Legislative roundup, Jan. 31, 2019

Jan. 31--Days remaining in session: 44

Public Regulation Commission: State senators hope to merge competing proposals to change how seats on the state Public Regulation Commission are filled.

Voters now elect the five commissioners by district in partisan competitions. Each commissioner receives a salary of $90,000 a year.

Electing people to these highly technical jobs has had mixed results. Some commissioners have known next to nothing about regulation of public utilities, leaving them to struggle.

Scandals also have plagued the PRC. For instance, former Commissioner Jerome Block Jr. was convicted in a series of felonies while in office. Block had won a close election for a seat on the PRC on the strength of name recognition. His father, also named Jerome Block, had been a commissioner.

Sen. Steve Neville, R-Farmington, has introduced Senate Joint Resolution 4, giving the governor power to appoint members to the PRC. They would be subject to confirmation by the state Senate.

Sens. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, and Bill Payne, R-Albuquerque, have a different proposal, SJR 1. It would allow for election of some commissioners and appointment of others.

Wirth said Wednesday the senators hope to create a single initiative that would be placed on the statewide ballot if legislators approved it. Voters would then get the final say.

Same-day registration: New Mexico is one step closer to allowing voters to register on the day of an election.

The House State Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee voted 5-3 along party lines to back House Bill 83.

The bill by a group of Democratic lawmakers would let voters register at a polling site, a policy that advocates say would help boost election turnout, particularly among younger people.

New Mexico law currently cuts off voter registration 28 days before an election.

But 17 other states and the District of Columbia allow for same-day voter registration.

New Mexico's association of county clerks has come out against the proposal, raising concerns that many counties do not have the resources to implement the policy.

And Republicans have argued the law would open the door to voter fraud.

The bill heads next to the House Judiciary Committee.

Rhinestones, studs and boots: To celebrate Grant County Day, the Silver Stompers, a troupe of 12 senior women from Silver City, performed a jaunty line dance Wednesday before the House of Representatives.

After a few of the dancers fell out of step early on, the Stompers stopped stomping for a moment and then started the dance over -- not missing a step the second time around and earning a round of applause from the spectators. The Stompers have performed at the Capitol every legislative session since 2011.

Honoring a senator: Tears fell Wednesday in the state Senate. The occasion was a lengthy ceremony in which senators gave testimonials about one of their own, Carroll Leavell.

Leavell, 82, retired in December after 22 years in the Senate. A Republican from Jal, he was in the insurance business and often carried the industry's bills.

Colleagues said he was a kindly statesman.

Sen. Sander Rue, R-Albuquerque, told of being diagnosed with prostate cancer while Leavell was fighting the disease. Rue, his voice breaking, said the two didn't say much about the disease publicly, but he appreciated Leavell's support and friendship outside the public eye.

Sen. Bill Burt, R-Alamogordo, recalled being teased or hazed by colleagues throughout debates in 2011, his freshman year as a senator. One day, Burt said, Leavell leaned over to him and said: "Don't worry, senator. It too will pass. Not anytime soon, but it too will pass."

Leavell thanked his old friends for their kind words. He left the Senate chamber in a wheelchair, stopping in the corridor to speak to well-wishers.

Quotes of the day: "Even our rich people are poorer. Except you, of course." -- Rep. James Strickler, R-Farmington, speaking to Rep. Daymon Ely, D-Corrales, about a bill to raise the personal income tax on high-income households.

"It's like arguing with your husband about taking out the trash, and he never takes it out." -- Rep. Christine Trujillo, D-Albuquerque, complaining about year-after-year arguments on whether the state should draw more money from its Land Grant Permanent Fund to expand early childhood education. The House Education Committee on Wednesday voted 10-4 to advance the proposal.

___

(c)2019 The Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, N.M.)

Visit The Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, N.M.) at www.santafenewmexican.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.