SERVICE ANIMALS | FROM PAGE 6 other guests without disabilities. They may not be restricted to “pet-friendly” rooms. Ca n hotels cha rge a cleaning fee for guests who have service animals? No. Hotels are not permitted to charge guests for cleaning the hair or dander shed by a ser v ice animal. However, if a guest’s service animal causes damages to a guest room, a hotel is permitted to charge the same fee for damages as charged to other guests. Can people bring more than one service animal into a public place? A. Generally, yes. Some people with disabilities may use more than one service animal to perform different tasks. For example, a person who has a visual disability and a seizure disorder may use one service animal to assist with way-finding and another that is trained as a seizure alert dog. Other people may need two service animals for the same task, such as a person who needs two dogs to assist him or her with stability when walking. Staff may ask the two permissible questions (See Question 7) about each of the dogs. If both dogs can be accommodated, both should be allowed in. In some circumstances, however, it may not be possible to accommodate more than one service animal. Does a hospital have to allow an in-patient with a disability to keep a service animal in his or her room? A. Generally, yes. Service animals must be allowed in patient rooms and anywhere else in the hospital the public and patients are allowed to go. They cannot be excluded on the grounds that staff can provide the same services. W hat happens i f a patient who uses a service animal is admitted to the hospital and is unable to
care for or supervise their animal? A. If the patient is not able to care for the service animal, the patient can make arrangements for a family member or friend to come to the hospital to provide these services, as it is always preferable that the service animal and its handler not be separated, or to keep the dog during the hospitalization. If the patient is unable to care for the dog and is unable to arrange for someone else to care for the dog, the hospital may place the dog in a boarding facility until the patient is released, or make other appropriate arrangements. However, the hospital must give the patient the opportunity to make arrangements for the dog’s care before taking such steps. Must a service animal be allowed to ride in an ambulance with its handler? A. Generally, yes, if space allows and the animal does not interfere with the emergency medical staff’s ability to treat the patient.
CERTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION Does the ADA require that service animals be certified as service animals? A. No. My city requires all dogs to be vaccinated. Does this apply to my service animal? A. Yes. Individuals who have ser v ice a nimals are not exempt from local animal control or public health requirements. My city requ i res a l l dogs to be registered and licensed. Does this apply to my service animal? A. Yes. Service animals are subject to local dog licensing and registration requirements. My city requires me to register my dog as a service animal. Is this legal under the ADA? A. No.
Public will get say on SOS rule proposed campaign finance changes By Andy Lyman
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he New Mex ico Secretary of State’s office will hold a public hearing on proposed campaign finance rule changes Oct. 23. The rule changes are aimed at specifying how candidates can spend money received through contributions to their respective campaigns. A candidate, for instance, would not be able to spend campaign money on personal expenses such as membership dues or medical procedures. Recently, a state lawmaker’s campaign came to the attention of the Secretary of State’s office for spending money on personal expenses like clothing and a surgical procedure as well as donating money to a family. The new rules would also prohibit donations to groups other than tax-exempt organizations. The proposed rules spell out that, “If the expense would exist even in the absence of the candidacy, or even if the legislator were not in office, then it is not a campaign expenditure.” The hearing falls on the same day as a court date for Secretary of State Diana Duran, who is facing charges of violating campaign finance laws herself. Duran pleaded not guilty to the dozens of charges brou g ht by New Mex ico
At tor ney Genera l Hector Balderas. Com mon Cau se New Mexico, a group that advocates for clean elections, provided feedback on the new rules to the Secretary of State’s Interim Election Director Kari Fresquez. Heather Ferguson, the campaign manager for Common Cause New Mexico, wrote to Fresquez in an email that her group has concerns with how a non-candidate could possibly raise money for a candidate and not be forced to report contributions or spending. Common Cause also drafted a document with their suggestions for the Secretary of State’s office regarding campaign finance rules. One issue that Common Cause saw as “the most glaring issue” was that the proposal
does not address individuals or groups who sponsor political ads but are neither a candidate or a political action committee. “These groups would have no reporting obligation at all under the rules and therefore would not have to disclose any information about the sponsorship or financing of their political ads,” the document from Common Cause reads. The group’s director Viki Harrison called this, “the bulk of the problem” with the new rules. In addition to these proposed r u le ch a nge s, t he Secretary of State is also proposing a change to how judges are listed on ballots as well as an effort to clean up voter records for a move to electronic voting and registration. Visit: nmpoliticalreport.com
AG’s Fraud Recover Strike Force recovers big money Staff Report
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ANTA ROSA – Today, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced the Office of the Attorney General’s Fraud Recovery Strike Force reached a $124,455 settlement with United Parcel Service (UPS), the world’s largest package delivery company, stemming from allegations that its employees violated the false claims acts of New Mexico, 13 states, Chicago, New York City and Washington, D.C. The agreement resolves allegations that certain UPS employees violated the law by recording inaccurate delivery times on packages sent via UPS next-day delivery services by government customers. That resulted in premium-priced packages that appeared to be delivered by their guaranteed commitment times
STRIKE FORCE | SEE PAGE 11 10
Friday October 23, 2015 • Gallup Sun
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