2008 Special Session Approaches, but Revenue Forecast May Shorten Guv's Wish List We're headed back to Santa Fe on Friday, much to the dismay of many lawmakers who are either knee deep in campaigning, getting kids back to school or, now, frustrated by the difficulty in getting a room in Santa Fe as Indian Market and the popular Antiquities Show get underway.
The Governor said he was planning to call a Special Session back in February after the legislature failed to move toward universal health coverage, even after the House watered down his bill. And when the price of oil and gas skyrocketed in mid-summer, he added an enticement—tax cuts, rebates and holidays for consumers strapped by the high prices at the pump and at the grocery store, and $200 million in highway projects in rural New Mexico. [Click here to read Dede’s forecast, including health care proposals in the special session.] Update on Outcome of Special Session [Click here to read Dede's post-session analysis] What's New August 2008 Leave No Child Inside: APS’s Valley Cluster Funded to Move Kids Outdoors Thanks to Outdoor Classroom Program This past spring, the State Parks Division held an event down at the Rio Grande Nature Center (a state park) to herald the second year of the statewide Outdoor Classroom Program. And the proof of the program's appeal was in the pudding - or actually, in the Bosque - as scores of elementary and high school students descended on the Nature Center from as far away as Ramah Navajo and as close as Georgia O'Keefe Elementary, in the Heights. The idea behind the program is to get children outside, in nature, where they can learn science, geography first hand, and fall in love with nature….. [Click here to find out how Dede expanded the program to include Valley schools]
Conservancy District Dumps Trail Improvements along Griegos Drain
As some of you may have read in the media, a few weeks ago, the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District has decided to quit the Ditches with Trails project, a joint endeavor of the city, county, state, national parks service, and almost a score of neighborhood organizations in the North and South Valley. MRGCD had been a member of that endeavor in the past, and was cooperating, I thought, in a very constructive way—until now. Fearing some kind of “take over” of the MRGCD’s authority over the ditches, and reacting to a well organized group who used misleading tactics to stir up fear of a paved, urbanized trail effort that would benefit recreationalists from outside their area, the Board stopped the project without even considering the feasibility report.
° Help is on the Way thanks to two measures that I initiated: The Nurse Advice Line is open for business 24-7. Call 1-877-725-2552 if you have a medical problem but no access to a doctor or a nurse. [ Click here ] to read more about it. Protect Yourself against Identity Theft by freezing access to your credit report. [ Click here ] to find out how. | | | From Farm to School:
Senator Feldman joins board members of the Rio Grande Community Farm as they deliver local tomatoes to APS to feed Valley Cluster
Schools. | | | Senator Feldman, Attorney General Gary King, and Consumer Protection Chief Karen Meyers explain Dede's bill that allows you to freeze your credit report. |  | Senator Feldman at Alvarado Elementary School, where kids benefit from fresh, local fruits and veggies each week under a grant from the state legislature.
| | | Sen. Feldman last year received the Milagro Award from fellow Senators. The award was given for tackling tough issues, withstanding ardous debates, and bringing forward visionary legislation. |
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