Pinto pauses, then launches into a smooth, strong song that silences the chamber. Bradley stays silent. Three new members of the Farm and Ranch Heritage Board are confirmed. A big pile of newly introduced bills is dispatched to committees, ranging from a hike in the minimum wage to a ban on below-cost liquor sales. Four more quarters, soup for lunch.
Some spectators leave.
Sen. Roman Maes, a Democrat from Santa Fe, arrives, gavels meeting to order. That's old tech. Albuquerque Democrat Sen. Phil Maloof isn't dazzled. I don't know how you make the Legislature understand how hard economic development is. Garcia isn't biting.