HB 280 To Create Tribal Education Technical Assistance Centers Passes House Education Committee
Bill co-sponser Sen. Benny Shendo, Jr.
HED News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Higher Education Department (HED) celebrated the unanimous passage of legislation from the House Education Committee Friday creating two new Tribal education technical assistance centers.
These centers will support Tribal leaders and educators in developing resources leading to better outcomes for Native American students, families and communities.
House Bill 280, American Indian Education Technical Assistance Centers, sponsored by Rep. Derrick Lente and Sen. Benny Shendo, Jr. will establish two Tribal Read More
New Mexico Water Rights Remain Fightin’ Words
Bill co-sponser Rep. Matthew McQueen
By ROBERT NOTT
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Water rights remain fightin’ words in New Mexico.
A bill by Rep. Matthew McQueen, D-Galisteo, that would have allowed the State Engineer’s Office to obtain water rights through forfeiture from those who hadn’t exercised them in 10 years, was shot down by an 8-0 vote Tuesday in the House Agriculture, Acequias and Water Resources Committee.
McQueen said House Bill 346 was intended to save water, noting that otherwise those with “deep pockets” — including developers — could swoop in and buy up those rights, perhaps transferring Read More
U.S. First Nation To Use ‘President’ For Its Head Of State
Presidents Day News:
Today is Presidents’ Day, a federal holiday celebrated annually on the third Monday in February.
Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers.
While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents, Read More
Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth Tests Positive For COVID
Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth
STATE News:
SANTA FE – New Mexico State Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend.
Per state and CDC guidance and protocol, Sen. Wirth is isolating at home. According to current senate rules, Sen. Wirth may continue participating in floor sessions and committee meetings remotely.
Senate Majority Whip Michael Padilla will be running the floor sessions in the senate chamber until Sen. Wirth returns.
Sen. Wirth issued the following statement:
“Thankfully, I am experiencing only mild symptoms after being fully vaccinated Read More
Jaurigue: Education Legislation To Potentially Impact Burden On Our Teachers And Students
Figure 1. Summary of bills. Courtesy image
By ANTONIO JUARIGUE
President
Los Alamos School Board
As many readers know, our state is in the tail-end of this year’s legislative session. With that, there are some bills I believe the public should be aware of. There are 3 bills introduced that have the potential to impact the burden of our teachers and students.
Above is a summary of the bills in Figure 1.
The Executive bill is not gaining traction due to its similarity to the other two bills and is likely to be dropped. The other two bills in FIGURE 1 are moving along and now sitting before their opposing Read More
Bill To Increase Hunting, Fishing License Fees Advances
The Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Courtesy photo
By DANIEL J. CHACON
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Hunters and anglers often describe the feeling of shooting a 12-point buck or catching a trophy trout as priceless.
The cost of hunting and fishing licenses, however, isn’t — and the price is poised to go up for the first time in 17 years under a bill that cleared its first legislative hurdle Tuesday.
“The proposed increases would align New Mexico’s fees with the average cost of licenses in the West, so we’re not a detriment to people applying,” Michael Sloane, director of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, Read More
Push To Resurrect New Mexico Board Of Education And Eliminate PED Secretary Position Gains Traction
New Mexico Public Education Department in the Jerry Apodaca Building in downtown Santa Fe. Courtesy/PED
By DANIEL J. CHACÓN
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Voters would be asked whether they want to resurrect a statewide board to oversee New Mexico’s beleaguered public schools under a proposed constitutional amendment that the Senate Rules Committee endorsed Monday.
Senate Joint Resolution 1 would eliminate the Cabinet position of public education secretary, and a 15-member board of education — including 10 elected members and five members appointed by the governor — would hire a state superintendent, Read More
New Mexico WWII Veteran And Voting Rights Advocate Miguel Trujillo Presented Posthumously American Democracy Award
From left, New Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha Way, Miguel H. Trujillo’s granddaughter Patricia Abeita and New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver. Photo by Philip Smith
The 2022 Margaret Chase Smith American Democracy Award presented posthumously to Miguel H. Trujillo. Photo by Philip Smith
NASS News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Miguel H. Trujillo, the World War II veteran, educator and Isleta Pueblo tribal member has been posthumously presented the 2022 Margaret Chase Smith American Democracy Award for political courage for his work championing Native American voting rights. Read More
Heinrich, Luján Announce Senate Confirmation Of Matthew L. Garcia For U.S. District Judge For New Mexico
Newly confirmed U.S. District Judge For NM Matthew L. Garcia
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) voted Tuesday to confirm Matthew L. Garcia of Albuquerque to serve as a U.S. District Judge for the District of New Mexico.
The senators recommended that President Joe Biden nominate Garcia for this seat, which is based in Albuquerque. The Senate voted to confirm Garcia by a final vote of 53 to 46.
Sens. Heinrich and Luján strongly recommended Garcia to join the District Court of New Mexico and welcomed President Joe Biden’s nomination. Read More
New Mexico Lawmakers Anticipate Intense Debates As 2023 Legislative Session Crosses Midway Mark
House Speaker Javier Martínez
By ROBERT NOTT and DANIEL J. CHACÓN
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Rushing from one room to another on a recent hectic day at the state Capitol, Rep. John Block paused to consider a question lawmakers themselves have been mulling.
How was the freshman Republican from Alamogordo feeling at the midway point of this year’s 60-day legislative session?
“Fine,” he said. “At least I haven’t killed anybody yet.”
Sardonic joking aside, a sense of civility, bipartisanship and focus on legislation has been apparent in both the House of Representatives and the Senate at the 30-day Read More
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham Announces Legislation To Rename HSD The Health Care Authority Department
STATE News:
SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham Tuesday announced the introduction of legislation that renames the Human Services Department (HSD) as the Health Care Authority Department with the purpose of establishing a single, unified department responsible for health care purchasing, regulation, and policy.
The legislation is sponsored by Sen. Elizabeth “Liz” Stefanics and Rep. Elizabeth “Liz” Thomson.
“My priority continues to be to deliver high quality health care for New Mexicans at an affordable price,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said. “Consolidating purchasing, oversight and Read More
Bill To Offer Reparation To Families Of Missing Or Murdered Indigenous People Earns Unanimous Support In Committee
Sen. Shannon Pinto, D-Tohatchi
By ROBERT NOTT
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A bill to make missing or murdered Indigenous people or their dependents eligible for economic relief earned unanimous support from a Senate committee Thursday.
Native victims and their family members do not fall under the qualifying guidelines under the state’s Crime Victims Reparation Act, said Sen. Shannon Pinto, D-Tohatchi, who brought Senate Bill 414 to the Senate Indian, Rural and Cultural Affairs Committee.
She said she did not realize they were not included until she attended a conference on the issue last summer. Read More
Senators George Muñoz & Crystal Diamond Introduce SB 438 To Maximize Education Budget Spent In Classroom
THINK NEW MEXICO News:
New Mexico Senate Finance Committee Chairman George Muñoz (D-Gallup) and Sen. Crystal Diamond (R-Elephant Butte) have introduced Senate Bill 438 to maximize the amount of the state’s education budget that is spent in the classroom, rather than on school district central administration.
The bill was developed by the nonpartisan think tank Think New Mexico, which recommended this reform in a 2020 policy report titled A Roadmap for Rethinking Public Education in New Mexico.
In that policy report, Think New Mexico cited research from the Legislative Finance Committee Read More
Governor Names New General Services Head And Early Childhood Deputy Secretary
New GSD Cabinet Secretary Robert E. Doucette Jr.
By MARGARET O’HARA
The Santa Fe New Mexican
New Mexico’s governor announced appointments Friday to two important executive branch jobs: General Services Department cabinet secretary and Early Childhood Education and Care Department deputy secretary.
The appointments come as some lawmakers have expressed concern recently over the high turnover rate in Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration, including the departures within the past few weeks of the previous General Services secretary and the secretaries of the Department of Human Read More
Legislative Roundup: 27 Days Remain In 2023 Session
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Group threatens to sue if gun control laws pass: The National Foundation for Gun Rights wrote to legislative leadership Friday threatening to sue if bills to limit magazine capacity or ban certain AR- and AK-style rifles become law.
“Our legal foundation is currently engaged in litigation aimed at overturning state and local laws banning these weapons and magazines, and we are prepared to add New Mexico to that list,” Dudley Brown, the foundation’s president, said in a statement. “We’re not going to sit by and watch more politicians infringe Read More
New Mexico House Bill 292 To Let Firefighters Use Medical Cannabis Off-Duty Gets Off To Hot Start Friday
The Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Post file photo
By DANIEL J. CHACON
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A bill to make it easier for New Mexico firefighters to use medical marijuana legally got off to a hot start Friday.
House Bill 292 would narrow the definition of “safety-sensitive position” in the Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act, which governs the state’s medical cannabis program.
As proposed, the definition would only include employees who are required to carry a firearm or operate a vehicle with a commercial driver’s license and “whose performance under the influence of drugs or alcohol would constitute Read More
HB95 To Institutionalize Renewable Energy Development At New Mexico State Land Office Passes House
Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard
NMSLO News:
SANTA FE — Legislation to institutionalize renewable energy production at the State Land Office passed the House of Representatives Friday with a bipartisan floor vote of 48-19.
In 2019, Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard established the Office of Renewable Energy within the State Land Office.
Over the last four years, the agency has increased revenue from wind and solar power generation by 1,400%, more than tripled the number of active leases from these sources and grown the total number of megawatts Read More
Legislative Roundup: 28 Days Remain In 2023 Session
Legislative Roundup
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Bundle of joy: Sen. Mark Moores, R-Albuquerque, and his wife, Lisa, welcomed a baby boy Thursday.
Mark Donald Elipio Moores weighed nearly 7 pounds and measured 20½ inches.
“Lisa and I are reminded of the blessing of life as we hold our new baby in our arms,” Moores wrote in a text message. “Life is indeed a wonderful treasure with each day full of love.”
Wildfire aid coming: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham plans to sign Senate Bill 6, which will appropriate $100 million to communities impacted by the historic Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire, on Monday morning, Read More
AFT-NM: What’s Going On With House Bill 102?
AFT-New Mexico News:
The preliminary update regarding the Fiscal Year 2024 budget as passed by the House Appropriations and Finance Committee prompted many to reach out specifically around potential healthcare coverage for educators next year.
We wanted to use this stand-along update to let you know the status of healthcare coverage in this moment, with a reminder that there are 30 more days to go for the Legislative Session.
House Bill 102, carried by Rep. Ray Lara and co-sponsored by Reps. Debbie Sariñana, Natalie Figueroa, and Sen. Harold Pope, Jr., would expand health insurance premium Read More
Canceled: Feb. 22 Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting
COUNTY News:
Los Alamos County has announced that the Planning & Zoning Commission meeting scheduled for Feb. 22 is canceled.
This meeting is canceld as a reult of the Open House for Short-Term Rentals (STRs) being canceled this week due to the winter storm.
The STRs Open House is rescheduled for 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, in Council Chambers.
The meeting is open to the public. Read More
