Credit Sen. George Munoz, D-Gallup LAS CRUCES - Sen. George Munoz, D-Gallup, has been named chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, replacing longtime leader John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, who was defeated in the Democratic primary last year.
Munoz survived his own primary challenge last year, and went on to win re-election to his fourth term. He had been serving as the committee’s vice chairman.
The Finance Committee takes the lead in drafting the annual budget, and typically has the final say on any spending bills before they get to the Senate floor. New senators Crystal Diamond, R-Truth or Consequences, and Siah Correa Hemphill, D-Silver City, were both named as committee members, as were southern New Mexico senators Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces and William Burt, R-Alamogordo.
Marijuana Legalization 2021: These U.S. States Could Legalize Weed in 2021
On 12/30/20 at 1:29 PM EST
Efforts surrounding the legalization and decriminalization of weed are ongoing, with laws involving recreational and medical use of marijuana varying by state.
Thirty-four states currently have marijuana legalized either medically or recreationally, allowing for the majority of Americans to have access to weed in one way or another.
While marijuana is still illegal on a federal level, the House passed legislation earlier this month that would decriminalize the substance and expunge nonviolent marijuana-related convictions, which have disproportionately affected low-income communities of color for years.
Since Colorado and Washington s groundbreaking legalization of recreational marijuana in 2012, 15 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized weed for adults over the age of 21, with four states Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota voting to legalize weed for adults and