U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich Of New Mexico Leads Reintroduction Of Bill To Protect Dreamer Data
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 23, 2019
U.S. Sen. Martin HeinrichU.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) leads a group of Senate Democrats in reintroducing the Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act of 2019, a bill to safeguard the private information—such as addresses and telephone numbers—of the young immigrants known as Dreamers to ensure they are not targeted by the Trump Administration for deportation.
President Donald Trump ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in September 2017, impacting nearly 1 million Dreamers across the nation, including
Read More Governor Appoints Stephanie Schardin Clarke To Lead Tax Agency, Lynn Trujillo Department Of Indian Affairs
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 23, 2019
Santa Fe County Finance Director Stephanie Schardin Clarke was appointed Tuesday as the new Cabinet secretary-designate of the state Taxation and Revenue Department. Photo by Olivia Harlow/The New Mexican
Lynn Trujillo was appointed Tuesday as the new Cabinet secretary-designate of the state Department of Indian Affairs. Photo by Olivia Harlow/The New MexicanBy ROBERT NOTT
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday named Santa Fe County’s finance director as secretary-designate of the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department and
Read More Democrats Split On Charter School Cap In New Mexico
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 23, 2019
Wilhelmina Yazzie of Gallup, one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit asserting that the state unconstitutionally underfunds its public education system, speaks during a Transform Education New Mexico press conference at the state Capitol Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. Photo by Luis Sánchez Saturno/The New Mexican
Wilhelmina Yazzie of Gallup, one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit asserting that the state unconstitutionally underfunds its public education system, speaks during a Transform Education New Mexico press conference at the state Capitol Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. Photo by Luis Sánchez Saturno/TheBecome An Expert In New Mexico Legislative Process
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 23, 2019
By Conservation Voters New Mexico:How do we change the things that aren’t working in our state?
During the 2019 New Mexico legislative session you will be hearing a lot about the opportunities for change, and it’s important to know that each piece of legislation has the potential to completely change the way we live.
A piece of legislation can be written by anyone, and after it is sponsored and introduced by a legislator, it passes through a gauntlet of procedures, votes and systems that are important to understand. To fully connect you to your political power, Conservation
Read More Democrat Bills Aim To Boost State’s Minimum Wage
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 23, 2019
Jennifer Marquez steams milk at the Plaza Cafe on Tuesday afternoon, when the New Mexico House Labor, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee was discussing House Bill 31, which would increase the state’s minimum wage and eliminate the lower minimum wage for tipped workers. The committee advanced the measure. Photo by Gabriela Campos/The New MexicanBy TEYA VITU
How high will the statewide minimum wage go?
Or will it go at all?
For many business owners, that is a key looming question during the 60-day legislative session.
Bill To Raise Minimum Wage And Improve New Mexicans Quality Of Life Passes First Committee
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 23, 2019
NMDP News:SANTA FE ― Tuesday, a bill to increase the minimum wage passed the House Labor, Veterans,’ and Military Affairs Committee.
House Bill 31, sponsored by Rep. Miguel Garcia (D-Albuquerque) and Rep. Joanne Ferrary (D-Las Cruces), would increase the minimum wage in phases, remove the minimum wage exception for tipped workers, and provide an annual cost-of-living increase indexed to inflation beginning in 2022.
Raising the minimum wage to $12.00 would add a total of approximately $205 million a year to the paychecks of New Mexican workers who are earning at or near
Read More Following A Case Filed By RSF, UN Calls On China To Release Ailing Journalist, Victim Of Torture
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 23, 2019
Journalist Huang Qi put on trial last week in China. Courtesy photoRSF News:
Chinese journalist and RSF award-winner Huang Qi, who is seriously ill and a victim of torture, was put on trial last week but no verdict was reached.
In December, after a petition filed by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), four UN experts called on China to release him.
RSF award winner Huang Qi received a closed trial Jan. 14, 2019, but no verdict was reached. In a statement published Dec. 20 by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), following a petition
Read More Landmark Education Bill Has First Hearing
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 22, 2019
SENATE News:The Senate Education Committee on Monday held its first hearing on Senate Majority Whip Mimi Stewart and Sen. Gay Kernan’s legislation, SB 1, which is a critical first step toward improving public education in New Mexico that invests $315 million in schools, educator salaries, at-risk students and extended education opportunities, including expansion of the successful K-3 Plus program.
“SB 1 is the culmination of the hard work of the Legislative Education Study Committee and the Legislative Finance Committee–along with input from educators, community
Read More Majority Of Rocket Docket Bills Pass House Judiciary Committee, Move To House Floor For Debate
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 22, 2019
NMDP News:SANTA FE ― Monday, 17 House bills included on the “Rocket Docket” passed the House Judiciary Committee. House Democrats are committed to moving these bipartisan bills forward for the people of New Mexico because they will improve the lives of our families and communities.
In the House Judiciary Committee, members had the opportunity to give feedback and ask questions on the bills. During the hearing, Speaker Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe) spoke about bipartisan support for the bills and the expertise of the House Judiciary Committee.
“These bills passed the House
Read More Martinez Allies Help Lead Group With Secret Donors
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 22, 2019
Former New Mexico Gov. Susana MartinezBy ANDREW OXFORD
A single, secret donor gave $150,000 to New Mexico Legacy, the group that has been buying ads and distributing mailers promoting former Gov. Susana Martinez.
The New Mexican first reported on the nonprofit group’s emergence in late 2017 when it bought radio spots touting highlights of the Republican governor’s administration as she entered her final year in office.
New Mexico Legacy has since heralded Martinez in glossy mailers.
But who paid for this advertising
Read More Gas Tax Hike Backers Say NM Roads Need Funding
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 22, 2019
Craig Meadows of Denver fuels his GMC Yukon at the Allsup’s gas pumps on North Guadalupe, where he paid $41.64 for a half tank Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. New Mexico’s government has not raised the state tax on gasoline since 1993. A bill sponsored by Democrats in the state House of Representatives would raise the tax on gasoline by 10 cents a gallon. Photo by Luis Sánchez Saturno/The New Mexican
Justin Lindsey of Santa Fe checked the oil in his car’s engine while buying gas at the Allsup’s station on North Guadalupe Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. Photo by Luis Sánchez Saturno/TheDist. 43 Rep. Christine Chandler Introduces Bill Improving Transparency On Water Leases
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 22, 2019
Dist. 43 Rep. Christine Chandler
From the Office of Rep. Christine Chandler:
SANTA FE – Dist. 43 Rep. Christine Chandler and Senate Leader Peter Wirth have introduced a bill, HB 17, clarifying water lease legislation to ensure transparency and accountability in water leases.
Current law is vague on water lease hearings and is occasionally misconstrued to the detriment of water rights owners and acequias. This bill ensures potentially affected owners of neighboring water rights are notified prior to approval by the State Engineer as part of the water lease process.
“Hearings regarding Read More
Majority Obligation To The Minority Voice
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 21, 2019
Sen. William Soules (D-37-Dona Ana)SENATE DEMOCRATS News:
Elections have consequences and the recent New Mexico elections are no different. You would think, as a Democrat, that I would be thrilled. While I am happy with the results, I also have some serious concerns.
The Democrats won every statewide office, retook the governorship, and has all five members of Congress represented by the same party. The Democrats have retaken the U.S. House of Representatives and now act as a check on the abuses of the current administration. The New Mexico House of Representatives has
Read More House Dems Aim To Fast-Track Early Childhood Bill
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 21, 2019
Patricia Azuara, Santa Fe Public Schools’ early childhood leader liaison, reviews the spelling of student names in an E.J. Martinez Elementary School classroom last year. Photo by Robert Nott/New MexicanBy ROBERT NOTT
Democrats in the state House of Representatives say they hope to move quickly to approve a measure that would draw more money from the state Land Grant Permanent Fund for early childhood education, thereby pressuring powerful Sen. John Arthur Smith to give it a hearing.
The proposed state constitutional amendment, House
Read More Human Services Department Processes Early SNAP Benefits For 212,563 New Mexico Families
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 21, 2019
HSD News:SANTA FE — The State Human Services Department’s (HSD) Income Support Division (ISD) worked overtime during the past several days to process 12,000 new and 14,000 renewed SNAP applications in order for some 212,563 families to receive their February benefit Jan. 20, 2019.
“Nearly 500 ISD staff worked over the weekend and into the late evening hours to conduct outreach and process the SNAP applications and renewals that came in to ensure New Mexico families get the food benefits they are eligible for,” said David R. Scrase, M.D., HSD Secretary – Designate. “That
Read More China: Three Journalists Sentenced To Prison Terms
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 21, 2019
Sun Lin, Zhen Jianghua and Ding Lingjie, three journalists whom the Chinese authorities have condemned to sentences ranging from 20 months to 4 years in prison. Courtesy photoRSF News:
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for the immediate release of Sun Lin, Zhen Jianghua, and Ding Lingjie, three journalists whom the Chinese authorities have condemned during end of the year, to sentences ranging from 20 months to 4 years in prison.
Dec. 25, 2018, the Nanjing Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Sun Lin, a former contributor to the US-based Chinese news website
Read More Udall, Heinrich Introduce Legislation To Make Sure Federal Contract Workers Hurt By Trump Shutdown Receive The Back Pay They Deserve
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 21, 2019
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich introduced legislation to secure back pay for low-wage federal government contractors whocontinue to go without pay during the ongoing government shutdown, which is now the longest shutdown in American history.
The Fair Compensation for Low-Wage Contractor Employees Act aims to help struggling employees of federal contractors impacted by the shutdown — including janitorial, kitchen, and security services workers — many of whom are paid hourly, have been furloughed, or forced
Read More Nation Observes Martin Luther King Jr. Day Today
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 21, 2019
The memory of Nobel Laureate Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is honored with a federal holiday observed on the third Monday of January across the nation. Courtesy/history.com
National News:
Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States. President Ronald Reagan signed the bill in 1983 in the White House Rose Garden designating this date a federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., to be observed on the third Monday of January.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was born in Atlanta in 1929, the son of a Baptist minister. He received a doctorate degree in theology and in 1955 organized the first Read More
County Fears GRT Loss If LANL Gets Nonprofit Status
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 20, 2019
The NSSB Building at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Courtesy/LANL
By REBECCA MOSS
Los Alamos County officials are concerned that a stream of gross receipts tax revenues from Los Alamos National Laboratory – tens of millions of dollars a year – could dry up in coming months if the lab’s new management contractor obtains nonprofit status from the IRS.
Under current state law, 501(c)(3) status would exempt the lab from the tax, and the state and county would lose revenue for critical services including the fire department, roadway infrastructure, the local transit Read More
Reps. Chandler, Gonzales, McQueen Co-Sponsoring Bill To Protect Native Wildlife And Companion Animals
Submitted by Carol A. Clark
on January 20, 2019
Photo by J. E. NewmanWildEarth Guardians News:
ALBUQUERQUE—Drivers in Albuquerque and Las Cruces are confronting a brutal reality about wildlife management in New Mexico thanks to a series of billboards, bus shelter ads, and bus banners recently unveiled by WildEarth Guardians.
The billboards feature a bobcat in a steel leg-hold trap with the message “Trapping is Torture: Protect Public Lands.” The billboards were deployed this month in an effort to mobilize popular support to support for a New Mexico legislative campaign to ban trapping on public lands.
It’s
Read More 
