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February 28, 2021
Even after a nearly four hour Senate committee meeting on Saturday, none of the four cannabis legalization bills the panel discussed advanced. But with encouragement from the Senate majority leader and the committee’s chair, the sponsors said they work to come up with a unified approach before another meeting next week.
It seems likely, based on comments from some committee members, that none of the Senate proposals will advance out of committee, but that portions of them will be incorporated into a House bill that has already advanced to the Senate.
Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee Chair Benny Shendo, D-Jemez Pueblo announced at the beginning of the meeting that the committee would not take action on any of the bills. Instead, the committee heard public testimony and examined the differences between the bills. And in a somewhat unorthodox procedure, the committee discussed HB 12, which has not yet been assigned to any Senate committees. HB
SANTA FE – The Capitol is closed to the public – surrounded by fencing and State Police.
But lobbyists working to influence the Legislature are still finding ways to feed hungry lawmakers, sometimes in person, according to state documents and interviews with legislators and lobbyists.
The Roundhouse has been fenced off during the 2021 legislative session, and signs warn pedestrians against trespassing. But the lack of access hasn’t stopped lobbyists from finding ways to feed lawmakers and cover the cost of their meals. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)
Restaurants in Santa Fe County were permitted to reopen for indoor dining at partial capacity two weeks ago, and the Bull Ring – a popular steakhouse – attracted a few lobbyists and legislators the first night.
JUAN MABROMATA/AFP/Getty Images
A House bill aimed at legalizing and regulating recreational-use cannabis passed its second committee Wednesday and will next be debated on the chamber’s floor.
HB 12, sponsored by Democratic Representatives Javier Martínez of Albuquerque and Andrea Romero of Santa Fe, passed the House Taxation and Revenue Committee along party lines by a vote of 8-4.
The committee adopted Martínez’s proposed substitute bill which made some significant changes including eliminating specific tax revenue designations, often referred to as earmarks. Specifically, the new version of HB 12 would eliminate earmarks for a medical cannabis patient fund and a designation for communities disproportionately impacted by previous drug laws, although Martínez said funds for those specific purposes would remain. The new version of the bill also removed fines and fees for juveniles, strengthened employers’ rights to enforce a drug-free work environment, delayed the sta