By Morgan Lee, Associated Press
Legislators have advanced a proposal to legalize recreational cannabis across New Mexico and lift the state s tight restrictions on production for its medical cannabis program.
After more than six hours of testimony and deliberations, a legislative committee on health issues on Monday endorsed one bill backed by Democrats and sidelined a second, in efforts to set up a taxed and regulated marketplace for broad cannabis sales.
The two-day hearing pushed to the forefront an initiative that would subsidize medical marijuana for the poor and do away with current limits on the number of plants each licensed producer can grow.
Settlement reveals New Mexico utility funded political group Follow Us
Kay C. James
Question of the Day
By - Associated Press - Saturday, February 13, 2021
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - The parent firm of the largest utility in New Mexico has funded a group that spent more than $130,000 on political advertisements in highly contested Democratic legislative primary election races last year.
PNM Resources, the parent firm of Public Service Company of New Mexico, had financed the Council for a Competitive New Mexico, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
The disclosure was made public on Friday as part of a settlement agreement that involved the New Mexico Ethics Commission agreeing to drop a lawsuit it had filed in December. The commission also agreed to waive any civil penalties against the group and will not require it to register as a political committee.
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Despite the pandemic and being in its first year of existence, the New Mexico State Ethics Commission wasted no time in 2020. The agency recently took significant enforcement actions against two groups for alleged reporting violations for their independent expenditures. The matters illustrate the varying approaches states take to enforcement and spotlight issues that bedevil groups involved in issue and election advocacy.
The New Mexico State Ethics Commission only got off the ground at the beginning of 2020, after the state legislature passed legislation in 2019 implementing the agency pursuant to a constitutional amendment enacted by voters in 2018. Similar to the enforcement structure in some other states, enforcement of New Mexico’s campaign finance laws previously had been handled primarily by the Secretary of State and state Attorney General.
What is the Council for a Competitive New Mexico, Inc.?
If you Google the group, you’ll find a lot of news stories about it, but not much else. The group’s Facebook page shows it has 15 followers, nine “likes” and two profile pictures, both of which are symbols. Some high school reunion Facebook pages have more followers and information.
“Established in 2020, The Council for a Competitive New Mexico has one primary mission – to promote policies and initiatives that advance lasting and meaningful economic growth and opportunities for our state,” says the About section of the council’s Facebook page.