Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Members 66th Legislative Assembly are working together to try to bring the session to a close, hopefully the end of this week.
SB 2020 has passed the House and Senate. The bill as amended includes $37.2 million for rural water systems. Sixteen of the 22 rural water systems on the State Water Commission 2-year plan, will be able to utilize those funds at a cost share rate of 75 percent state and 25 percent local.
Forty-five million dollars are included to address the water supply needs of the 47 municipalities on the State Water Commission 2-year plan. The cost share rate for municipalities water supply is 60 percent state and 40 percent local.
Last week, the House passed SB 2015, the budget for the Office of Management and Budget. It will now go to conference committee with the Senate and will be the final bill to be acted upon by the 66th Legislative Assembly. The conferees for this bill will be the Majority and Minority leaders from both parties along with the chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.
In the final days of the session, numerous amendments will be added to SB 2015. These will include both policy language and appropriations necessary to satisfy the agreements made by both chambers to finalize the session. Currently, SB 2015 contains the following major initiatives; a $3.5 million litigation pool for agencies to access in case of lawsuits, $1.9 million for extraordinary repairs throughout the Capitol complex, $2 million for remodeling the public entrance on the Capitol’s south side, $500,000 for the start of an assessment of all state lands and facilities and $250,000 for a student internship program.
The House passed HB 1259 which makes it illegal to knowingly make a false claim that is a pet is a service animal in an attempt to gain admission to a public place or obtain housing accommodations.
We gave three marijuana bills a final do pass on Tuesday following work in the conference committees. HB 1519 expands the medical conditions that medical providers could authorize medical marijuana to be used to treat. Opioid Use Disorder and Opioid Withdrawal were removed from the approved list and brain disorders were added. New medical conditions added this year include: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Anxiety Disorder, Tourette Syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Endometriosis, Interstitial Cystitis, Neuropathy, Migraines, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Autism Spectrum Disorder and brain injuries.
HB 1119 dealt with several privacy issues for people applying for a medical marijuana card. The legislature removed social security numbers from the items that the department must ask for when someone applies for a medical marijuana card.
HB 1283 provides veterans with an opportunity to get a medical marijuana card by using veteran's records instead of making a veteran go through a full application process. The bill states that in lieu of the written certification required, a veteran receiving treatment from a federal veterans' affairs entity may submit to the department a copy of the veterans' affairs medical records identifying a diagnosis of a debilitating medical condition and a copy of military discharge documents. The bill also required the department to provide each person getting a card with a statement that explains federal requirements that state that possession of a firearm by a person who possesses marijuana may be in violation of a federal law.
We will do a more in-depth wrap up of the session in a week or so but want to take a moment to thank the newspapers of District 23 for providing space each week for our columns. Thank you everyone, Bill and Don.
