The Roundhouse in Santa Fe (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
GOP hints that votes against tougher penalties for public corruption will be used against Democrats in November
A weekend vote on a bill that would toughen penalties for public corruption could have political consequences for those who opposed the legislation, The Santa Fe New Mexican is reporting.
From the newspaper:
“The House on Saturday voted 41-26 to pass House Bill 111, which would increase criminal penalties when a crime is committed by a public official. It also would mean that officials convicted of crimes – such as embezzlement, bribery and making false vouchers – could lose part of their state pensions and would not be allowed to become lobbyists.
“Not long after the two-hour debate on the bill, the state Republican Party emailed a news release with an all-capital-letters subject line that shouted: ‘TWENTY-SIX DEMOCRATS VOTE AGAINST ANTI-CORRUPTION BILL.’
“GOP Executive Director Bryan Watkins said in the release, ‘It appears some Democrats will run for re-election on the platform of giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants and taxpayer-funded pensions to corrupt public officials. Republicans look forward to that debate.’
“The no votes included most of the Santa Fe area’s House delegation: House Speaker Ben Luján of Nambé, Rep. Luciano ‘Lucky’ Varela and Rep. Jim Trujillo.”
What’s the issue? From the newspaper:
“Both Varela and Trujillo said they were concerned that the bill would mean low-level state employees could be prosecuted. It could happen to any clerk who issued a check because he was ordered to by a corrupt boss, Varela said. ‘There’s nothing to protect him.’”
But the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Nate Gentry, R-Albuquerque, said this:
“‘If a janitor is ripping off $1,000 worth of supplies a month, why shouldn’t he be held to the same standards as a principal (engaged in similar crime)?’”
Read the full article here. You can also check out the legislation here and see how each member voted here.