fred Nathan of Think New Mexico, the think tank that first pushed this bill, said he remains optimistic. In legislative time, Nathan said, there's still plenty of time for the bill to make its way through the Senate.

FURTHER UPDATE: 5:49 pm. Rep. Campos confirmed that the bill will be amended again to prohibit public utilities from making contributions and to prohibit all lobbyists and state contractors from contributing to poltiical parties. But the bundling prohibition won't be restored to the bill, he said.

Three and a Half Days and Counting ...

It's crunch time in the Legislature. There's a light at the end of the tunnel. Let's hope it's not approaching at a high rate of speech.

The first item of interest is HB118, Rep. Joe Campos' bill to prohibit campaign contributions from state contractors and lobbyists. It's number 1 on the House floor agenda. Fred Nathan of Think New Mexico, the think tank that came up with a bill, just got a page to meet with Campos.

Ooops. They just passed over HB118. Not sure what's going on at this point.

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Here's a plug for a new blog by private detective and political operative Mike Corwin. It's called The Everyday Detective and gives tips on how regular folks can gather information. Check it out.

House Passes Trio of Rules Changes for More Transparency

The House just a few minutes ago passed three rules changes that might be called a "transparency package."

The first was a measure sponsored by House Republican Whip Keith Gardner which mandates video webcasting of floor sessions. The House already has audio webcasting . (Let's hope it's better than the Senate Webcast, which only shows the backs of a few senators' heads.

The next passed was Rep. Jeff Steinborn's measure to webcast committee meetings. This will be audio only.

Finally, the House agreed to Rep. Zach Cook's rule change to publish roll call votes in the House online within 24 hours. The Senate has been doing this for a couple of years.

House Pays Tribute to Youngberg

State House members just tribute to former state Rep. Eric Youngberg, who died this week. Most remembered his sense of humor and how well he got along with his colleagues, no matter which party they belonged to.

Rep. Al Park, D-Albuquerque, recalled a paintball game in which neither of them them knew what they were getting into.

Rep. Candy Spence-Ezzell told an even more hilarious story about the time Youngberg visited her ranch and tried to pet one of her bulls. He learned quickly some bulls aren't interested in being pet, Spence-Ezzell said.

Rep. Rhonda King, D-Stanley, remembered when Youngberg showed up at the annual House/Senate basketball game "a little unprepared." Specifically, he was wearing a business suit and dress show. However, Youngberg, King said, found a pair of scissors and turned his dress pants into shorts and played the game that way.

Rep. Kiki Saavedra, D-Albuquerque, said he lost one of his favorite golf partners.

Rep. Joe Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, said, "We could disagree on issues and argue passionately, but could still be dear friends."

Rep. Gail Chasey, D-Albuquerque, remembered a time when Youngberg was leaving the floor right as someone was putting a call of the House -- which means nobody is supposed to leave. Arnold-Jones remembered Democratic Whip Sheryl Williams-Stapleton shouting "Youngberg, where are you going."

House Speaker Ben Lujan talked about the respect Youngberg had for the institution of the House. He said he saw Youngberg a couple of months ago. "He was jolly Youngberg," the Speaker said.

Republican Whip Keith Gardner announced that Youngberg's funeral is scheduled for 2 pm Tuesday at First Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque.

CORRECTED: The original version of this post named the wrong representative for the paint ball story. I was listening to the tributes from my office and thought after all these years I know most of the voices of the Legislators. Guess not.

ANOTHER CORRECTION: The story about the call of the House was initially attributed to the wrong legislator.

Log Jam!

Senate Majority leader Michael Sanchez just announced that the Senate will continue not hearing House bills because a House Committee -- Business & Industry -- isn't hearing Senate bills.

Sanchez said he's spoken with House Speaker Ben Lujan, who assured him he's working on the problem. But until something gives, Sanchez said, no more House bills will be introduced in the Senate.

"If they don't believe me, just try me," he said.

UPDATE: 3:21 PM. Sanchez just said there's a B&I meeting at 4:30 pm. He didn't say whether the Senate bills would be heard.

Egolf passes first bill

Freshman Santa Fe Rep. Brian Egolf of Santa Fe this afternoon passed his first bill, HB227, which would increase airport facilities funding limits.

That was a real hot issue during his campaign. (Oh, wait, a minute ... he was unopposed.) I haven't actually read the bill, but if you're itching to do that CLICK HERE .

Several of his fellow House members used the "debate" on the bill to razz Egolf -- a tradition when members pass their first bill. House Majority Leader Kenny Martinez asked Egolf the whereabouts of his predecessor, Peter Wirth. Egolf joked he had no idea. (There's a rumor that Wirth was elected to the State Senate.) Martinez then expressed concern about Santa Fe electing bright young lawyers who abandon their House seats.

Congratulations Brian.

Audio Webcasting!

It's streaming live right now from the House Appropriations & Finance Committee on the official Legislature Web site. CLICK HERE

Unfortunately, you can't see whether anyone is sleeping, and in the little I've heard so far, nobody has said anything that could be turned into an attack ad.