One day after Gov. Bill Richardson proposed a new bill prohibiting political candidates from appearing in state-paid public service announcements, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish has asked the state Health Department to stop running a recent PSA in which Denish advises parents on flu prevention for children.

Denish is running for governor.

A spokeswoman for the Health Department said they have pulled the Denish ad. The department had planned to stop the PSAs in January anyway, Deborah Busemeyer said. A companion ad featuring Richardson will keep airing until January. Richardson is not running for anything next year.

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Politicians appearing in public-service announcements urging New Mexicans to be safe, stay healthy, get out and vote, or not to drink and drive would be a thing of the past if the Legislature next year passes a bill proposed Thursday by Gov. Bill Richardson as part of an ethics package.

Richardson, in a news release, said he will push a bill that would prohibit candidates from using taxpayer money or state resources for public-service announcements "except in the case of an emergency when the announcement is directly related to the candidate's official function."

In recent years, several state officials have come under criticism for making state-paid PSAs during or immediately before an election campaign.

In September, Albuquerque pollster Brian Sanderoff of Research & Polling Inc. told The New Mexican that the best way for a candidate to build up name recognition is a 30-second TV spot. "People hear your name and link it to your face," Sanderoff said. "The audio and video reinforce each other."

Sanderoff made his comments in an article about a PSA about railroad safety done by Lawrence Rael, executive director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments. The 30-second spot was produced shortly before Rael declared he was running for lieutenant governor.

Another current candidate to appear in a PSA is Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who is in a spot for the state Health Department encouraging children to "wash their hands, cover their coughs and sneeze into their arms" to prevent the flu. Denish is running for governor.

Asked whether the PSA ban was a swipe at Denish or Rael, Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said, "No. We did it voluntarily during the (2006) re-election campaign. It makes sense to require it."

Attempts to reach someone from Denish's staff to comment were unsuccessful Thursday afternoon.

Richardson himself has appeared in several PSAs, the most famous being his anti-drunken driving spot in which the governor says, "You drink, you drive, you lose."

Another bill in the governor's ethics package would ban campaign contributions from corporations, state contractors and lobbyists. This is similar to legislation recently proposed by Think New Mexico, a Santa Fe-based independent think tank. Alarie Ray-Garcia, a spokeswoman for Richardson, said Thursday that the Governor's Office will be working with Think New Mexico to get the bill passed.

Other parts of the governor's ethics package include:

• An independent Ethics Commission, which would investigate complaints of alleged ethics violations by those in the executive and legislative branches. The commission, as Richardson proposes it, would have powers to investigate and discipline, including the ability to fine, censure and reprimand public officials, state employees, lobbyists, contractors and officials. This differs from an ethics commission bill recently approved by an interim legislative committee. The commission in that bill would have no power to discipline.

• A bill to require potential state contractors to disclose any campaign contributions of $250 or more made during the two years prior to entering into any bid solicitations.

• Prohibiting former legislators from being paid to lobby the Legislature for one year after their term expires.

• A Whistle-blower Protection Act to prevent retaliation against those who report official wrongdoing.

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com. Read his political blog at roundhouseroundup.com.