Gov. Susana Martinez is taking aim again at New Mexico's practice of issuing driver's licenses to people suspected of being in the country illegally.
She used her State of the State address on Tuesday to urge lawmakers to resolve the long-standing stalemate over the policy and establish a path forward so New Mexico driver's licenses will be acceptable under the federal government's tougher Real ID requirements.
Martinez says immigrants who are in the country illegally should not have preferential treatment at the expense of U.S. citizens.
Some federal military installations already have said New Mexico IDs alone are not enough to access their facilities. And starting in 2018, federal officials say Real ID compliant identification will be required to board commercial flights.
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2:25 p.m.
If you're a student who is skipping school, Gov. Susana Martinez says you shouldn't be able to get a driver's license.
Martinez proposed tackling the truancy problem in her State of the State address on Tuesday by instituting real consequences for teens who refuse to go to class.
The governor also renewed her call to end the state's social promotion policy, which allows students to move up a grade level despite lacking necessary reading skills.
She also targeted college students, saying the state needs to do more to ensure students are graduating within four years and degrees are targeted to building a workforce that will benefit New Mexico businesses and those looking at relocating to the state.
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2:15 p.m.
More pre-kindergarten classrooms would be built around New Mexico and $10 million would be spent on new reading intervention programs under Gov. Susana Martinez's budget plan.
The governor outlined her education initiatives during the State of the State address before a joint session of the Legislature on Tuesday. Lawmakers convened at noon for a 30-day session.
Martinez also talked about raising starting pay for new teachers, expanding a mentorship program for teachers and allowing for adjunct teachers to help in the classroom.
She also says she wants parents to be more involved so her administration is allowing state workers to be granted leave for parent-teacher conferences. She says she wants local governments and the private sector to follow suit.
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2:10 p.m.
Gov. Susana Martinez is calling for money to be directed toward the establishment of behavioral health crisis triage centers and mobile crisis response teams.
In her State of the State address Tuesday, the governor said there's been an increase in behavioral health services provided in New Mexico over the last two years but more needs to be done.
Martinez is also seeking the creation of community behavioral health clinics.
Her administration was criticized previously for targeting nonprofit providers following a 2013 audit that raised questions about the handling of state Medicaid funding.
The state Human Services Department eventually replaced the nonprofits with companies from Arizona despite protests that the due-process rights of the nonprofit providers were violated when the state froze payments without hearings.
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2:05 p.m.
Gov. Susana Martinez has a laundry list of public safety measures she wants lawmakers to address during this 30-day session.
Martinez said during her State of the State address that New Mexico needs to continue cracking down on drunken driving. She pointed to recent efforts by state police to track down absconders, including repeat offenders with several DWIs on their records.
Despite criticisms from some Democratic lawmakers that the state's DWI laws are tough, Martinez suggested repeat offenders face stiffer penalties and those who knowingly toss drunken drivers the keys should also face consequences.
The Republican governor also targeted loopholes regarding child pornography crimes, saying she agrees with Democrat Attorney General Hector Balderas that the law needs to be fixed.
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2 p.m.
Gov. Susana Martinez is calling on the New Mexico Legislature to confront violent crime.
She opened her State of the State address Tuesday by introducing the wives of two police officers who were killed in the line of duty in 2015.
Both Rio Rancho Officer Nigel Benner and Albuquerque Police Officer Dan Webster were shot by suspects who had long criminal histories.
The governor called their deaths "senseless murders" and highlighted the need to address what some have described as turnstile justice.
Martinez says the state's laws are too lax and the justice system is weak. She's calling for a constitutional amendment to reform the state's bail system and wants to give judges access to defendants' criminal backgrounds for making bail or sentencing decisions.
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1:40 p.m.
A cast of New Mexico dignitaries is gathered at the State Capitol to listen to Gov. Susana Martinez's State of the State address.
A joint session of the House and Senate was called Tuesday afternoon.
Those in attendance included some of the state's top judges, some members of New Mexico's congressional delegation, numerous high-ranking state officials, tribal leaders from around the state and others.
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12:10 p.m.
The New Mexico Legislature has convened for a 30-day session that will focus on crafting a nearly $6.5 billion budget and addressing education and public safety issues.
The gavels came down shortly after noon in the House and Senate chambers.
Lawmakers from both houses are expected to gather for a joint session later Tuesday during which Gov. Susana Martinez will deliver her annual State of the State address.
The governor is expected to highlight her priorities, from criminal justice reforms to education.
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10:05 a.m.
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is scheduled to lay out her priorities in her State of the State address as the Legislature returns for its 30-day session.
Tuesday afternoon's address will come during a joint session of the House and Senate after lawmakers convene at noon.
In the weeks leading up to the legislative session, Martinez outlined many of her top priorities as part of a nearly $6.5 budget proposal. They include public safety, education and economic development.
The top priority of the Legislature will be crafting the budget during this abbreviated session.
But Martinez has wide discretion over what bills are heard, and she has already said that resolving the stalemate over immigrant driver's licenses and a right-to-work proposal will be on the agenda.
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