Legislative roundup, Jan. 21, 2017
As Rep. Brian Egolf has taken over the speaker's chair, some Republicans have been quick to point out that the Santa Fe Democrat has not been so punctual.
Days remaining in session: 56
#oldtimes: Former state House Speaker Don Tripp made a point of starting on time.
As Rep. Brian Egolf has taken over the speaker's chair, some Republicans have been quick to point out that the Santa Fe Democrat has not been so punctual.
As the House ran more than 40 minutes behind schedule on Friday, Rep. Kelly Fajardo took to Twitter to lambaste the new leadership.
"Day 4 of the new Session," the Republican from Belen wrote. "So far the new House Leadership isn't [sic] following rules or starting on time."
Cannabis analysis: Two Democrats in the House of Representatives are backing a proposal to use some of the revenue collected from medical marijuana producers to boost research into cannabis treatments.
Reps. Debbie Armstrong of Albuquerque and Bill McCamley of Mesilla Park introduced a bill that would transfer 10 percent of fees and earnings from New Mexico's medical cannabis program into a research fund. The money would fund research into the production, uses and effects of medical cannabis.
The bill would also protect researchers from criminal prosecution for cannabis possession and create a cannabis research advisory council.
Armstrong has supported expanding the use of medical marijuana in areas such as pain management, but the effort has been slow to take hold because there is little research into effectiveness and proper dosing.
Remembering Max: Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, and Rep. Matthew McQueen, D-Galisteo, are sponsoring memorials to honor the late Max Coll, a longtime Santa Fe legislator.
Senate Memorial 6 would ask the state Transportation Commission to rename the section of U.S. 285 between Lamy and Interstate 25 as the Max Coll Corridor.
The memorials state that "Max Coll was one of Santa Fe's treasured characters for almost four decades, moving here from Roswell and completely changing himself from a crew-cut, conservative, Roswell Republican to a curly-haired, bolo-tie-wearing, socially liberal, but still fiscally conservative, Democrat."
Coll was the grandson of Gov. James F. Hinkle and a delegate to the 1969 state constitutional convention. He represented a House district in Roswell as a Republican from 1967 through 1974. He he moved to Santa Fe later in the '70s and was elected in 1980 to an east-side House seat as a Republican. After the 1982 election, he switched his affiliation to Democrat, then kept getting re-elected.
Coll stepped down in 2004 and lent his support Wirth, then a political newcomer, who won his old seat. Wirth later moved to the Senate. Coll died in 2014 at age 82.
Looking ahead: New Mexico Open Primaries plans a noon news conference on Monday, Jan. 23, concerning two bills that would allow registered voters who aren't Democrats or Republicans to vote in primary elections. This is scheduled to take place in Room 310 of the Capitol.
