Advertisement

Occupy protests N.M. governor

Occupy Congress protesters rally on the steps of the Rayburn House office building on Capitol Hill in Washington on January 17, 2012. UPI/Yuri Gripas.
Occupy Congress protesters rally on the steps of the Rayburn House office building on Capitol Hill in Washington on January 17, 2012. UPI/Yuri Gripas. | License Photo

SANTA FE, N.M., Jan. 18 (UPI) -- New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez's State of the State speech was briefly delayed by protesters Tuesday.

Members of the Occupy movement began chanting as Martinez was about to start, KTSM-TV, El Paso, Texas, reported. They were quickly escorted out of the Capitol in Santa Fe.

Advertisement

Martinez, a Republican, pushed her plan to keep undocumented immigrants from getting New Mexico driver's licenses. A bill requiring proof of legal residency failed in the state Senate last year after passing the House of Representatives.

Under the current law, foreign nationals must show proof they are living in New Mexico, as well as their birth certificates and passports.

Martinez also asked the Legislature to approve $97 million in state aid for education. She said there are clear problems when four out of five fourth-graders do not test as proficient readers.

"Passing children who cannot read from one grade to the next is not compassionate. It's morally wrong," she said.

The money would be used to identify the schools and provide additional teachers to schools that need help.

Latest Headlines