Politics

House Passes Oil & Gas Stabilization Reserve Bill

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This chart, prepared by the Legislative Finance Committee, shows the oil and gas revenue that would have been saved under this plan going back to 1986 had this rainy day fund been in place. Courtesy image  

STATE News:

SANTA FE – The New Mexico House of Representatives overwhelmingly endorsed a proposal Tuesday night to establish a “rainy day” fund for surplus oil and gas revenue.

House Bill 191, sponsored by Rep. Larry Larrañaga (R-Bernalillo), would create an oil and gas stabilization reserve to save excess oil and gas revenues during boom years to cover revenue shortfalls during Read More

Heinrich, Heller Introduce Legislation To Safeguard Jewish And Other Faith-Based Community Centers

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U.S. SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Dean Heller (R-N.V.) introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure that the Department of Homeland Security provides state and local law enforcement with adequate resources to protect faith-based community centers across the United States.
 
The Senators have been deeply concerned with the significant number of bomb threats facing Jewish Community Centers (JCC). In three weeks alone, JCC’s saw 63 bomb threats, forcing the evacuations of hundreds across the country
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CVNM: Community Solar Gardens Act Puts Community In Charge Of Energy Choices

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CVNM News:
 
ALBUQUERQUE―The Community Solar Gardens Act (HB 338, Roybal Caballero) passed in the House State Government, Indian and Veterans Affairs Committee in the New Mexico Legislature Tuesday on a 5-4 vote.
 
In response, Conservation Voters New Mexico Education Fund (CVNMEF) program Juntos: Our Air, Our Water community leaders released the following statements:
 
“Where I live there are many people with asthma. Solar energy would help reduce air pollution and improve the health of families in my neighborhood,” said Victor Nevarez, Juntos Westgate
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House Committee Approves ‘Right To Try’ Legislation

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STATE News:
 
SANTA FE ― The House Judiciary Committee has unanimously approved House Bill 228, known as the “Right to Try Act.” 
 
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Rebecca Dow (R-Grant, Hidalgo and Sierra). It had been amended by a previous committee to include aspects of House Bill 263, a similar Right to Try bill sponsored by Rep. Jane Powdrell-Culbert (R-Sandoval).
 
The Right to Try Act would establish a process through which terminally ill patients could access new medications that have not yet been fully approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). The bill
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Committee Passes Increased Transparency Resolution

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STATE News:
 
SANTA FE ― The House Rules and Order of Business Committee unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday that would make committee amendments to bills available online and incorporated into the original bill text.
 
House Resolution 3, sponsored by Representative Nate Gentry (R-Albuquerque), states that upon adoption of a committee report recommending an amendment to a bill, memorial, or resolution, the chief clerk will post on the legislative website a document with the amendment incorporated into the text. The document will make clear which text is original and which
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Heinrich Joined By UNM Interim President Chaouki Abdallah For Trump’s Joint Session Speech Tonight

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U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, left, in his Washington, D.C. office meets with UNM Interim President Chaouki Abdallah. Courtesy photo

From the Office of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) has announced that at President Trump’s speech tonight to a Joint Session of Congress, he will bring as his guest the acting president of The University of New Mexico (UNM), Chaouki Abdallah.

Abdallah, who was named provost and executive vice president of academic affairs in 2011, also has served as head of the electrical engineering department and a member Read More

NM Delegation Introduces Bill To Expand Research On Rare Genetic Disease Prevalent Among Hispanics

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CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION News:

 
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján, Steve Pearce and Michelle Lujan Grisham announced they have introduced a bill to increase research, education and treatment for Cavernous Cerebral Malformations (CCM), an uncommon genetic blood vessel disease that impacts the brain and spinal cord and is more common among New Mexico Hispanics than any other group.
 
Due to limited research, there is no cure for CCM.  The Cerebral Cavernous Malformations Clinical Awareness,
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Los Alamos County Recreation Bond Election Website Updated With Latest Renderings And Costs

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COUNTY News:

To provide voters information, Los Alamos County has updated the recreation bond website (losalamosbondprojects2017.com) with project information, project costs, a calculator to figure out homeowner’s property tax increase, and renderings of the proposed projects. 

Los Alamos County voters will have the opportunity to vote on the $20 million general obligation bond, to be repaid from property taxes for the purpose of designing, acquiring, constructing, purchasing and improving recreation facilities including a multi-generational pool, splash pad and a recreation Read More

Letter To The Editor: Need For Freedom Of The Press

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By KELLY DOLEJSI
Los Alamos
 
When I was a student at Western New Mexico University, I learned first-hand the power of the media to protect people who have no influence or authority of their own.

I had zero training — WNMU didn’t offer journalism classes — but at 22, I became editor-in-chief of the university’s newspaper. The university president had just received a 20-percent raise, so my two-person staff and I decided that would be our top-of-the-fold, front-page news. We put some sports and departmental news in the middle, and then on the back, a picture of our crowded parking lots and a wry Read More

Lottery Scholarship Bill Clears Final Committee

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STATE News:

  • House Bill 250 now heads to the House floor

SANTA FE – A bill to improve New Mexico’s lottery scholarship program was unanimously passed by the House Business and Industry Committee Monday. House Bill 250 is sponsored by Rep. Jason Harper (R-Sandoval) and Rep. Javier Martinez (D-Bernalillo), and it now heads to the House floor for a vote by the full House of Representatives.

House Bill 250 would amend the New Mexico Lottery Act to require that all unclaimed lottery prizes be directed to the lottery tuition fund used to pay for student scholarships. The bill would also tie bonuses for Read More