Legislative roundup.

Days left in session: 28 No gifts, please: Advocacy groups trying to get on the good side of politicians aren’t necessarily subtle. They often deposit gifts on the desk of every state legislator.

Freshman Rep. Abbas Akhil, D-Albuquerque, isn’t accepting these items. He has directed the staff in the House of Representatives to keep his desk clear of bags of food or other items that are gifted to legislators.

“I’m not taking anything. What am I going to do with 3 pounds of cheese, anyway?” Akhil said.

He defeated Republican Rep. Jim Dines in November’s general election. Dines was famous in the New Mexico Legislature because he would not accept any gift under any circumstance. This included free meals at group outings of legislators.

Akhil said he hasn’t mastered how to pay for his own meals during gatherings of legislative committees that are held at restaurants. Lobbyists often pick up the tab.

Akhil said he is not comfortable accepting free meals and will try to navigate paying for outside events while handling the crush of business at the Capitol.

Booming right along: New Mexico’s budget outlook is holding steady for now but is still very much at the mercy of the volatile oil and gas industry, state government economists reported Friday.

Officials said the state can expect $1.1 billion in additional funds during the next fiscal year, keeping with projections the same group of economists issued in December. That amounts to a 17 percent increase over the current annual general fund budget.

While oil prices have dropped, the group noted that the amount of oil the state is expected to produce has increased significantly amid a continued boom in the Permian Basin. This largely offsets the effects of poor stock market performance in December and lower projected gross receipts tax revenue.

But the report noted that the state’s dependence on oil and gas leaves New Mexico at risk of sudden price shocks.

The Consensus Revenue Estimating Group also reported that while the impact of the federal government shutdown is still unknown, it provided a sense of the uptick in unemployment claims. Federal initial unemployment claims grew from 18 the week before the shutdown to 182 by mid-January. And nonfederal initial unemployment claims grew from 892 the week before the shutdown to 1,664 by mid-January.

Energized for work: The Senate on Friday unanimously confirmed Sarah Cottrell Propst as Cabinet secretary for the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department.

The vote followed a Senate Rules Committee hearing in which legislators asked Cottrell Propst about her plans to regulate the oil and gas industry, which drives the state’s revenue, and implement renewable energy initiatives that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wants.

More than 20 people from an array of environmental groups and the oil and gas industry spoke in favor of Cottrell Propst during the hearing. She most recently headed the Interwest Energy Alliance, a trade association for the renewable energy industry.

Looking ahead: Monday is Presidents Day, which means banks, schools and post offices will be closed. But life at the state Capitol goes on, and the House of Representatives and the Senate will hold committee hearings and floor sessions. Visit www.nmlegis.gov and click on the “what’s happening” link for access to both House and

Senate agendas.

Quote of the day: “Welcome to the redheaded caucus.” — Sen. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, to University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes during a Senate Rules Committee hearing. Both have red hair.