Heinrich To NM Legislature: ‘New Mexicans Are Counting On Us To Deliver’
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivers remarks to the New Mexico Legislature, Feb. 17, 2025. Courtesy photo
U.S. SENATE News:
SANTA FE — Feb. 17, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) addressed a Joint Session of the New Mexico Legislature at the Roundhouse, New Mexico’s State Capitol in Santa Fe.
“Serving you and representing this great state in the halls of our nation’s Capitol is a privilege that I will never take for granted,” Heinrich said. “The same goes for the mandate New Mexicans entrusted me with this last election: To deliver for the people and places of our great state. To fight for Read More
House Advances Expanded Tax Credits For New Mexicans
NMDP News:
SANTA FE — Feb. 17, the House Taxation and Revenue Committee heard House Bill 14, which would expand tax cuts for more working people across New Mexico. HB 14 will now be considered by the Committee for inclusion in an omnibus tax package.
HB 14 is sponsored by Rep. Derrick Lente (D-Sandia Pueblo) and House Speaker Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque). The legislation would increase refundable credits for qualifying taxpayers and expand eligibility for those credits, including to single filers without children. It would effectively eliminate state income taxes for New Mexican families Read More
New Mexico Lawmakers Consider Ending Revolving Door Of Top Education Leaders With New Board System
Executive Director Stan Rounds
New Mexico Coalition of Educational Leaders
By ESTEBAN CANDELARIA
Santa Fe New Mexican
Eight people have occupied the position of top public education chief in New Mexico since 2003 — more if you count those who held the job on an interim basis.
Most of them have come under Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has had five people serve full time as Cabinet secretary of the New Mexico Public Education Department so far.
To address the often-referenced revolving door in the top leadership of the state’s public education system, lawmakers have introduced Senate Joint Read More
Congressional Dems Highlight Trump Fears, Praise Mental Health Work In Roundhouse
U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández greets Thomas H. Begay, a Navajo Code Talker who served in World War II, after addressing a joint session of the New Mexico Legislature on the House floor of the Capitol on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. Michael G. Seamans/The New Mexican
By CORMAC DODD
The Santa Fe New Mexican
U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández did not mince words Monday on the New Mexico House floor when raising concerns about the early days of President Donald Trump’s second term.
“I’m going to say it, guys: We are at the door of a constitutional crisis, when profiteering billionaires who are not elected,” Read More
Legislative Roundup: 33 Days Remaining In Session
By Santa Fe New Mexican Staff:
Anti-donation overhaul moves ahead: The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee on Monday advanced a joint resolution that would ask New Mexico voters to approve a state constitutional amendment to repeal and replace the anti-donation clause.
House Joint Resolution 11 was sent forward to the House Judiciary Committee with no recommendation on approval after an initial vote to pass the bill and then a vote to table it both failed.
The committee ran out of time to discuss an accompanying measure, House Bill 290, which would create a new program Read More
Hundreds Hold Presidents Day Protest Outside Roundhouse: ‘Our Democracy Is At Stake’
Hundreds of protesters filled the areas in front of the Old Santa Fe Trail entrance of the Roundhouse around noon Monday to rail against policy directives set by the Trump administration as well as billionaire Elon Musk’s new role in the federal government at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Photo by Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican
By CORMAC DODD and ESTEBAN CANDELARIA
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Penny Yardman Gonzales held aloft a stick with a mask meant to depict President Donald Trump with devil horns, something she said she wore in 2017 as a Halloween costume during his Read More
Ringside Seat: Public Bank And Legislative Applicant Deserve Scrutiny
By MILAN SIMONICH
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Forget the fine print. Normal-size type is tough enough for Peter Smith, a self-described expert witness on the bill to create a state public bank.
Smith submitted a piece to The New Mexican scolding me for a column in which I said $110 million would be taken from the general fund to open the bank. A mere $50 million would be appropriated, Smith wrote.
His claim is false. Proof is in the bill he helped pitch during a legislative committee hearing.
The financial analysis states: “House Bill 130 creates the public bank of New Mexico and appropriates $110 million Read More
Lawmaker Looks To Proceed With Medicaid Forward Plan, Despite Federal Funding Uncertainty
The Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Post file photo
By Margaret O’Hara
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A new motto emerged among staff at BeWell, New Mexico’s health insurance marketplace, after the 2024 election: “Stay calm, enroll on.”
“When the presidential election happened, we really came together as a staff because there was a lot of what-if now, right?” said Alex Sanchez, BeWell’s chief experience officer. “Comments had been made. Things had been said.”
The health care marketplace is one result of the federal Affordable Care Act, which President Donald Read More
Dannemann: House Bill 66
By MERILEE DANNEMANN
Triple Spaced Again
House Bill 66 should have been a simple little bill that could have passed with little effort and no controversy.
Instead, somebody threw in a zinger. The somebody was, no doubt, the trial lawyers. Actually there were two zingers but I will only talk about the bigger one (the other, concerning legal discovery, is more technical).
HB66, sponsored by Rep. Pamelya Herndon, D-Albuquerque, is a workers’ compensation bill but it’s also a trial lawyers’ bill.
Under New Mexico workers’ compensation, if a covered work-related injury results in Read More
Two CYFD Reform Bills Unanimously Advance In House
NMDP News:
SANTA FE — Feb. 14, the House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee (HGEIC) voted unanimously to advance two measures to bring greater transparency and independent oversight to New Mexico’s Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD).
House Bill 203 would require CYFD workers to retain and back up all electronic records. Maintaining these records is critical for transparency and oversight, particularly in cases where a child is harmed, so processes can be reviewed and potentially improved going forward.
House Bill 205 would strengthen plans of care for substance-exposed Read More
State Senators Antonio ‘Moe’ Maestas And Leo Jaramillo Drop The ‘Next Generation Act’ In Observance Of Love Day
Sen. Antonio “Moe” Maestas (District 26)
STATE News:
SANTA FE — Love is in the air this Valentine’s Day! The State Treasurer’s Office is filled with enthusiasm as State Senators Antonio “Moe” Maestas (District 26) and Leo Jaramillo (District 5) introduce the groundbreaking “Next Generation Act” (Senate Bill 397), marking a pivotal step in fulfilling our promise of Baby Bonds for the children of New Mexico.
This bill was crafted after nearly a year of thoughtful collaboration, statewide conversation, national outreach, and hard work among our coalition. SB 397 represents our unwavering Read More
MOWW To Feature Dr. Glen McDuff At Feb. 18 Meeting
Dr. Glen McDuff
MOWW News:
This month’s Military Order of the World Wars meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 18. This month’s speaker Dr. Glen McDuff who will present a talk on Ballistic Missile Defense.
A quick look at ballistic missile defense (BMD), from its beginnings in WWII with the Nazi V2 to the proposed hypersonic delivery vehicle is presented. As BMD is one of the most, if not the most difficult of technological challenges, we assess the meager successes and plentiful disappointments. Not to be too discouraging, a fleeting review of the incredibly successful and expensive ($800 Read More
Legislative Roundup: 34 Days Remaining In Session
The Santa Fe New Mexican:
Menstrual products in prisons advances: A bill requiring correctional facilities to provide free menstrual products to prisoners advanced out of the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee on a party-line vote Saturday morning.
Sponsor Rep. Janelle Anyanonu, D-Albuquerque, said money was included in last year’s budget to pay for menstrual products for inmates and praised Corrections Department Cabinet Secretary Alisha Tafoya Lucero for ensuring they are available. The bill, she said, would make sure menstrual products are available in the future after Read More
Lawmaker Advocates For Advancing Bilingual Programs
Rep. Yanira Gurrola, D-Albuquerque, listens as the session is called to order on the floor of the House of Representatives at the state Capitol in Santa Fe on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. Gurrola, an engineer-turned-bilingual math educator, has been a top proponent of bilingual and multicultural education in the state. Michael G. Seamans/The New Mexican
Rep. Yanira Gurrola, D-Albuquerque, listens as the session is called to order on the floor of the House of Representatives at the state Capitol on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. Photo by Michael G. Seamans/The New Mexican
By ANDRÉ SALKIN
The Santa Fe New Read More
House Passes Tax Exemptions For New Mexico Veterans
The Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Post file photo
New Mexico Legislature News:
- Legislation would increase state property tax exemptions for military veterans
SANTA FE – Legislation to improve property tax exemptions for military veterans and their surviving spouses is now headed to the Senate after unanimously passing the House of Representatives today.
House Bill 47 would increase the existing property tax exemption of $4,000 to $10,000 and allow additional exemptions for veterans with service-related disabilities. If passed by the legislature and signed into law by the Governor, the increase Read More
RPLA Announces Los Alamos Sportsmen’s Club President Thomas Turner To Speak At Feb. 20 Meeting At SALA
By LISA SHIN
Chair
Republican Party of Los Alamos
Dear Friends:
First of all, I would like to highly commend President Trump for his Executive Order to protect and expand Second Amendment rights for all law-abiding citizens. On Feb. 7, he declared that:
“The Second Amendment is an indispensable safeguard of security and liberty. It has preserved the right of the American people to protect ourselves, our families, and our freedoms since the founding of our great Nation. Because it is foundational to maintaining all other rights held by Americans, the right to keep and bear arms must not be infringed.” Read More
Sweeping Measure To Crack Down On Crime Passes House
By NATHAN BROWN
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A sweeping measure to crack down on crime in New Mexico that could end up being one of the defining bills of this year’s session passed the state House on Saturday.
House Bill 8 consists of six originally separate bills, including changing criminal competency procedures and measures to crack down on fentanyl trafficking, shooting threats, vehicle theft and drunken driving. It now heads to the Senate, with about a week until the session’s halfway point and the Legislature’s self-imposed deadline to get an omnibus anti-crime package to the governor’s desk. Read More
Trio Of Behavioral Health Bills Pass New Mexico Senate
NM Senate Democrats News:
SANTA FE — Marking a major step forward in the legislature’s shared commitment to addressing New Mexico’s behavioral health and public safety crisis, a suite of behavioral health bills cleared the Senate floor Friday, now advancing to the House of Representatives with broad bipartisan support.
Senate Bill 3 (passed 37-5), the Behavioral Health Reform and Investment Act, empowers a newly established Behavioral Health Executive Committee to create behavioral health regions across the state (based on counties or judicial districts). With key stakeholder engagement, Read More
County Environmental Sustainability Board To Meet Feb. 20
COUNTY News:
The Los Alamos County Environmental Sustainability Board is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20.
This meeting is open to the public.
Click here to see the full meeting agenda packet. Read More
Equitable Disclosure Legislation: A Win-Win For New Mexico’s Economy And Business Community
By NATHAN BROOKS
Albuquerque
New Mexico stands at a pivotal moment to redefine property tax assessments for commercial real estate with fairness and transparency. A groundbreaking new legislative proposal, developed in collaboration between the County Assessors Affiliate and the business community ensures that businesses can plan with confidence while the state secures reliable property tax revenues.
This legislation offers a balanced approach to one of the most critical issues facing commercial property owners today: the unpredictability of property tax increases. By introducing Read More
