Politics

Rep. Ben Ray Luján Visits Selma To Commemorate 50th Anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’

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U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján visits the Edmund Pettus Bridge Friday in Selma, Ala., to mark the 50th anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday.’ Courtesy/BRL Office

U.S. CONGRESSIONAL News:

SELMA, Ala.—U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District released the following statement Friday during his visit to Selma, Ala., to mark the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.”

A water tower with flags waving Friday in Selma, Ala. Courtesy/BRL Office

“On March 7, 1965, a brave group of civil rights marchers, including my colleague Rep. John Lewis, set Read More

House Unanimously Passes Bill Closing New Mexico’s Child Pornography Loophole

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Rep. Randal Crowder, Rep. Javier Martinez, New Mexico Attorney General’s Office Special Prosecutions Director Clara Moran and Rep. Sarah Maestas Barnes following Friday’s House passage of HB 440. Courtesy/Rep. Maestas Barnes

STATE News:

SANTA FE—Friday night, the New Mexico House of Representatives unanimously passed HB 440 on a vote of 64-0. This morning, Attorney General Hector Balderas released the following statement in response:

“This bipartisan legislation is key to shutting down the black-market child pornography industry in New Mexico that destroys

Read More

New Mexico Senate Passes Bipartisan Legislation To Make Health Care Prices And Quality Transparent

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By FRED NATHAN, Executive Director
Think New Mexico

The New Mexico Senate unanimously (26-0) passed the Senate Judiciary Committee Substitute Thursday for Senate Bills 323 and 474. The bill will make hospital prices and quality transparent on a public website no later than Jan. 1, 2018.

The bill amends the existing Health Information System Act to allow the release of hospital-specific quality and cost information. Much of this data has been collected from hospitals for the last two decades, but the Department of Health has been barred from releasing it in a way that identifies specific Read More

Luján Voices Concerns With New Mexico’s Behavioral Health System In Hearing With HHS Secretary

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U.S. CONGRESSIONAL News:

  • Luján Secures Commitment from Secretary to Work Together on Critical Issue Facing New Mexico

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District participated in an Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing on the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) budget for Fiscal Year 2016. 

During the hearing, he voiced his concerns with the quality of and access to behavioral health care services in New Mexico. Below is a transcript of Luján’s exchange with HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell.

Luján: I appreciate that Madam Secretary. Read More

Los Alamos Public Servants Among 44 Awarded Professional Training Certificates Across New Mexico

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From left, Los Alamos County Engineering Project Manager Bryan Aragon, NMAC Vice President Sharon Stover and Los Alamos County Councilor Rick Reiss. Courtesy photo

COUNTY News:

SANTA FE – A graduating class of 44 public servants received certification in their fields in January through an education program administered by New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service.

Through the years,10 Los Alamos County employees or elected officials have graduated with certifications from this program including recent graduates, County Councilor Rick Reiss who earned his Certified Read More

Izraelevitz Featured At Lunch With A Leader March 17

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County Council Vice Chair David Izraelevitz

LWVLA News:

County Council Vice Chair David Izraelevitz is the guest speaker at the League of Women Voters of Los Alamos (LWVLA) Lunch with a Leader program at 11:45 a.m., March 17 at Mesa Public Library. This event is open to the entire community.

His talk will address the subject, “Ask not what your county can do for you, ask what you can do for your county.” County government, the local business community and citizen philanthropy have complementary assets, constraints and roles that can be harnessed to move the community forward. Izraelevitz, Read More

Get Involved … Make A Difference … Democracy In Action This Monday

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By ROBYN SCHULTZ, Chair
Democratic Party of Los Alamos

I hear from people all the time who say the equivalent of “a plague o[n] both your houses!” It can seem like our current political system paralyzes our government and blocks progress on any significant issues. If there is a bright spot to be found, it can be found at the local level. YOU can make a difference locally. Democrats in Los Alamos County will have the opportunity on Monday evening.

The governance structure of the Democratic Party is simple, which makes it easy for any Democrat to participate. The structure of the party starts Read More

U.S. Rep. Luján Addresses Women’s History Month

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U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján

U.S. CONGRESSIONAL News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District released the following statement today on Women’s History Month, which is celebrated during the month of March.

“Women’s History Month is an opportunity to reflect on the contributions and achievements that women have made in every aspect of our society. As we celebrate the progress that has been made, we must continue to push for greater equality, not only for women today, but also for the next generations of women.

“We must continue to fight for fairness in the workplace Read More

VIDEO: Heinrich Advocates For Laboratory Directed Research And Development Program

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U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich

U.S. SENATE News:

  • Funding for LDRD helps advance security missions at LANL and SNL

WASHINGTON, D.C – During a Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., discussed the importance of funding for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program. A list of Wednesday’s witnesses can be found here.

Heinrich is advocating to increase LDRD funding up to a level of 10 percent. LDRD investments help national laboratories, including Los Alamos Read More

Los Alamos Board Of Registration Reviews List Of 1,259 Inactive Voters For Removal

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Los Alamos County Board of Registration members from left, Kim Thomas, George Chandler and Audra Short. Courtesy/Sharon Stover

COUNTY News:

The Los Alamos County Board of Registration (the board) met Tuesday and Wednesday to review the list of inactive voters (1,259) to ascertain whether they meet the criteria to be purged from the voter rolls.  

The list of voters was compiled through efforts of the the New Mexico Secretary of State and the federal National Voter Registration Act of 1993, (NVRA). The board, consisting of Audra Short, George Chandler and Kimberly Thomas, was appointed Read More