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As introduced, the bill defines “isolated confinement” as confinement of an inmate to a cell for 22 or more hours each day, with limited or no meaningful interaction with other people. Solitary confinement (corrections officials often prefer other terms, like restricted housing, segregated housing, or special management) is widely used in U.S. correctional facilities; exact numbers are unavailable, but estimates for the number of prisoners held in this way on any given day run from 25,000 (federal supermax prisons only) to 80,000 or 100,000 (all federal and state prisons). Sometimes segregated housing is used when individual prisoners break rules or engage in violent or disruptive behavior, to ensure the safety of staff and other inmates. Sometimes it is used preventatively to try to protect those at high risk of sexual assault or physical abuse.

The Vera Institute of Justice (an independent non-profit research organization) reports that effects observed in inmates confined in this way include hypersensitivity to stimuli, hallucinations, severe and chronic depression, diminished impulse control, self-mutilation, and reduced brain function (including declines in EEG activity after only seven days of segregation). Rates of suicide and self-harm are higher in segregation than in the general inmate population.

The disruptive behaviors which can result in an individual being placed in segregated housing include talking back to guards, using abusive language, not standing for a count, being out of place, failure to obey an order, failure to report for work or school, or possession of contraband such as small amounts of cash or underwear not issued by the prison. Segregated housing is not typically a short-term measure; the average stay in some states is measured in months, in others it is measured in years.

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In 2016, the Office of the State Auditor reported that New Mexico had 5,440 Sexual Assault Evidence Kits which had never been sent to a lab for DNA testing; of these, 3,476 were from APD. “Some of the Kits were 20 years old.” $1.2 million was appropriated to clear the backlog of kits at the state Department of Public Safety; the U.S. Department of Justice contributed $2 million, and $7.5 million of bonds have been issued for the construction of a new Santa Fe Crime Lab and Evidence Center. DPS has also raised the salaries of forensic scientists to improve recruiting and retention (though DPS salaries are still below market rates for such personnel). SB 7 “will help clear the backlog of Kits not housed at DPS.”

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Defines the relevant terms in such a way as to try to close the ‘boyfriend loophole’.

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This fund was originally created through land grants from the Federal Government to the State of New Mexico. New Mexico has the largest Land Grant Permanent Fund at 12 billion dollars. It was intended to fund education. It is not a ‘rainy day’ fund or a retirement fund. As reported by the Albuquerque Journal, 81% of New Mexicans approve of using the Land Grant Permanent Fund to fund Pre-K education. Additionally, it would create 4,000 jobs over 4 years that would primarily be filled by women in rural areas. This money would support programs that are already established.

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The bill would give teachers the flexibility to experiment with one or more pedagogical approaches and strategies to engage and teach all their students and would foster the use of innovative teaching, with the goal of engaging students in learning and the love of learning while at the same time improving their academic achievement and promoting their success in public school and life.

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If passed this would require the source of last minute ‘hit pieces’ conducted by individuals or groups to be disclosed. The Secretary of State reports that the bill simplfies the rules for contributions and would make education, enforcement, and administration of campaign contribution limits easier.

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The original bill described an opt-out system: citizens could decline to register to vote, but the registration would be the default action. Amendments by the House Local Government, Elections, Land Grants and Cultural Affairs Committee and the Senate Rules Committee changed this to an opt-in system.

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The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that such redistricting commissions are in use for state legislative districts in 23 states, either drawing the plan, advising the legislature on drawing the plan, or acting as a backup if the legislature fails to agree on a plan; thirteen states have such commisions for congressional districts.

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While renewable power technologies continue to improve rapidly, some researchers argue that a shift to 100% renewables would be feasible (and cost-neutral, if costs externalized by existing energy producers, like health care costs related to air pollution), even using existing technology.

The current renewable portfolio standards require that renewable sources account for 20% of the energy sold by investor-owned public utilities and 10% of that sold by rural cooperatives.

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A community garden enables a community, business or other organization to develop their own energy generation without waiting for the utility provider in their area (e.g. PNM) to move to renewable energy. This bill would give lower income or isolated communities better access to solar energy.

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The number of spills has increased in recent years. Yet no penalties have been reported. The civil penalties imposed on violators of the Oil & Gas Act have not been increased since 1935, which is stated as not more than $1000 for each day of violation. It also establishes that anyone knowingly violating any provision of the Oil & Gas Act shall be guilty of a 3rd degree felony. The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled in 2009 that the agency responsible for enforcement does not have the authority to impose administrative penalties but instead must rely on the Attorney General to file a lawsuit against the violator. This bill would increase penalties to rates comparable to those of neighboring states and give authority to the Oil Conservation Division and Oil Conservation Commission to impose civil penalties after a hearing has taken place.

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According to the Legislative Finance Committee, in 2015 and estimated 10.9% of New Mexicans (227,000 people) lacked health insurance; this is down from 19.6% in 2010.

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The bill does not prohibit the use of state or federal resources to arrest such individuals if they commit any crime in New Mexico, including illegal entry on private property after crossing the Mexican border.

It is sometimes asserted that federal immigration law pre-empts state law and that legislation of this kind violates the constitution. Federal law does pre-empt state law that attempts to restrict or regulate immigration, but this and similar bills concern public safety and the setting of priorities for the expenditure of state funds. They are not pre-empted by federal law, and the constitution does not permit the federal government to compel the states to enforce federal immigration laws.

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A sixty-foot strip of land on the U.S. side of the border was set aside in 1907, over which the state has no control; the restrictions in the bill would have an effect only if (as is expected) a border wall would involve land outside that strip. The legislation has in part symbolic value: the federal government could overcome the effect of the law by exercising its right of eminent domain, taking the land and providing compensation. But the associated litigation would presumably delay construction.

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Research by the NM Public Health Association and UNM showed that over a three-year period, county and tribal health councils matched every dollar received from the state with over three dollars raised elsewhere. The councils know their local communities well and can invest in effective methods of improving health and reducing disease, which saves lives and reduces social costs over the long run.

HB 150 has been re-introduced in the 2018 session, for which it was assigned the number HB 45.

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The state Department of Health reports that 18.4% of New Mexico students were bullied within the past year on school property; 8.5% were in a physical fight on school property. The bill emphasizes the need to address the safety concerns of LGBTQ youth, who (studies show) face a more hostile environment than their non-LGBTQ peers.

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Some research suggests that as many as 0.3 per cent of U.S. adults self-identify as transgender. (The number of those who have had sex-reassignment surgery performed is lower.)

Some states (e.g. Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon) have recently relaxed their requirements for vital-records updates in ways similar (but not necessarily identical) to that proposed in this bill. In others (Kansas), there have been proposals to make the requirements more stringent.

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The Legislative Finance Committee estimates the bill would generate $27 million annually. Note that prior to 2003 the top rate was 8.1% on income over $100,000.

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Currently, the state does not collect gross receipts tax on internet sales, which gives internet vendors an unfair advantage over businesses operating in New Mexico and paying New Mexico taxes, and deprives the state of significant revenue. Economists estimate that nationwide, state and local governments will lose about $34 billion in 2018 owing to the failure of Internet vendors to pay sales taxes. Apart from reducing state revenues, current law discourages the establishment of brick and mortar stores and the employment of local people and encourages out of state vendors to benefit from local infrastructure (e.g. the roads necessary to delivery of goods) without contributing to the upkeep of that infrastructure.

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According to the federal data, the rates of teen marijuana use in Colorado and Washington – the first two states to legalize recreational marijuana – decreased more than the national average in 2014-2015. Slightly fewer teens in the two states are reportedly using marijuana than in 2012, before legalization efforts passed. According to one study, in the first year of implementation, recreational marijuana in Colorado created 18,000 jobs and generated $2.4 billion in economic activity.

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This would limit diversion of water from agricultural use to urban and/or other developments.

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The bill provides incentive for land owners to keep their undeveloped land instead of selling it for development.

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SB 268 was introduced in response to a rise in coyote killings in New Mexico (566 coyotes were intentionally killed with firearms in New Mexico in 2015).

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Poison and traps can kill or maim not only the intended wildlife but also pets and children who wander onto public lands.

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With regards to the enforcement powers as defined under the proposed bill, crimes committed are currently under the jurisdiction and authority of the federal government. New Mexico Conservation Officers currently assist U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents when feasible but all criminal investigations and charges are brought forward by the federal agents who work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in federal courts. This bill would allow New Mexico law enforcement officers to take direct enforcement actions defined under the proposed language. It provides additional opportunities for the apprehension of those individuals engaged in illegal wildlife trafficking.

Studies have shown that wildlife trafficking coincides with human trafficking and New Mexico is reported to be one of the top destinations for victims and traffickers.

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The Guttmacher Institute estimates that every dollar spent on family planning in the U.S. averts seven dollars in medical expenditures. In Colorado, a philanthropic effort to make long-acting reversible contraceptive methods available to all women resulted in 40% reductions in both unplanned births and abortions.

To a large extent the bill codifies the contraception mandate of the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the federal regulatory guidelines put into place in 2012; it thus serves to protect New Mexico citizens against attempts to repeal the ACA or weaken its coverage requirements. If the bill does not become law, then repeal or changes to the Affordable Care Act might restrict some women’s access to contraceptive services, resulting to an increase in unplanned pregnancies and the costs attendant on that.

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The Department of Health reports that 57.8 per cent of all women giving birth in 2013-2014 had a paying job while pregnant; of these, only 40 per cent had paid maternity leave, and many felt the need to return to work immediately after giving birth. The bill would prevent employers from requiring that mothers take leave when reasonable accommodations might allow them to work.