Latest news with #SB42
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Legislative session ends, what bills made it through?
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) –The legislative session is officially over and the last few bills to make it over the finish line are on their way to the governor's desk. Bills that passed and failed drew mixed reactions from the governor and lawmakers. More than 1,100 bills were introduced this session; many covering the state's foster care system, crime, and education. With the session closed, nearly 200 of those bills passed, while others stalled. After countless hours of debate, lawmakers have wrapped up the 60-day legislative session – but what made it through? A top priority promised this session included legislation surrounding reforming the New Mexico Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD). A bipartisan House bill creating the Office of the Child Advocate, HB 5, was signed by the governor despite her expressing it wasn't what she wanted. A bi-partisan Senate omnibus package, SB 42, with additional CYFD reforms is headed to her as well. Which bills have been signed by the governor so far? 'New Mexicans have demanded reform at CYFD and we delivered,' said Reena Szczepanski, (D-Santa Fe) Majority Floor Leader. 'This is a huge step forward for children and families across our state that has been many years in the making.' Other accomplishments highlighted by Democratic lawmakers included the passage of a crime package, HB 8, that includes reforms to criminal competency and treatment as well as fentanyl trafficking. They also celebrated the passage of a bill increasing teacher salaries. Although some Republican bills passed, such as SB 11 which requires districts to create rules for student cell phone use in schools. Republican lawmakers shared disappointment over the lack of medical malpractice bills succeeding and the governor's decision to veto a proposal, HB 65, to let districts decide the number of days in a school year. 'I had the full support of the House [on] both sides of the aisle and the people of New Mexico have spoken, the people of the House have spoken, and ultimately, the people of the Senate have spoken,' said Gail Armstrong, (R-Magdalena) Minority Floor Leader. Bill giving student loan relief to some veterinarians heads to governor's desk The governor shared her frustrations on bills related to juvenile crime, after a House bill backed by the Bernalillo County District Attorney's office, HB 134, and a House bi-partisan bill, HB 255, failed. 'The notion that we spent far too little time addressing in any meaningful way juvenile crime and public safety issues in this state is a remarkable failure in so many ways,' said Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. She added lawmakers could be called to a potential special session on the issue of crime. 'Yes, I think the likelihood is far stronger than not which is why in our statement, they should expect it. I don't know how you don't expect it,' said Governor Lujan Grisham. Other bills that passed on Saturday and are headed to the governor's desk include the Trade Ports Development Act, HB 19, which would create designated port districts across the state. For bills passed in the last three days, the governor has thirty days to either sign pocket veto or veto the bill. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
CYFD reform package advancing quickly; other bills make slower progress
As the Roundhouse rounds third base on this year's legislative session, lawmakers are racing to bring home a few measures aimed at reforming New Mexico's troubled child welfare system. The lead runner seems to be Senate Bill 42, a measure unveiled late last week that bundles multiple other bills addressing child welfare issues and which is already headed to the Senate floor after unanimously clearing the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday evening. Other notable measures — such as House Joint Resolution 5, which would completely overhaul CYFD's leadership structure, and House Bill 5, which would establish a new oversight office for the agency — have moved slower. With time left in the session dwindling, it's unclear what will make it through. 'Given the length of time that we have left, it becomes more difficult as each day passes,' said Rep. Eleanor Chávez, D-Albuquerque and a sponsor of HJR 5. SB 42 marks an apparent compromise between Democrats, Republicans and the executive branch. CYFD and the governor have thrown their support behind the bill after being at odds with legislators over other proposals this session, including HJR 5 and HB 5. While the child welfare reform package leaves out large-scale oversight or leadership reforms, it would implement priorities laid out by the Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham during her State of the State address: namely, moving management of the federal Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, or CARA, out of CYFD and holding families accountable to following through with care plans for substance-exposed children. CYFD spokesperson Andrew Skobinsky said in an email the New Mexico Department of Health, which would take over CARA, is 'better equipped to manage the healthcare and medical implications of children born substance-exposed/dependent.' Republican lawmakers and others have also criticized state law for not requiring families with babies exposed to substances to follow through on care plans prescribed to them. SB 42 would bolster the state's response to those families, requiring CYFD to assess whether a family that does not follow through with a care plan is able to keep that baby safe. Skobinsky said that could lead to an abuse and neglect investigation and, possibly, the child being taken into CYFD custody. SB 42 also incorporates other reform efforts, including one requiring identifying information to be released when a child dies or nearly dies while in the care of a foster family under investigation by CYFD. Another would require the agency to enact a plan pursuant to a federal plan allowing states to use more dollars on prevention services. Though the federal Family First Prevention Services Act was passed in 2018, CYFD has yet to have a plan adopting the legislation be approved by the federal government. The agency resubmitted its plan late last year, and hopes to hear back in April. Other measures While SB 42 has backing from leaders on both sides of the aisle, as well as from the governor and CYFD, HB 5 and HJR 5 have less broad support. HB 5, which seeks to establish an Office of the Child Advocate under the New Mexico Department of Justice tasked with monitoring the services CYFD provides to children and receiving complaints about issues at the agency, has faced opposition from CYFD. The agency has argued that while it welcomes oversight and accountability, HB 5 is not the way to do it. Still, the bill, which was identified by House Democrats before the start of the session as a priority for the caucus, has garnered some Republican support. House Minority Leader Gail Armstrong, R-Magdalena, said HB 5 and SB 42 are examples of everyone 'finally on the same page and trying to get something across the finish line.' 'This administration has had six years to fix this, and I think that everyone finally [has] come to the position of, 'They need help, and they need lots of ideas and lots of cooks in the kitchen,' and hopefully we get an answer this year,' Armstrong said in an interview. 'If we don't, it's on the majority — it's not on me.' HB 5 cleared the floor last week and awaits passage in the Senate Judiciary Committee. That said, a similar iteration of HB 5 failed in 2023. But HJR 5, which passed out of the House Judiciary Committee the same day HB 5 and other CYFD-related measures did, has lagged behind its peers and is still awaiting passage by the full House. The resolution is ambitious, asking lawmakers and voters — who would also have to approve HJR 5 should it clear the Roundhouse — to remove CYFD from the Governor's Cabinet and install a commission that would hire a director to manage the agency. In addition to stiff opposition from the executive branch, the resolution also drew concerns from field experts tasked with tracking the state's progress in the landmark Kevin S. settlement, reached after over a dozen foster children sued New Mexico for failing to fulfill its duty to kids in state care. The experts argued in a letter child welfare systems in other states actually benefited from moving away from commission-style governance structures and that keeping CYFD under the purview of the governor better facilitates communication between state agencies. Chávez, however, sees the resolution as a way for the Legislature to take matters into its own hands, noting that several years have passed since the Kevin S. settlement was reached with little to show for them. 'That agency has had some extreme turnover related to politics,' she said. '... The other piece, too, is that — and I don't want to say that any of the secretaries don't work hard — but they don't have the child welfare experience that's needed to guide this agency not just through the current struggles but also provide the kind of leadership that that expertise and experience would provide.'
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House and Senate make opposite decisions on partisan judiciary bills
The door to the old Supreme Court Chamber at the Montana Capitol. (Micah Drew/Daily Montanan) Leaders in Montana's Republican Party have made it clear that when the Legislature disbands at the end of the 69th session, the plan is to assign the judicial branch in the state shades of red and blue. Speaker of the House Brandon Ler, R-Savage, and Senate President Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, outlined the party's plans for judicial reform early on in the session while Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte told lawmakers during his State of the State address that he wanted a bill on his desk that 'empowers Montana voters to know a judicial candidate's political party.' But among the 150 lawmakers holding forth in the Capitol, the appetite for injecting additional politics into the court system appears to be mixed. Last week, the Senate and House each debated versions of legislation that would attach political party affiliation to justices, splitting their votes. Senate Bill 42, sponsored by Sen. Daniel Emrich, R-Great Falls, passed the Senate this week 28-22 with four Republicans voting with all Democrats against the bill. Under the proposed legislation, all judicial candidates for the Montana Supreme Court, a district court and all justices of the peace would be required to declare a political party and be nominated on a partisan ballot. The bill was strongly endorsed by Gianforte at a press conference on Thursday when he applauded Senate GOP leaders for working with him to move the legislation through the upper chamber. But in the lower chamber, House Bill 295 failed to pass the floor in a 47-53 vote, where 11 Republicans opposed the bill. Similar to SB 42, the House version, carried by Rep. Paul Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, would have allowed judicial candidates to indicate their party affiliation, and would list 'undisclosed' next to any candidate who does not declare a party. During floor debate, Speaker Ler said the bill was necessary because he believes the courts, especially the Supreme Court, has been overreaching its constitutional jurisdiction, and the bill would 'align that court with the values that Montanans hold.' 'I believe that our courts are already partisan, especially our Supreme Court in this state,' Ler said. 'And they have no bones about hiding.' Many supporters of the partisan judicial bills in both chambers said it was an issue of transparency — that the top questions voters ask during the election season is for information on judicial candidates. 'Right now, there is not much information you can get from a judge even if you go listen and talk to them. Their code of conduct, their judicial canons, they can't speak about how they might rule on a case,' said Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson during Wednesday's debate on SB 42. But knowing partisan affiliation, Hertz said, lets voters understand more about the principles of the candidate, letting them make better informed decisions. Opponents to partisan judicial elections often invoked a message from Montanan's newly-elected Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Cory Swanson, who last month warned lawmakers against going down that road. 'The judiciary should remain nonpartisan despite the almost irresistible pull of partisan spending and messaging in these highly contested campaigns,' Swanson, a former Republican county attorney, said during a joint session. 'The judiciary does not want this,' Sen. Cora Neumann, D-Bozeman said. 'They want each of our branches to be healthy and independent and trust each other to make good decisions.' Sen. Laura Smith, D-Helena, repeated an opponents' talking point that the broader electorate does not support the idea, citing several survey results. One 2023 survey conducted by Montana State University, Montana Public Interest Research Group and the League of Women Voters showed that 71% of Montanans did not believe Supreme Court justices should run with a political label, and 89% said justices should not consider politics in their decisions. More than half of respondents to that survey reported voting for President Donald Trump in 2020, while 34% reported voting for former President Joe Biden. 'Looking at the data on this, the majority of Montanans don't want their courts to be political,' Smith said. 'One of the primary things that people don't want in their lives, any more than is necessary, is politics.' Senate Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, equated the judicial branch to baseball umpires. 'If the Yankees are playing the Red Sox, I don't want to have to wonder whether it's a Yankees umpire or a Red Sox umpire,' Flowers said. 'I want to know that they're calling balls and strikes straight.' Sen. Wendy McKamey, R-Great Falls, said she'd put a lot of thought into the issue recently and had recently changed her mind on the bill. 'Initially I said that I prefer to keep justice blind,' McKamey told her colleagues. 'I have seen and witnessed that the judges sitting on the Supreme Court bench, even though they have their personal opinions, are setting aside their personal opinions and looking at the Constitution and making those decisions. And I trust that. So I will be yes.' The Senate bill passed and will be taken up by the House. The House bill died in the floor vote, but another attempt to make Supreme Court elections partisan, House Bill 751, will have a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Monday. A related bill allowing political parties to donate to candidates, HB 39, passed both chambers and has been transmitted to the governor's desk. Another bill to change the way Supreme Court judges are selected would put the questions to voters about changing from an elected system to one where judges are nominated through a bipartisan committee and then appointed by the governor. No action has been taken on House Bill 506 since its committee hearing last week.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill removing cannabis odor as probable cause to search vehicle heads to Illinois Senate
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Legislation which would remove the smell of raw or burnt cannabis as probable cause to search a vehicle passed the Senate Criminal Law Committee on Tuesday. The measure comes from State Senator Rachel Ventura. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to deliver annual 'State of the State' budget address 'A recent state Supreme Court ruling gave a conflicting directive between raw and burnt cannabis, shifting a huge burden to law enforcement to know the difference,' Ventura (D-Joliet) said. 'This bill aims to clean up that court ruling by directing law enforcement to consider all factors — not just odor — in deciding if the law has been broken.' Ventura said that recently, the Illinois Supreme Court contradicted themselves in two separate cases. In People v. Redmond, the Court ruled that the smell of burnt cannabis alone is not sufficient probable cause for police officers to search a vehicle without a warrant. Illinois Supreme Court: Burnt pot smell doesn't justify warrantless search of vehicles However, in People v. Molina, the Court ruled that the smell of raw cannabis alone did give police probable cause to search a vehicle, because odorless packaging is required by the statute. Illinois Supreme Court rules odor of raw cannabis enough probable cause for officers to search a vehicle Senate Bill 42 would remove the requirement that cannabis in a motor vehicle must be in an odor-proof container. It would still require that cannabis is stored in a secured, sealed or re-sealable child-resistant container. 'SB 42 is another step forward in modernizing Illinois cannabis laws,' Peter Contos of Cannabis Equality Illinois said. 'Removing the odor-proof container rule will provide drivers the peace of mind of knowing they cannot be stopped solely for possessing a legal product. SB 42 will also relieve the burden on law enforcement to decipher the difference between raw and burnt cannabis.' Law enforcement would not be allowed to stop, detain or search a vehicle based only on the odor of cannabis, as long as the drivers and passengers are 21 or older. Illinois bill would require schools to have more military recruitment events The ACLU released a statement in support of Senate Bill 42. The General Assembly has an opportunity to clear up unnecessary confusion by adopting Senate Bill 42. It is highly unlikely that an officer, standing alongside a busy highway or city street, is able to distinguish between the odors of burnt and raw cannabis. Drivers and passengers are legally able to possess cannabis in our state. This confusion over the odor of cannabis should not be a trigger for officers to continue to harass and delay motorists with intrusive searches. These stops and searches are targeted disproportionately against drivers of color in Illinois. We encourage the legislature to clear up this confusion by adopting the very simple language contained in the bill and Amendment #1. Alexandra Block, director of the Criminal Legal System and Policing Project at the ACLU of Illinois The bill passed the Senate Criminal Law Committee on Tuesday. It'll go to the full Senate for further action. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Yahoo
First lady Marty Kemp unveils new anti-human trafficking legislation, initiatives
ATLANTA - First lady Marty Kemp and the Office of the Governor introduced a new bill on Thursday aimed at strengthening Georgia's fight against human trafficking. Senate Bill 42, the 10th piece of legislation backed by Kemp on this issue, seeks to close a legal loophole that could allow traffickers to receive lighter sentences under the state's rule of lenity. What we know Under current Georgia law, crimes related to human trafficking involving minors overlap with existing offenses such as keeping a place of prostitution, pimping, and pandering. This overlap allows traffickers to potentially receive more lenient sentences. SB 42 aims to eliminate this possibility, ensuring traffickers face full legal consequences. The announcement comes as part of Human Trafficking Prevention and Awareness Month, observed each January. Alongside SB 42, First Lady Kemp introduced several new initiatives to strengthen awareness and equip Georgians with tools to combat trafficking. What's next First Lady Kemp, in partnership with the Department of Administrative Services (DOAS), has launched an updated human trafficking awareness training for state employees. This enhanced resource incorporates recent developments in survivor support and law enforcement efforts. The training is available to all state agencies and will be accessible to the public on YouTube. What Else Is Being Done In collaboration with the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC), First Lady Kemp also released a new public service announcement (PSA) to be displayed at Georgia's ports. With thousands of trucks passing through the state's port facilities each day, the PSA aims to educate drivers about recognizing and reporting trafficking activity. These initiatives build upon Georgia's ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking, which began with the establishment of the GRACE Commission (Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion, and Education). The commission's work has included awareness campaigns, law enforcement training, and victim support programs. Additionally, the first lady and leaders of the Georgia General Assembly and Attorney General Chris Carr created a first-of-its-kind statewide Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit in 2019. Since then, they have secured 54 convictions, led or assisted more than 330 case investigations, and rescued and assisted nearly 200 children. What you can do First Lady Kemp encouraged all Georgians to participate in awareness efforts and report suspected trafficking incidents. If you suspect human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll free at (888) 373-7888. To report suspected human trafficking in Georgia, call the Statewide 24-Hour Human Trafficking Hotline at (866) 363-4842. If you have reason to believe that a victim is in imminent danger, call 911 or your local law enforcement agency to file a report. For more information on how to get help for both national and foreign-born victims of human trafficking, visit
