Days remaining in session: 2

Domestic Violence: Lawmakers on Monday sent the governor a bill he wants that toughens the penalties for domestic violence.

Senate Bill 68, sponsored by Sen. Rod Adair, R-Roswell, would make third and subsequent domestic violence offenses felony crimes. Currently, it's a misdemeanor no matter how many repeat convictions there have been.

Under the proposed new law, a third conviction would be a fourth-degree felony, punishable by up to 18 months in prison.

The fourth and subsequent offenses would be third-degree felonies, and those convicted could face up to three years in prison.

It is already a felony to commit aggravated battery against a household member with a deadly weapon or if it causes great bodily harm.

The Senate agreed Monday to go along with changes the House had made to the bill and sent it to the governor for his signature.

Pre-primary fix: Bills aimed at fixing what many say is a flaw in the election code are making some progress in the last days of the session. Lawmakers seem to want to go back to the system in which candidates for state or federal office who don't get 20 percent of the delegates at a party pre-primary convention can submit extra petition signatures to get on the ballot. That's the way it was in this state until last year, when the Legislature passed a bill that changed several parts of the election code — including the petition option.

House Bill 190, sponsored by Rep. Al Park, D-Albuquerque, got a do-pass Monday from the Senate Rules Committee. Park's bill would restore the petition option. The bill goes on to Senate Judiciary.

On the House side, the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee last week gave a do-pass to the mirror bill, SB 1, sponsored by Sen. Michael Sanchez, D-Belen. It goes to the House Voters and Elections Committee. Surely at least one of these will get through. But you never know.

Fix that Web site: HB 438, which would allocate $176,000 to fix the secretary of state's Web site and create a searchable database for campaign finance reports passed the House unanimously last week.

The bill, sponsored by House Majority Leader Kenny Martinez, D-Grants, is on the Senate Rules Committee consent calendar for today, which means it's expected to pass with no discussion. The bill still has to go to the Senate Finance Committee before reaching the Senate floor for a final vote.

Help for addicts: The House has approved a bill that would start a pilot treatment project in the state's women's prisons.

HB 224 now goes to the Senate for consideration. It would treat up to 50 volunteer women with a history of addiction to heroin or other opiates. The program would use buprenorphine, a medication for opiate addicts.

"We currently spend millions of taxpayers' dollars every year to incarcerate people struggling with addiction," Reena Szczepanski, director of Drug Policy Alliance New Mexico, said in a statement. "It's clear after today's hearing that the Legislature wants to have a dialogue about the role of incarceration and treatment in addressing our drug problems in New Mexico."

Looking ahead: A measure that creates a criminal human-trafficking offense is headed to the House floor for debate.

The House Judiciary Committee approved the measure, SB 71, on Monday. It would also create a task force to study and fight the offense.

"We are making rapid progress with this bill, and I am confident it will soon become law. In the process, we have a great opportunity to educate the public about the realities of human trafficking, which is too often kept in the shadows," said Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, D-Doña Ana, the bill's sponsor. I know that when people hear about this horrific exploitation, they will share my outrage."

Quote of the day: "Have you ever tried bologna, peanut butter and bananas?"

Sen. Clinton Harden, R-Clovis, during a discussion on the Senate floor about lawmakers' favorite sandwiches.




© Copyright The Santa Fe New Mexican. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.