County Council Presents LARSO With Proclamation
Councilor Lepsch presents a proclamation to LARSO Director Bernadette Lauritzen. Photo by Julie Williams-Hill
LARSO News:
The Los Alamos County Council presented a proclamation to the Los Alamos Retired and Senior Organization (LARSO) during the Tuesday night meeting in Council Chambers.
LARSO is celebrating 25 years running the local senior centers. Councilor Lepsch presented the proclamation to Director Bernadette Lauritzen.
Lauritzen spoke on behalf of the previous three directors who are still living.
“It was their honor to serve the community elders,” Lauritzen said.
Lauritzen Read More
Leger Fernández Tapped For House Rules Committee
From the Office of U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM-03) announced that Leader Hakeem Jeffries appointed her to the powerful and influential House Rules Committee.
The Rules Committee determines what bills are considered and voted on by the full House of Representatives. It is the gatekeeper of the House Floor and gives Members significant ability to influence virtually all major legislation as it heads to the House Floor for a vote.
Rep. Leger Fernández will serve alongside Democratic Ranking Member James P. McGovern (D-MA), Read More
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham Announces Plan To Deliver Economic Relief To New Mexicans
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham
From the Office of the Governor:
SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham Wednesday announced her plan to deliver economic relief to New Mexicans with the introduction of legislation that will send one-time rebates to approximately 875,000 New Mexico taxpayers.
Sponsored by Sen. Benny Shendo, Senate Bill 10 will deliver $1 billion in household relief to New Mexicans through $750 payments to individual taxpayers or $1,500 for those filing jointly. The payments will be distributed by the Taxation and Revenue Department this summer.
“As prices remain high across Read More
AFT Legislative Re-Cap On Raising Minimum Wage, Better Funding For Dual-Licensed Educators & Ensuring Universal Healthy School Meals
By WHITNEY HOLLAND
President
AFT NM New Mexico
During each Legislative Session, AFT NM works hard to keep our members and supporters apprised of critical education, healthcare, and labor-related bills. We know activity during the session can happen quickly, and it can be hard to follow all the proposals being considered in Santa Fe.
This is the first update for the 2023 Legislative Session which will follow specific bills, and we generally try to send these updates no less than three times per week. We may send off-cycle communications should there be a timely need to do so.
The bills we include Read More
RLD Deputy Superintendent/Former Legislative Director Victor Reyes Departs Lujan Grisham Administration
RLD Deputy Superintendent Victor Reyes
STATE News:
SANTA FE — Victor Reyes, Deputy Superintendent of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department (RLD) and former legislative director for Gov. Lujan Grisham, is leaving the administration to pursue new opportunities.
“I am exceedingly lucky to have had Victor as an integral part of my team for these past years,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said. “His expertise and insight were essential to the success of so many initiatives that have benefited New Mexico, from enacting the Energy Transition Act to protecting reproductive rights to launching Read More
New Mexico Advocacy Groups Resurrect ‘Voting Rights’ Bill With Backing Of Democrats
House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, discussing a voting rights bill Tuesday at the Roundhouse, told advocacy groups supporting the proposal New Mexico would ‘continue to work hard to ensure that we remove unnecessary barriers so that all eligible voters can make their voices heard.’ Photo by Luis Sánchez Saturno/The New Mexican
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver speaks Tuesday during a news conference to announce voting rights legislation. Toulouse Oliver spearheaded adoption of a similar bill last session. Photo by Luis Sánchez Saturno/The New Mexican
By DANIEL J. Read More
Round 2 Begins In New Mexico Legislature For Bill Holding Adults Accountable When Kids Use Their Guns
Rep. Pamelya Herndon
By ROBERT NOTT
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A bill that would hold adults criminally responsible if children or teens accessed their firearms cleared its first hurdle Tuesday in the Legislature.
Members of the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee voted 4-2, along party lines, to approve House Bill 9, a measure similar to one that failed in last year’s legislative session.
“We want to make sure our children are safe,” said Rep. Pamelya Herndon, D-Albuquerque, one of the sponsors of HB 9.
Nothing in the bill would violate a person’s Second Amendment rights, she added. Read More
Q&A With State Supreme Court Chief Justice Bacon
Supreme Court Chief Justice Bacon. Luis Sánchez Saturno/SFNM
By PHAEDRA HAYWOOD
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Excerpts from an interview with state Supreme Court Chief Justice C. Shannon Bacon:
Question: What do you make of the public’s concern about crime, and the perception that the system is somehow soft on crime?
Answer: Everybody’s perception is guided by what they see and hear. I think there has been very imbalanced discussions of the criminal justice system over the past four years and a real lack of understanding of how it actually works.
Question: Lawmakers have introduced a flurry of bills Read More
New Mexico Lawmakers Propose Chemical Castration To Keep Paroled Sex Offenders From Harming Children
Rep. Stefani Lord
By ROBERT NOTT
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Legislative sessions in New Mexico often include bills that court controversy.
This year, a pair of House Republicans could stir up the Roundhouse with a proposal that would allow a court to order a convicted sex offender to undergo chemical castration as a condition of their parole.
Reps. John Block of Alamogordo and Stefani Lord of Sandia Park say House Bill 128 would offer sex offenders an option for early release if they agree to the treatment.
Lord said the program would be “voluntary” and is aimed at felons who were convicted of sexually Read More
Legislative Roundup: 53 Days Remaining In 2023 Session
Legislative Roundup
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Wildfire aid: Members of the Senate Conservation Committee wasted little time Tuesday voting unanimously to approve Senate Bill, 6, which will provide no-interest loans to counties and municipalities still reeling from the historic Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire.
The funds would go directly to infrastructure needs, such as repairing or replacing roads, bridges and water treatment plants.
Rep. Joseph Sanchez, D-Alcalde, told the committee anyone who has not seen the destruction in the wildfire zone will never understand how much it affected Read More
Ringside Seat: Term Limits Would Only Make Unpaid Legislature Worse
Senate Minority Whip Craig Brandt
By MILAN SIMONICH
The Santa Fe New Mexican
State Sen. Craig Brandt believes in his avocation, but that doesn’t stop him from knocking it.
“I have a concern about professionalizing the Legislature. I think we cause enough damage being here for 30 or 60 days,” said Brandt, R-Rio Rancho.
Credit him for candor and colorful quotes. But Brandt’s solution to combating sloth, ineptitude and staleness at the Capitol is to impose term limits on lawmakers. New faces might bring better ideas and more enthusiasm, says Brandt, a senator since 2013.
This led him to introduce Read More
Leaders Announce Voter Protection & Election Security Bill
The Roundhouse in Sante Fe. Post file photo
New Mexico House Deocrats News:
- The 2023 Voting Rights Act would protect and expand the right to vote for all eligible New Mexicans, and safeguard free and fair elections in the state
Today, the 2023 Voting Rights Act was announced by Speaker of the House Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque), House Majority Floor Leader Gail Chasey (D-Albuquerque) and Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and numerous advocacy groups from across the state.
The Voting Rights Act would enact common-sense protections to ensure that all eligible New Mexicans can exercise Read More
MADD New Mexico Joins Forces With DWI Prevention Advocates From Across State For DWI Awareness Day At Roundhouse
MADD News:
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- DWI prevention, alcohol treatment, and law enforcement acknowledge ongoing crisis
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ALBUQUERQUE – Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) New Mexico will host a DWI Prevention Awareness Day at the state capital Friday, Jan. 27, as a reminder to the public about the ongoing crisis of impaired driving in New Mexico.
Nearly 20 representatives working in the fields of DWI prevention, alcohol treatment, law enforcement, and families representing crash victims/survivors will all be present 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to speak to lawmakers and the general public about this pervasive issue.
“We know Read More
Chief Justice C. Shannon Bacon Delivers 2023 ‘State Of The Judiciary’ Speech At New Mexico Legislature
Supreme Court Chief Justice C. Shannon Bacon today delivered a ‘State of the Judiciary’ . Courtesy/AOC
From the Administrative Office of the Courts:
SANTA FE – Supreme Court Chief Justice C. Shannon Bacon today delivered a “State of the Judiciary” speech that highlighted efforts to improve the justice system, including expanding access to legal services, assisting people facing possible eviction and expediting criminal cases.
“…When I think to myself, ‘What is the state of the Judiciary?’, I easily come to the following: The Judiciary is battered and bruised, strong, resilient, creative, Read More
NM Center On Law And Poverty: 2023 Legislative Priorities
By SIREESHA MANNE
Executive Director
New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty
The 2023 legislative session is officially underway, and what we fight for—healthcare, housing, food and income security, workers’ rights, and educational opportunities—will be at the center of many debates in the Roundhouse. Together, we can stand up against systemic injustices and bring significant, lasting change to our state.
The New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty is proud to collaborate with our community partners and policymakers on multiple bills, providing policy and legal expertise and advocacy. Read More
Governor Hopes To Go Big On Housing, Homelessness
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham
By ROBERT NOTT and CLAUDIA SILVA
The Santa Fe New Mexican
You need over a quarter of a million dollars, on average, to buy a house in Albuquerque.
It’s at least twice that much in Santa Fe.
Want to rent an apartment? Even a one-bedroom will be more than $1,000 a month on average according to data from apartmentlist.com, in a state with an average household income of $54,000 before taxes. And, of course, there are plenty of New Mexicans who make less, including at least 2,600 homeless.
“We must act, and act now; lives depend on it. We must include those experiencing homelessness Read More
New Mexico Lawmakers Begin To Examine Differences In Executive And Legislative Spending Plans
Public Education Secretary Kurt Steinhaus of Los Alamos speaking with lawmakers on the Senate Finance Committee during high-level budget talks Jan. 23 at the state Capitol. Photo by Jim Weber/The Santa Fe New Mexican
By DANIEL J. CHACON
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A showdown is brewing between the executive and legislative branches of government over two of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s legislative priorities: free meals for students and paying for teachers’ health insurance premiums.
While the governor’s executive budget recommendation includes funding for both initiatives, the spending Read More
CSD Leadership Team Kicks Off Community Tour Jan. 28
COUNTY News:
The leadership team for the Los Alamos County Community Services Department (CSD) is kicking off a rotating Community Tour over the next six months beginning Jan. 28.
Attending a different county facility each month, the leadership team will avail themselves to citizens for one-on-one discussions and questions on various CSD projects and initiatives.
Community Services Director Cory Styron encourages individuals to drop in at these informal events; no registration or appointment is necessary. Styron states that even though each meeting will have a topical theme, for example Read More
Legislative Roundup: 54 Days Left In 2023 Session
Legislative Roundup
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Breast health: A bill that would eliminate women’s costs for breast examinations passed through its first committee hearing Monday on a 10-0 vote.
House Bill 27, introduced by Reps. Christine Chandler, D-Los Alamos, and Elizabeth Thomson, D-Albuquerque, would mandate that any group health insurance covered under the state Health Care Purchasing Act will fully cover the costs of mammograms and other types of breast examinations.
Women sometimes have to pay for such services out of their own pockets.
One woman who testified Monday before the Read More
Governor Appoints Ali Rye Deputy Secretary At DHSEM
DHSEM Deputy Chief Ali Rye
DHSEM News:
STATE News:
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- Rye promoted from Bureau Chief for Response and Recovery
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SANTA FE – Secretary-Designate David Dye of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) announced today that Ali Rye has been named Deputy Secretary at the Department.
Rye previously served as Bureau Chief for Response and Recovery where she oversaw a team that operates the States Emergency Operations Center and coordinates disaster response and recovery efforts on behalf of the State of New Mexico.
“Ali’s outstanding leadership during the 2022 Read More
