Gov. Martinez unveils tough-on-crime proposals

Gov. Susana Martinez is making a final push for lawmakers to pass a series of tough-on-crime bills in her last year in office, including measures to expand the state’s three-strikes law for violent felons and restore the death penalty.

The governor unveiled the legislation Monday ahead of the 30-day session that begins next week in Santa Fe.

Her proposals include a bill to toughen penalties for people who commit crimes while on probation or parole, as well as the capital punishment and three-strikes measures – which have both been rejected by lawmakers in recent years.

The capital punishment legislation would restore the death penalty for people convicted of murdering children and law enforcement. The three-strikes proposal would require life sentences for repeat offenders convicted of a third violent felony.