Monday, February 08, 2021Possible Pitfalls For Legal Pot Weighed As Most Watched Piece Of Legislation Begins Roundhouse Journey, Plus: Senate Opposition To Haaland Goes Public, And: Fund-raising By Haaland Replacement Hopefuls The high rate of drug addiction and poverty makes some lawmakers ambivalent, even though public polling has drifted solidly to the legalization side. The liberal House is a go but there is still hesitancy in the Senate that could derail the legislation in the second half of this sixty day session. We asked veteran Santa Fe watcher and legalization supporter Adrian Carver, a former president of the NM Young Dems and onetime leader of the nonprofit Equality New Mexico, to use his expertise to guide us through potential pitfalls: Joe, The Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto bill (SB 13) is the go to vehicle for legalization in the Senate, having only received two committee assignments. What is notably lacking is a referral to the powerful Senate Finance Committee. It remains to be seen if members of that committee will throw fits and demand a referral to them by holding up unrelated legislating favored by the majority. Senate Finance is one of the more conservative panels and pot backers fear their hopes could die there if they get they hands on the bill. Carver continued: Then there's the prospect of a conference committee between the House and Senate, assuming both chambers approve a bill. A key question is how much the remaining centrists in the Senate would be willing to give up to House progressives? Voters did elect a much more progressive Senate last year, but will that mandate be listened too? There are lots of places left to stumble over yet and the clock is ticking. Carver is expressing only cautious optimism over the fate of legal weed, having seen the Senate in years past turn into an instant graveyard for popular legislation. We'll keep you posted. HALTING HAALAND
I'm deeply concerned with the Congresswoman's support on several radical issues that will hurt Montana, our way of life, our jobs and rural America, including her support for the Green New Deal and President Biden's oil and gas moratorium, as well as her opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline. I’m not convinced the Congresswoman can divorce her radical views and represent what's best for Montana and all stakeholders in the West. Unless my concerns are addressed, I will block her confirmation. The Hill reports: Daines could stall the nomination by placing a hold preventing her from advancing through a procedural vote and instead forcing a cloture vote, which could take a significant amount of time. Haaland is likely to ultimately prevail though, as only a simple majority would be needed to eventually get her nomination to the floor. In the House, R's have come with this: About a dozen House Republicans have already voiced their opposition to Haaland and have asked Biden to recall her nomination. Their January 26 letter says Haaland is a “direct threat to working men and women and a rejection of responsible development of America’s natural resources.”
Sources last week said Haaland's nomination will probably be heard in committee at the end of this month or early March. RACE IS ON
The fund-raising is a way of impressing those insiders. Also, the eventual nominee will only have a short time to raise cash so best to start now. The Alligators and insiders are establishing two tiers in the six way contest. The first tier is the aforementioned McGinn, Sedillo Lopez and Stansbury who happen to be the three who have raised significant money. McGinn leads the pack with $215,000 at the end of December. Most comes from fellow attorneys here and out of state. She did get a $1,000 donation from real estate heavy John Lewinger and another 1K from the committee of State Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart. Stewart also donated to the coffers of Sedillo Lopez who reports raising $67,000. Fellow senators were not shy about giving. In addition to Stewart, Senators Pope, Soules, Tallman and Pinto all donated. Stansbury reported raising $53,000. The scientist and former DC aide tapped connections back east for a good chunk of it. On the GOP side there are no fund-raising reports on the FEC site. BOWING OUT Republican Michelle Garcia Holmes, who has run for a variety of offices in recent years, now says she will not seek the GOP Central Committee nomination for the House seat. Instead, she says she is likely to again run for ABQ mayor. Tim Keller is is seeking a second term this November. Garcia Holmes plans can't be welcomed by Dem Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzales. He is also weighing a mayoral run and will need Republicans solidly in his corner if he is to oust Keller. But Gonzales doesn't have to fret much. In the first round in the '17 mayoral race Garcia Holmes managed only 4 percent of the vote. PHELPS FLEES Another R in the news is GOP State Rep. Phelps Anderson whose pro-choice vote in a House committee, first reported here, now has him fleeing the GOP. Anderson of Roswell has registered as an independent after finding that voting in favor of repealing an outdated abortion law could not stand the scrutiny of his conservative constituents. A prominent Roswell R told us they are "livid"over his vote. Whether the 69 year old scion of legendary oilman Robert O. Anderson will seek another term in Santa Fe next year is up in the air, but getting re-elected after committing a mortal sin in the GOP, is highly questionable. This is the home of New Mexico politics. Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2021 |
  |
