ProgressNowNM’s Alex Curtas during House Business and Employment Committee public comment. Courtesy/ProgressNowNM
ProgressNowNM News:
SANTA FE – ProgressNowNM issued a news release today saying that after allowing members of the public to read letters from business leaders and employees across the state, the Chair of the House Business and Employment Committee told ProgressNowNM’s communications director he could not read an email between the sponsor’s expert witness and political operatives discussing right-to-work legislation, then had him removed from the microphone.
In the third hour of the committee’s hearing on Rep. Dennis Roch’s ‘right-to-work’ bill, HB22, ProgressNowNM’s Alex Curtas introduced himself in public comment to read an email between the sponsor’s expert, Paul Gessing, and Republican campaign operatives discussing their plan to find a ‘sugar daddy’ to fund a study and push right-to-work as a tool to un-elect ‘dumb’ Democrats. (read the email here)
Chairwoman Jane Powdrell-Culbert, R-Bernalillo, immediately interrupted Curtas, according to the news release, and said he could not speak if he mentioned the expert or others included in the email. Curtas informed the chair that the email was germane to the topic, read part of the email, then was cut off by the chair who said he could not continue. She then motioned to the attendant to remove Curtas from the microphone.
“We counted more than a dozen people who read letters, statements or emails from other people without any interference from the chair,” ProgressNowNM Executive Director Patrick Davis said. “The chair quashed our right to free speech in the people’s legislature. With all due respect, the chairwoman has no right to squelch criticism of her friends just because it is uncomfortable. She owes Mr. Curtas and the public she serves an immediate apology.”
ProgressNow NM is a non-profit public advocacy group representing more than 100,000 New Mexicans supporting progressive policies in the state. The group has been a vocal critic of the proposed bill.
