For more than two years, New Mexico legislators have debated, argued and sometimes hollered over rescinding the state law granting driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants.
The bills haven’t gone anywhere but a potential compromise bill based on the driver’s license model used by Utah is getting prepared by two influential state senators, including a Republican leader [...]

On Tuesday (Jan. 15), the 60-day legislative session begins but it will start without some familiar faces — most notably, Tim Jennings.
The Democrat and state senator from Roswell has been a fixture in Santa Fe for 34 years and has been the Senate Pro Tem since 2008. But he lost in a bitter and expensive [...]

State Sen. Mary Kay Papen (D-Las Cruces) told Capitol Report New Mexico on Tuesday night (Jan. 8) that she “definitely has the votes” and and will become the next Senate Pro Tem.
“I know I’ve got the votes,” Sen. Papen said, adding, “I’m extremely confident … I think I have a minimum of 7 and as [...]

Tim Jennings spent an awful lot of money for every vote he earned in the November election but $73.61 per vote was not enough to keep him in the New Mexico State Senate.
An analysis by Capitol Report New Mexico of the amount of money each candidate spent in competitive 2012 Roundhouse races reveals which candidates [...]

New Mexico Speaker of the House Ben Luján was remembered in speeches given by some of the most powerful politicians in the state at a memorial service Thursday morning (Dec. 27) in the rotunda of the State Capitol but the most affecting words were delivered by those who worked with him.
“He would say, ‘we’re [...]

At the New Mexico Senate Democratic Party caucus on Sunday, Pete Campos was selected as president pro tem of the chamber to replace Sen. Tim Jennings (D-Roswell), who lost his re-election bid back in November.
But while Campos — who’s served in the state Senate for 21 years from Las Vegas — received the nod, it’s [...]

One New Mexico state lawmaker says if Illinois goes ahead with a proposal to grant driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants it should make sure Illinois has an accurate database while another has his own suggestion for lawmakers in the Land of Lincoln — don’t do it at all.
Illinois legislators — with some state Republicans joining [...]

Don’t expect Michael Sanchez to relinquish his role as Senate Majority Leader to pursue the open position of Senate Pro Tem.
“I’m feeling pretty comfortable where I’m at,” Sen. Sanchez (D-Belen) told reporters Monday morning after the Legislative Council committee met in Santa Fe.
With the defeat of Sen. Tim Jennings (D-Roswell) back on Election Night, the [...]

After 34 years, Tim Jennings is no longer going to be part of New Mexico’s state Senate.
“It’s been an awesome, absolutely incredible ride,” the outgoing Democrat and Senate pro tem told Capitol Report New Mexico in a phone interview some 16 hours after he learned that he lost by four percentage points (52-48) to dairy [...]

In an upset that changes the face of the state Senate, Tim Jennings is out and 27-year-old Cliff Pirtle is in.
“It’s really humbling,” the Republican Pirtle told Capitol Report New Mexico as the final votes were delivered in Senate Distrtict 32 in the Roswell area. “It really hasn’t sank in yet.”
Pirtle knocked off Jennings in [...]