George Chandler: My Take On The Red Flag Bill
By GEORGE CHANDLER
Los Alamos
The Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order Act (SB5- AKA Red Flag Bill) reasonably balances the right to bear arms with the police powers of the state to create regulations to help counter an epidemic of gun violence perpetrated by unstable individuals.
In 2008 the U.S. Supreme Court (case named Heller) found that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the right of an individual to use weapons similar to those used by a “citizens’ militia,” that is, those in “common use for lawful purposes” in the colonial and revolutionary era, for “traditionally Read More
Letter To The Editor: Beware Of Socialism Coming To America
By PAM PRICHARDLos Alamos
Anyone considering voting for socialist Bernie Sanders should read the new book, The House of Yan, by Lan Yan.
She details how, during the socialist Cultural Revolution in China (1966-1976) under Chairman Mao Zedong, her parents, grandfather, and several aunts and uncles were condemned as “anti-revolutionaries” because they were well educated, intellectual, and held important jobs as civil servants, teachers, translators, etc.
They were falsely accused, arrested, humiliated, imprisoned, beaten, starved and tortured. Some were killed, while others were
New Mexico Congressional Delegation Announces Nearly $2 Million In FAA Funding For NM Regional Airports
Congressional Delegation News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) and Xochitl Torres Small (D-N.M.) announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded more than $1 million in federal grants to Ohkay Owingeh Airport, Gallup Municipal Airport, Deming Municipal Airport, Hatch Municipal Airport, Cavern City Air Terminal Airport in Carlsbad and Portales Municipal Airport for runway infrastructure improvements.
The FAA has also awarded $750,000 to the Read More
Siminoch: Ringside Seat
By MILAN SIMINOCH
New Mexican
It was past 1 a.m. Thursday when state Sen. Cliff Pirtle made his move. With less than 11 hours remaining in this year’s legislative session, he knew just how to freeze a government that was already in slow motion.
Pirtle, R-Roswell, announced a “call of the Senate”. This meant all 42 senators were required to be in the chamber. Unless everyone was present, a long-winded debate could not continue on a bill to reform various election laws.
Democrats favored the bill, but Pirtle’s tactical maneuver meant trouble for them.
Sen. Linda Lopez, D-Albuquerque, had gone home. Read More
U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján Honors Vietnam Veterans & Families
U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján, right, presents Veteran Gregg Giesler of Los Alamos with the Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin to honor his service to the nation. Courtesy photo
U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján, left, presents Veteran Dennis Fordham of Los Alamos with the Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin to honor his service to the nation. Courtesy photo
U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján, second from left, gathers with veterans and guests Feb. 15 at the American Legion to honor the service and sacrifice of Vietnam veterans and their families. Courtesy photo
From the Office of U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján:
U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), the Read More
Udall Recruiting Summer Interns For Washington, D.C. Office
The west side view of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington. D.C. Photo by Martin Falbisoner
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) invites New Mexico college students interested in gaining legislative or press relations experience to apply for summer internships in his Washington, D.C. office.
“Interns contribute greatly to the work my office does every day for the people of New Mexico,” Udall said. “Internships on Capitol Hill provide firsthand experience in how a Senate office works, offering students a unique opportunity to learn about the inner workings Read More
Takeaways From 2020 Legislative Session
The Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
By JENS GOULD
New Mexican
Fourth floor diplomacy
Before the session, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said her strategy for the session — and governance in general — was to employ diplomacy and compromise with legislators to win support for her initiatives. It sounded like a fuzzy talking point at the time. It turned out to be largely true.
A number of the bills Lujan Grisham prioritized during the session did indeed pass, but important ones didn’t, such as recreational cannabis. And her marquee Opportunity Scholarship proposal, Read More
Rep. Christine Chandler Launches Re-Election Campaign
Dist. 43 Rep. Christine Chandler
POLITICAL News:
Rep. Chandler will continue her work to ensure that New Mexico is a state of opportunity for all
Today, Rep. Christine Chandler (D) announced her campaign for re-election to the New Mexico House of Representatives.
“In my first term, I’ve been able to make significant contributions to the recovery of New Mexico from the economic stagnation and governmental decay of the last eight years,” Rep. Chandler said. “With initiatives to diversify our economy and rebuild state government, we have started to turn New Mexico around. I ask the people of Read More
LARSO Members Attend Senior Day At Legislature
Los Alamos Retired and Senior Organization (LARSO) members, from left, Janet Harris, John Baillie, Cathy Walters, Patricia Rathbone and Shelby Redondo visit with Legislators Friday, Feb. 14 at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe during the annual Senior Day at the Legislature to encourage support of the Senior Dignity Fund. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen/LARSO
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham motivates the audience filled with senior citizens from around the state with her quick wit and shares a very personal portrayal of senior life during Senior Day Feb. 14 during Senior Day at the Roundhouse in Santa Read More
Lente Speaks With Native Leaders About Community Needs
State Rep. Derrick Lente
By ROBERT NOTT and DILLON MULLAN
The New Mexican
State Rep. Derrick Lente spent much of the last year crisscrossing New Mexico to speak with Native American leaders about the needs of kids in their communities.
To address them, he sponsored a handful of legislation endorsed by all 23 of the state’s tribes.
“It’s unprecedented to have that sort of support for legislation,” said Lente, a Sandia Pueblo Democrat. “I approached this from the bottom up. I went to every single tribe and got their buy-in for a bottom-up remedy.”
Among Lente’s Read More
Gov. Lujan Grisham Appears Open To Exploring Possibility Of Allowing New Mexico Legislators To Earn Salaries
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham
By JENS GOULD
New Mexican
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham sounded a favorable tone Thursday about exploring the possibility of allowing New Mexico lawmakers to earn a salary. An independent body should take a look at the issue, she said.
Speaking at a news conference just after the close of the legislative session, Lujan Grisham said it was difficult for state lawmakers to do their work because most of them don’t have staff.
“New Mexico needs to take a hard look,” the governor said. “We make it nearly impossible for people to serve. We make it impossible for them to do their Read More
VOLA Meeting Features Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Piño Feb. 24
State Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Piño
COMMUNITY News:
State Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Piño of Albuquerque will be the featured speaker at the Voices of Los Alamos meeting 6:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Unitarian Church, 1738 North Sage Loop.
Ortiz y Piño will discuss a new healthcare approach called global budgeting of hospitals and how it works. If adopted, New Mexico could become the third state (after Maryland and Pennsylvania) to start paying each hospital a fixed yearly budgeted sum – an approach that controls costs, revamps the incentives for how hospitals work, and greatly reduces patients’ financial Read More
Secretary Of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver Responds To Senate Filibuster That Killed Important Election Cleanup Bill
SOS Maggie Toulouse Oliver
STATE News:
SANTA FE — Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver released the following statement following the filibuster by Senate Republicans Thursday that prevented the body from finishing their debate on House Bill 229 (Election Laws Cleanup) from the previous evening, effectively killing the bill in the final moments of the legislative session:
“It’s highly disappointing to see partisan disinformation and maneuvering kill this important election cleanup bill that was supported by election administrators across the state. The Senators that chose to Read More
Ambassador Vicki Huddleston Speaks At Los Alamos Rotary
Rotary Grants Coordinator Alison Pannell, left, introduces her friend former US Ambassador Vicki Huddleston at a recent meeting of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos. Photo by Linda Hull
ROTARY News:
Former US Ambassador to Mali and Madagascar Vicki Huddleston spoke Feb. 18 to the Rotary Club of Los Alamos about her experiences as deputy director of Cuban Affairs when working for the US Department of State in the 1990s.
Her most memorable moments included meeting Fidel Castro on several occasions and furtively distributing AM-FM transistor radios to Cuban citizens, enabling them to listen to news Read More
2020 Legislative Session: Winner And Losers
By MILAN SIMONICH
The New Mexican
Winners:
Sen. Joe Cervantes, D-Las Cruces: From the start, he was leery of the bill to legalize recreational cannabis. Cervantes helped derail the measure after becoming convinced it was written for a favored few.
He said the 189-page proposal was really “about picking and eliminating who would make the hundreds of millions of dollars as the kingpins of a new drug industry”.
Cervantes did more than stop a high-profile measure. He was the primary sponsor of a bill to seize guns from people who might be a danger to themselves or others. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Read More
New Mexico’s 54th Legislature Comes To A Close…
By JENS GOULD
The New Mexican
New Mexico’s 54th Legislature wrapped up Thursday amid congratulatory hugs and news conferences — a veneer of good cheer that masked a dose of sleep deprivation, early-morning procedural bickering, and finally, sighs of relief as key bills were passed just hours before the final gavel.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Democratic legislators touted the passage of a number of their priority proposals, including the creation of an early childhood trust fund, passing a high-profile firearms bill and shepherding through the state’s $7.6 billion budget for the 2021 Read More
New Mexico House Approves Increase In Contributions To Public Employees Retirement Association
By MICHAEL GERSTEIN
The New Mexican
A plan that would increase contributions from public workers and the state to the Public Employees Retirement Association to get the pension system on a path to solvency is nearly on its way to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk.
The House approved the legislation in a 40-28 vote Monday after hours of debate.
Senate Bill 72 calls for a rise in contributions and a temporary suspension of cost-of-living increases for some retirees in an effort to ensure PERA can continue pension payouts well into the future, supporters say. It also calls for reduced cost-of-living Read More
New Mexico State Budget Goes To Governor’s Desk
The 2020 Legislative Session concludes at noon today. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
By JENS GOULD
The New Mexican
The New Mexico House of Representatives descended into dysfunction as it tried to approve a budget early Thursday morning, finally sending the legislation to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk with just hours to spare in the session.
The House ultimately voted to accept the Senate’s amendments to House Bill 2 in the wee hours of the morning after the upper chamber had passed an amended version of the legislation in much more civil fashion Wednesday afternoon.
“We have
Governor Orders Flags Half Staff For Las Cruces Soldier
Courtesy photo
STATE News:
SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has ordered all U.S. and state flags to fly at half staff Friday, Feb. 21 in honor of SFC Antonio Rey Rodriguez, the Las Cruces soldier who was killed in the line of duty in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.
Rodriguez and SFC Javier Jaguar Gutierrez of San Antonio, Texas, were killed earlier this month in Afghanistan.
“Our entire state grieves the loss of this young New Mexican who, at age 28, had already distinguished himself as a soldier through 10 deployments in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan,”
Kiki Saavedra Senior Dignity Fund Heads To Governor
STATE News:
The Kiki Saavedra Senior Dignity Fund Act, sponsored by House Health and Human Services Chair Debbie Armstrong and a top priority of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Wednesday received concurrence from the New Mexico House of Representatives after the Senate made a small, technical change to the bill.
The concurrence vote means HB 225 has passed the Legislature and now goes to the governor to be signed into law. Ongoing budget negotiations will determine the amount the fund receives.
“This fund is to innovate and incubate senior programs above and beyond what the Department of Aging Read More
