—Some House Democrats argued the logistics of bill to toughen child pornography laws sponsored by Rep. Sarah Maestas Barnes, R-Albuquerque for more almost an hour. Last year, the House passed a similar bill but stalled in the Senate. The bill ultimately passed by a vote of 60-2, with Reps. Eliseo Alcon, D-Milan, and Antonio “Moe” Maestas, D-Albuquerque, voting against it. The bill would allow a prosecutor to bring charges on each image of child pornography.
—Rep. Conrad James, R-Albuquerque, passed two bills today related to child abuse charges. As House Minority Leader Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, noted, this was probably his final bill on the floor, as James is not running for reelection.
—A bill to increase funding for sexual assault and rape crisis centers in the state received a quick do-pass from the Senate Public Affairs Committee. According to Julianna Koob, with the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, there is a backlog for sexual assault services just as there is with rape kits.
—After a presentation on robotics in education, the House was treated to a drone flight. A small drone with a camera flew through the chambers Tuesday morning, while Rep. Larry Larranaga, R-Albuquerque, wore goggles where he could see from the on-board camera.
—Rep. Antonio “Moe” Maestas, D-Albuquerque, used the phrase, “that’s the bummer about criminal justice reform,” when speaking about a proposed three strikes law and the old laws on the New Mexico books.
Stories from Jan. 26: