Legislative roundup, Jan. 18

Days remaining in session: 59

Ban the box: Two lawmakers have introduced a bill that would prohibit private businesses from asking about an applicant's criminal record on an initial job application.

Senate Bill 78 by Sen. Bill O'Neill, D-Albuquerque, and Rep. Alonzo Baldonado, R-Los Lunas, would amend the Criminal Offender Employment Act. The bill says: "If a private employer uses a written employment application, the employer shall not make an inquiry regarding an applicant's conviction" on the initial application.

The measure would not prohibit employers from considering an applicant's criminal record in a subsequent review.

The effort is part of a national movement called "ban the box." Its intent is to allow convicted felons to apply for jobs without being automatically disqualified.

New Mexico, 23 other states and the federal government have adopted the policy for public jobs. But just nine states ban private employers from asking about a criminal record on a job application, according to the National Employment Law Center.

Doctor disclosure: Sen. Sander Rue wants to get better information to the public about disciplinary action taken against physicians.

Rue, R-Albuquerque, has introduced Senate Bill 68 that instructs the state boards for medical doctors and osteopathic physicians to provide more information in a more accessible format.

Public information about discipline against doctors in the state is available online, but Rue's bill would expand it to include a recent photograph, former names, all current and former employment and information on malpractice claims.

Point of order: House Speaker Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, on Tuesday selected freshman Rep. Daymon Ely as parliamentarian of the chamber. Ely, D-Corrales, is an attorney who sues other lawyers in malpractice cases.

Another wage bill: Democratic legislators now have three separate bills to raise the statewide minimum wage of $7.50 an hour.

The latest is House Bill 67 by Rep. Miguel Garcia, D-Albuquerque. It calls for step increases to $8.40 in 2018, then $9.20 in 2019 and $10.10 in 2020. From there, the wage would adjust automatically based on the cost of living.

The bill would allow employers of agricultural workers to deduct reasonable costs for food or housing, and there is a section governing tipped workers.

Two other bills also will be considered by lawmakers -- one to boost the wage to $8.45 and another to bring it to $15.

Gov. Susana Martinez has said she would support an increase, but has not specified what that should be.

Looking ahead: Equality New Mexico, a leading gay and lesbian rights organization, has scheduled a rally at 9 a.m. Thursday at the Roundhouse to support legislation prohibiting "conversion therapy," which attempts to rid patients of homosexuality. Scheduled to speak are Sen. Jacob Candelaria and Rep. Andres Romero, both Albuquerque Democrats, along with clergy members, mental health professionals and conversion therapy survivors. The rally will be in Room 326.

Quote of the day: "If it helps, and to demonstrate my commitment to bipartisanship, I am willing to change the name of our reading reform bill to the 'The Obama-Clinton Reading Bill.' " -- Gov. Susana Martinez in her State of the State address. She'd just mentioned that Bill and Hillary Clinton, as well as outgoing President Barack Obama, support the idea of making students pass reading tests to advance in school. Democrats in the state Legislature have opposed the idea for the past several years, saying Martinez's bill to hold back third-graders en masse would do more harm than good.

The New Mexican is the sister paper of The Taos News. We will be sharing their coverage of the legislative session during the 60-day session.