Politics

Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords Meets With Rep. Stephanie Garcia Richard Of Los Alamos On Gun Bill

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Gathered together at the Roundhouse Tuesday to discuss House Bill 50 (gun bill), from left, former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona, Rep. Stephanie Garcia Richard of Los Alamos and  New Mexico House Speaker Brian Egolf. Courtesy photo

STATE News:

Dist. 43 Rep. Stephanie Garcia Richard of Los Alamos met Tuesday afternoon with former U.S. Rep. Gabby Gifford of Arizona and New Mexico House Speaker Brian Egolf at the state capitol in Santa Fe.

Garcia Richard and Gifford met to discuss House Bill 50, which seeks to require that all commercial firearm sales in gun shows and via the Internet Read More

Senate Bill 140 Rewarding High Performing Public Schools Is Voted Down In Senate

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GOP STATE News:

ALBUQUERQUE – Sen. John Sapien and fellow Democrats have voted against Senate Bill 140, which would have provided high-performing school districts the same additional flexibility provided to charter schools in New Mexico.

The legislation would have given school districts with grades of A or B for two consecutive years flexibility on several legal requirements of public schools in New Mexico, including the length of the school day, class load, and subject areas covered by the curriculum. These requirements are already waived for New Mexico charter schools.

When the legislation Read More

Bipartisan Compromise To Fund New Mexico Courts Goes To Governor For Action

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STATE News:

SANTA FE – Wednesday evening, the House of Representatives concurred with a Senate-amended proposal to provide emergency funding to New Mexico’s judiciary branch.

House Bill 261, as amended by the Senate, makes supplemental appropriations for the New Mexico Supreme Court and the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC). It will provide $80,000 to the Supreme Court to help meet a projected $82,600 shortfall in its current year budget, and it gives $1.6 million to the AOC to pay for jury and witness fees as well as other operational needs. The bill is sponsored Reps. Nate Gentry (R-Bernalillo) Read More

Udall Celebrates Contributions Of African Americans

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U.S. Sen. Tom Udall 
 
U.S. SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Sen. Tom Udall issued the following statement last week in honor of Black History Month:
 
“This Black History Month, we celebrate the immense contributions that African Americans have made to our nation, and we honor the struggle for equality and civil rights that black people have made through the generations. New Mexico and America are indebted to the black soldiers, workers, scientists, artists, business people, and many others who have strengthened and enriched
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Bill To Support NM Businesses Passes House

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STATE News:
 
SANTA FE ― Last night the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill sponsored by Rep. Sarah Maestas Barnes (R-Bernalillo) and Sen. Michael Padilla (D-Bernalillo) to help New Mexico’s resident businesses contract with state agencies.
 
House Bill 25, or the Resident Business Set-Aside Act, would require state contracting agencies to set-aside thirty-three percent of their contracts for New Mexico’s resident businesses. Businesses would need to meet the eligibility standards for a resident business as defined in the legislation and have a valid
Read More

House Passes Legislation To Raise Awareness On Link Between Animal Abuse And Intra-family Violence

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HOUSE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS News:

SANTA FE – Tuesday evening, the House of Representatives unanimously approved House Joint Memorial 6 sponsored by Rep. Jim Dines (R-Bernalillo).

The memorial requests that the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) and the Department of Public Safety (DPS) consider training their providers on the connection between animal abuse and intra-family violence.

Studies have identified a link between animal abuse and violence against family members. Individuals with a history of animal abuse are approximately three times more likely to commit Read More

Heinrich Rallies For Wind Power

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U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich
 
U.S. SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, joined energy leaders to advocate for wind power and showcase New Mexico’s potential to be at the epicenter of America’s clean energy economy.
 
The event, organized by the American Wind Energy Association, emphasized the economic power of wind. Last year, wind energy passed hydro as the nation’s leading source of renewable energy. Wind energy is also the nation’s fourth-largest
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Letter To The Editor: Character Attack Requires Rejection

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A Concerned Citizen
Los Alamos

Mr. Antos,

I had intended to put the dispute incited by your letter to rest, but your last character attack requires rejection.

I think my reply to you stands on its own – it invites civil discourse and is not spineless. Unfortunately your reply to my anonymous letter reflects exactly the reason why I am not publishing my name. Unlike you, I do not have the privilege of being the descendant of an immigrant (I guess you are the better immigrant), I am an immigrant myself. Language like yours and language used by the present administration normalizes character attacks, Read More

AFT-NM Responds To House Bill 2

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AFT-NM News:
 
SANTA FE ― American Federation of Teachers New Mexico President, Stephanie Ly, released the following statement:

“It is no secret New Mexico is in an unprecedented budgetary crisis, and no part of State government has been held harmless during throughout the several rounds of deepening cuts. Public education funding in New Mexico has been hit particularly hard – from early education through higher education – with roughly $125 million dollars in lost funding since the New Mexico Legislature passed the budget for the 2017 fiscal year.

 
“House Bill 2, as it is
Read More

NNSA Elite Unit Marks 20 Year Anniversary

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NNSA Administrator Frank Klotz. Courtesy/NNSA

NNSA News:

Counter, respond, and if necessary mitigate a nuclear or radiological incident quickly. This critical mission is the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration’s (DOE/NNSA) JTOT (Joint Technical Operation Team) Program, which marks its 20th anniversary this month. 

JTOT is an agile, task-organized unit, ready to react at a moment’s notice to support nuclear and radiological weapons of mass destruction incidents. The program taps into technical and scientific expertise Read More