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The House and Senate are rolling toward adjournment of the Legislature at noon today.
Check our Legislature 2012 blog for the latest developments.
You can’t be sure of all that lawmakers might do by the constitutional end of the 30-day session. And we don’t yet whether Republican Gov. Susana Martinez might decide to call them back for a special session.
Several of Martinez’s highest profile requests remained unfufilled when we put the paper to bed last night: ending “social promotions” in elementary schools, teacher and principal evaluations, tax cuts for businesses.
Democratic leaders — some of them in no mood to be bossed by the governor — set their sights on crafting a balanced budget and not much more.
But Democrats in a number of cases submitted their own versions of legislation pushed by the governor. This probably will be pointed to when push comes to shove in this year’s elections. A Democratic-sponsored teacher evaluation measure, for instance, was on the Senate calendar this morning.
You never really know until it’s over. The Senate today passed a measure sought by the governor to end gross receipts tax “pyramiding.”
Meanwhile, limiting legal liability for the Spaceport and repealing driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants appeared to be lost causes.
Capital outlay projects still were being firmed up, although it was looking last night like Albuquerque will get nearly $30 million for Paseo del Norte and I-25 interchange — almost all of the money the city and county sought.
Journal reporters Dan Boyd, Deborah Baker and Jim Monteleone are following the final action and will be at leadership news conferences today to hear lawmakers explain session highs and lows.
Then we’ll hear what the governor has to say. Unresolved issues will be back one way or another — special session or Election 2012.
-- Email the reporter at jrobertson@abqjournal.com. Call the reporter at 505-823-3911
