Dems kill a slew of bills to curb crime epidemic

On Thursday, the New Mexico House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee killed multiple proposals on party-line votes that would have helped curb the crime epidemic ravaging communities such as Albuquerque.

The committee quickly tabled H.B. 484 by Rep. Bill Rehm (R-Albuquerqu), which would have amended multiple sections of the Motor Vehicle Code to prevent driving with cannabis or controlled substances or metabolites in the blood. This would be in addition to alcohol blood concentrations. It quickly died on a 4-2 tabling vote, with Republican Reps. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) and John Block (R-Alamogordo) voting against tabling it.

Next, H.B. 491, a bill sponsored by three Democrat representatives, including Rep. Cynthia Borrego (D-Bernalillo), would have increased penalties for car theft, which is meant to deter car thieves. New Mexico leads most other states in the nation in terms of carjackings.

According to the bill’s fiscal impact report, “Under the revised penalties, anyone convicted for these crimes could be guilty of a fourth-degree felony for a first offense; a third-degree felony for a second offense, regardless of which provision was the first offense; and a second-degree felony for a third or subsequent offense, regardless of which provision was the first or second offense.” 

Borrego told stories about her relative who owns a dealership in Española and recently had a car thief steal and then wreck a brand new Toyota Tacoma afterward — leaving the dealership on the hook for the costs.

Despite carjackings plaguing the state, Democrats on the committee voted 4-2 to table the bill, with Reps. Block and Lord the only representatives opposing the tabling motion.

Another crime bill, H.B. 509, also from Rehm and Rep. Andrea Reeb (R-Clovis), would keep those criminals who have been accused of a “dangerous felony offense” in jail while awaiting trial, with an enumerated list of 14 statutory crimes defined in the bill. The bill would allow the defendant to convince a court that they are not a danger instead of automatically releasing them before trial.

This proposal also died on a 4-2 vote, with all the Democrats voting to table it and both Republicans rejecting the motion. 

Another bill, H.B. 306, which would create state penalties for straw purchases (knowingly buying a firearm for a felon), was also considered by the committee. Instead of mirroring federal law, which mandates years in prison, the bill only allows for 18 months in prison — an extremely short sentence. “Knowingly” was undefined by the bill’s sponsors. Democrats on the committee supported the Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham-backed bill, while both Republicans opposed it.