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
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
Some Systems Don’t Need To Be Fixed In New Mexico Education
Julia Burrola – Middle School Principal in Residence and Teach Plus Alumna and Hope Morales – Executive Director for Teach Plus NM. Courtesy photo
By HOPE MORALES
Executive Director
Teach Plus, New Mexico
During a recent visit to Albuquerque Collegiate Charter School, I watched Elizabeth Leung, kindergarten teacher at the school and a Teach Plus New Mexico Policy Fellow, seamlessly guide a cluster of her young students in practicing sounds. In a different part of the classroom, Elizabeth’s co-teacher worked with a group on verbalizing words, while other kids interacted with Read More
Fiercely Contested Measure To Raise Minimum Wage To $17 Per Hour Advances
By MIKE EASTERLING
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A controversial pitch to raise New Mexico’s minimum wage to $17 an hour and do away with the much lower rate employers are currently allowed to pay tipped workers has ignited fierce opposition from business advocates.
House Bill 246, which passed through the Labor, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee Thursday, calls for a $5 bump to the current $12 per hour minimum wage rate starting in 2026. It would also require employers to pay tipped workers $17 an hour as well, up from $3 per hour currently required in state law. The measure would also provide for Read More
Soules’ Proposed ‘Moonshot For Math’ Moves Forward
Rep. Bill Soules
Chair
Senate Education Committee
By ANDRÉ SALKIN
The Santa Fe New Mexican
New Mexico long has had lousy results in math.
The state’s investments in math programs, meanwhile, have lagged behind spending increases in other areas of education.
Senate Education Committee Chair Bill Soules has stood by, he said, while math education has been “pushed aside”. Now he’s pushing for big changes.
“We worked on structured literacy within our schools, a very important area,” said Soules, a Las Cruces Democrat. “But it’s now time that we start talking about math and the very low performance Read More
Governor Says Crime Package Falls Short, New Mexicans Demand More
Rep. Christine Chandler of Los Alamos chairs the House Judiciary Committee. She is shown here on the House Floor at the opening of the 60-Day Session, Jan. 21 at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
By DANIEL J. CHACÓN
The Santa Fe New Mexican
As the state House of Representatives prepares to take up a crime package as early as Saturday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is expressing her support but calling on lawmakers to do more to improve public safety in New Mexico.
The crime package, after all, consists of only six bills.
“I support these bills and appreciate the House’s Read More
