FGGAM NEWS received this news release from the New Mexico House Majority Communications office:
“Three Strikes” Reform Bill Passes House with Bipartisan Support
Senate Democrats Continue to Deny New Mexicans the Vote They Deserve
Santa Fe, NM — Legislation sponsored by Representatives Paul Pacheco and John Zimmerman to toughen New Mexico’s “Three Strikes Law” passed the House of Representatives today on a broad bipartisan vote of 49 to 14.
House Bill 5, or “Lilly’s Law” will be an important reform to keep violent criminals behind bars where they can’t continue to victimize New Mexico families. The bill expands the list of offenses that would qualify violent repeat offenders for mandatory life sentencing.
The bill’s sponsors called on the Senate to return to Santa Fe and vote on the broadly supported measure.
“Our current law needs to be improved – we cannot let a few extremely violent and repeat criminals continue to victimize innocent New Mexicans,” Zimmerman said. “New Mexicans are tired of it and they deserve a vote on this bill from Senate Democrats.”
“I have seen first-hand the devastation caused by violent repeat offenders. This commonsense and bipartisan measure has now passed the House twice this year,” Pacheco said. “Senate Majority Leader Sanchez should call the Senate back to finish their job and give this bill a vote.”
Pacheco also introduced the bill introduced Lilly’s Law during the regular session held earlier this year. It passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 47 to 15 before it died in the Senate.
The bill is named for Lilly Garcia, a 4-year-old girl who was the victim of a violent road rage incident in Albuquerque in October of last year.
“We need to toughen our laws to reduce violent crime and make our city and state safer,” Veronica Rael-Garcia, Lilly’s mother, said. “This bill is not a Republican or Democrat issue – it’s a public safety issue.”
New Mexico’s current three strikes law has been on the books since 1994. To date, no criminals have been convicted or even charged under this law because the list of the crimes making a violent convicted offender eligible for mandatory life sentencing is excessively narrow.
“There’s a lot of people on the street that shouldn’t be. A lot of armed career criminals, people with three four and five felony convictions roaming the streets,” Tom Atterberry, Special Agent in Charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, recently told KOAT News. “New Mexico’s justice system allows repeat violent offenders to get released as quickly as police arrest them.”
Pacheco and Zimmerman’s bill would keep these criminals behind bars – if Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez will allow it.
