Inside UNM

The New Mexico Senate has confirmed Barbara Damron as the secretary of the Higher Education Department. It was a breeze, starting this morning with a lovefest in the Senate Rules Committee.

They keep calling it is a messy process that leaves no one totally happy. That is how the state budget is built.  This afternoon, House Appropriations approved what will go into the final crafting of the general appropriations act as will be found in HB2.

It’s UNM Day at the New Mexico Legislature and we couldn’t have scripted a more memorable event. Bright, warm, and sunny with Clifford the Big Red Dog roaming the halls and Sen. Mark Moores (R-Albuquerque) leading his fellow alums in the Senate in the...

As expected, state financial analysts have downgraded revenue estimates for FY16 by $57.8 million because of falling oil and gas prices.

The House Regulatory and Public Affairs committee tabled a couple of proposed increases in the state minimum wage this afternoon. The current state minimum wage is $7.50 per hour. In HB 20, Rep. Lucky Varela (D-Santa Fe) proposed raising that to $10.10 per hour, paralleling what is being discussed nationally.

The New Mexico House of Representatives has approved House Resolution 1 (HR 1), which changes committee structure, on a 37-30 party-line vote. Facing major restructuring, the now minority house democrats argued strenuously against name changes, new ...

The times are changing, but change won’t come easily. That’s what the new House of Representatives leadership will encounter as they seek to restructure committees. Part of the proposed change is outlined in House Resolution 1 (HR 1), which was considered by House Rules today.

The New Mexico Legislature convened in Santa Fe at noon today, with a senate that promises a steadiness forged in previous sessions while the House of Representatives experiences momentous change, even down to seating assignments, office space and parking slots.

UNM has a number of funding priorities for the 2015 New Mexico Legislative Session, but the coming budget battle may make it difficult. Falling oil and gas prices are welcome to consumers, but...

The Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) revealed its budget recommendations for the 2015-16 fiscal year this morning. Usually these recommendations are the best indicator of how the budget built by legislators during the upcoming session will look.