NM Ping
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Posted on 02/03/2009 8:29:23 AM PST by CedarDave
SANTA FE — "Technically alive" was the best supporters could say about the future of a domestic partnerships bill Monday after a possibly fatal 5-5 vote in a Senate committee.
The tie vote left Senate Bill 12 stalled — perhaps permanently — in the Senate Judiciary Committee as one Democrat sided with Republican opponents and another Democrat left the committee room before the vote was taken.
Though supporters of the measure described Monday's vote as a setback, Gov. Bill Richardson, who supports the idea of domestic partnerships, might seek to exert his influence in an attempt to move the bill forward.
"We'll be visiting with those legislators who don't currently support the bill," said Eric Witt, Richardson's legislative liaison ...
The bill, known as the "Domestic Partners Rights and Responsibilities Act," would extend the same legal benefits that married couples enjoy under New Mexico law to unmarried couples who file an application and pay a minimal fee.
Domestic partners would have the right to take medical leave to care for an ill partner, the authority to make end-of-life decisions on each other's behalf and the legal standing to benefit from inheritance.
Unlike last week's vote in the Senate Public Affairs Committee ... Monday's vote was quick and straightforward. Sen. Richard Martinez, D-Española, voted against the measure along with the four Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sen. Bernadette Sanchez, D-Albuquerque, missed the vote because of what she described as an important phone call, but she later told reporters she would have voted no.
(Excerpt) Read more at abqjournal.com ...
"We'll be visiting with those legislators who don't currently support the bill," said Eric Witt, Richardson's legislative liaison. Richardson's folks are going to do a little arm twisting, the worst kind because if you go against him, he will veto necessary projects for your district including water and sewer lines and school repairs. He doesn't hesitate to retaliate against those who don't accede to his wishes.
PING to the NM list.
Perhaps a “win win” can be worked out so the ultra left can move back to California and leave New Mexico the hell alone ...
NM Ping
If you want on or off the NM Ping list, please FReepmail me.
Access to the ping list is available to anyone by going to my FR home page.
Guess they need some pro-prop 8 folks to travel there. Lets make sure they pay their carbon credits first.
Update FYI.
Traditional Democratic Hispanics are very uncomfortable with this bill. Martinez from Espanola and Sanchez from ABQ are opposed though Sanchez absented herself from the room just before the vote. I guess she didn’t want to be targeted for retaliation by Richardson with a formal vote on the record.
Thanks.
And anyone wanting on a NM local phone tree for mutual support in the event FR crashes or the net is trashed or . . .
please let me know.
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