June 19, 2015

New laws go into effect today

Schools can no longer deny students access to programs because they refuse to take psychotropic medications, references to a key aspect of No Child Left Behind are gone forever in New Mexico public schools and e-cigarettes are now considered tobacco products, according to new state laws that went into effect today.

June 19, 2015 marks the day when roughly half of the new legislation passed by state lawmakers in the 2015 session becomes law. In total, 79 new laws are now in place.

Another new law drops all references to No Child Left Behind’s controversial Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) evaluation system in local public school materials. This is essentially following up on New Mexico’s waiver from No Child Left Behind granted by the federal government in 2012.

And as of today, e-cigarettes are included in the state’s Tobacco Products Act, which takes steps to prevent them from being sold to minors and “requires nicotine liquid containers to be sold in child resistant packaging,” according to the bill’s fiscal impact analysis.

Of the laws taking effect today, the statute that will allow thousands of inmates to apply for Medicaid coverage during their incarceration and be eligible for services upon release could have one of the biggest impacts.

Advocates have said the law could curb recidivism levels, because many released inmates will now be able to receive medical services and behavioral health treatment immediately after they leave prison.

Come July, about 70 more new laws will go into effect. Read below for a list of all of them and their effective dates:

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LORDSBURG, N.M. — Current and incoming Democratic members of Congress said Tuesday they had more questions than answers after touring U.S. Border Patrol facilities where a 7-year old Guatemalan girl was taken before dying earlier this month. One member did leave the facilities certain of one thing – that the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection should step down from his post following the tragedy.

An advocate for an animal rights organization says a state representative should step down because he sexually harassed her. The advocate, Laura Bonar, is the Chief program and policy officer for Animal Protection Voters and Animal Protection of New Mexico according to the organization’s website.

Ryan Zinke will step down from his post as Interior secretary, President Donald Trump announced Saturday. “Secretary of the Interior @RyanZinke will be leaving the Administration at the end of the year after having served for a period of almost two years,” Trump wrote in a tweet. In a second tweet, Trump said he plans to announce a replacement in the coming days. In a resignation letter obtained by the Associated Press, Zinke attributed his departure to “vicious and politically motivated attacks.”
Zinke, a former Montana congressman and Navy SEAL, oversaw much of the Trump administration’s energy dominance agenda, including the ramp up of public lands oil and gas leasing and the rollback of environmental protections.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller this week told city police officers to stop the city’s DWI vehicle seizure program. Under existing ordinance, the police department can impound vehicles after DWI arrests, but before the driver has been convicted.

The state Senate voted 30-10 on Tuesday to restrict the use of e-cigarettes in public places much like other cigarettes, backing a proposal to curb what some public health advocates argue are the dangers of nicotine vapor from products that have gained popularity rapidly in just the last few years. But some senators argued it is premature to treat e-cigarettes like traditional tobacco products, maintaining that too little is known about the health effects of "vaping" to warrant strong restrictions.

Gov. Susana Martinez signed legislation that reinstates funding to the Legislature and higher education— two things she vetoed during the regular session. Martinez also partially vetoed a bill that would have moved money from other funds into the state’s general fund.

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LORDSBURG, N.M. — Current and incoming Democratic members of Congress said Tuesday they had more questions than answers after touring U.S. Border Patrol facilities where a 7-year old Guatemalan girl was taken before dying earlier this month.

Joey Peters has been a journalist for nearly a decade. Most recently, his reporting in New Mexico on closed government policies earned several accolades. Peters has also worked as a reporter in Washington DC and the Twin Cities. Contact him by phone at (505) 226-3197.