Here’s a look at today’s headlines:
State District Judge Denise Barela-Shepherd recently heard a lawsuit filed by an Albuquerque man on behalf of New Mexico’s 250,000 registered Independent voters that would change the state’s two-primary system. David Crum is seeking to allow people the right to pick a party on the day of the primary so they can vote, without having to be registered Democrat or Republican Party. The other side of the argument, states that allowing Independents to vote in Primary Elections would hurt the purity of the election and possibly elect candidates who don’t represent the party.
In legislative action:
Members of the Regulatory and Public Affairs Committee tabled a bill that would require background checks on buyers at gun shows, effectively stalling the bill from moving forward. Those who testified against the bill said it would weaken the Second Amendment of the US Constitution and open the door to gun registries.
Legislation that will allow industry professionals to teach part time in the classroom without having to go back to college to receive their teaching degree has cleared the House Education Committee. This will allow experts in their respective fields to share their knowledge with students. To qualify, the professionals will need a bachelor’s degree, three years of documented work experience in the subject field, a passing score on the appropriate teacher license assessment and successful completion of a pedagogy class. The bill will now go to the House floor.
Legislation that would crack down on sexual predators attempting to secretly view or record a person’s intimate areas has passed the House Safety and Civil Affairs Committee. Under the current law, voyeurism is defined as viewing, photographing, videotaping, filming, webcasting or recording the intimate areas of another person without their knowledge. It is a fourth-degree felony when the victim is a minor and a misdemeanor when the victim is over 18. Attempting to commit voyeurism, however, is only a misdemeanor if the victim is a minor and there is no punishment when the victim is over 18. The proposed legislation would change the definition of voyeurism to include attempting to secretly view or record a person’s intimate parts, even if the predator fails to do so.
A new bill regarding the New Mexico Act for Family and Medical Leave, modeled after New Mexico’s unemployment and worker’s compensation systems, would provide something that the federal law doesn’t – pay. The bill would impact firms that employ more than ten workers, whereas the federal law only protects people who work at firms that employ 50 or more.
