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We also have some unfinished business from our last few legislative sessions:
We've taken great strides to fight domestic violence, drunk driving, and protect our children from predators.
My budget continues to invest in recruiting new state police and keeping them on our streets.
On drunk driving, I am proposing legislation to reform our Liquor Control Act. This reform increases penalties on establishments that sell to minors or over-serve customers, and make offenders subject to our strict Three Strikes rule. It also empowers local law enforcement to act, and allows the state to revoke the liquor licenses of repeat offenders.
The growing problem of drugged driving is becoming a threat on our roads, but our law enforcement does not have adequate legal tools to make criminal prosecutions. I’m asking for new laws to get those who drive under the influence of drugs off our streets.
On domestic violence, we've created more shelters for victims, tripled funding for services, and increased the penalties for repeat offenders.
With your permission, I'd like to brag about my wife and one of her initiatives-the special Domestic Violence Prosecution Project in Bernalillo County.
In 2004, Metro Court in Bernalillo County dismissed nearly two out of every three domestic violence cases. But today, with the expansion of the specialized prosecution project, dismissal rates are down by almost half, offenders are being prosecuted, and victims are now seeing justice served.
To better protect victims of domestic violence, I'm calling for much tougher anti-stalking laws, penalties for those who destroy community property to intimidate their partner, and a law to prevent domestic violence offenders from serving in law enforcement.
It’s also vital that we give domestic violence survivors the right to get personal protection, or participate in legal proceedings, without worrying that they may lose their job.
On gangs, I am once again proposing legislation that makes recruiting people into a criminal street gang a crime in New Mexico-and makes it a felony offense to recruit a minor into this life of violence. Complementary legislation will propose that as gang activity continues to rise, the penalties must increase.
My last series of initiatives gets to the core of public service and the public trust---Ethics and Elections Reform.
When I first became Governor, New Mexico's election and campaign finance systems held back our progress. So I put together ethics and election reform task forces made up of our states most prominent leaders and citizens.And we implemented many of their recommendations-initiating public financing for judicial posts, limiting contributions by contractors seeking to do business with the state, and capping gifts to candidates, employees and officials.
We also moved to an auditable, accountable 100 percent paper ballot system, which this year produced the earliest and most accurate election results in our state history. But there is much more to do.
First, we should establish an ethics commission that can provide independent oversight of all branches of state government.
Second, we currently ban former state officials from lobbying their agencies for one year. I propose we hold former legislators to the same standard.
