Politics

Op-Ed: A Deep Dive Into Medical Malpractice

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By Rep. CHRISTINE CHANDLER (D-Los Alamos)
Chair of the House Judiciary Committee 

Healthcare access is top of mind for everyone in New Mexico, rightfully so, as we see more and more doctors leave the state to practice elsewhere. There are many reasons for this exodus. All of these reasons need to be addressed, including (especially) the unbounded litigation environment created by New Mexico’s Medical Malpractice Act.

Bills implementing the medical compacts, expanding the medical school, ramping up recruitment with a generous loan repayment program, increasing residencies, enacting Read More

Feds Approve New Mexico’s $382M Broadband Plan

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STATE News:

SANTA FE — The federal government today approved New Mexico’s landmark $382 million broadband infrastructure proposal, unlocking funding to connect more than 42,500 unserved and underserved locations statewide.

The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) will award 31 grants through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program – the state’s largest broadband funding initiative. The BEAD program was created when President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Read More

Legislative Roundup: 23 Days Left In Session

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Representatives of the New Mexico Primary Care Association pass out teddy bears to legislators and staff around the Roundhouse for Primary Care Day, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, as the legislature starts to kick into full gear on the second week of the 30-day session. Photo by Jim Weber/The New Mexican

Yvette Ramirez Ammerman, CEO at the New Mexico Primary Care Association, passes out teddy bears to legislators and staff around the Roundhouse for Primary Care Day Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, as the legislature starts to kick into full gear on the second week of the 30-day session. Photo by Jim Weber/The Read More

LAHS Students Plan Protest Of ICE Abuses Friday

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By ABEL SAYRE
Co-organizer
LAHS student

The Los Alamos chapter of Indivisible is pleased to support a student organized walkout and protest at LA High School this Friday Jan. 30, in response to the widespread abuses by ICE in Minneapolis and around the nation.

Leaving the school at 1 p.m., students and their supporters will march to Ashley Pond, where a rally will be held at about 1:30 p.m.

Indivisible encourages people of all ages who are fed up to attend the march and/or rally, and bring signs, noisemakers, and more. Read More

Lawmakers Lament Bleak—But Fixable—Future Of Health Care In New Mexico

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By MARGARET O’HARA
The Santa Fe New Mexican

Even among the people in charge of health care in New Mexico, health care can be hard to find. 

“Raise your hand if you can navigate the health care system in New Mexico,” Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, said Tuesday during a meeting of the Senate Finance Committee, which he chairs.

Not even the committee’s presenters—including three Cabinet secretaries and the head of the University of New Mexico Health System—raised their hands in response.

Frustrations around lack of access to health care were among the major themes as senators Read More

Op-Ed: Hold The line In Hard Times

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By ERIC SCHALLER
Los Alamos

I used to work in a level 1 trauma center’s Emergency Department. Occasionally, we saw the results of horrible, evil things come in the door. Things that could rattle the most seasoned docs, nurses, techs, and researchers. Things that I don’t talk about. Things that make you question the assumption that humanity is basically good. Things that make you question whether what you are doing is worthwhile. Things that can make you become cynical and turn your back on trying to help people.

To help myself and my team cope with things like this, I developed the following

Read More

New Mexico Lawmakers Aim To Prevent Sunset Of Pet Food Fee For Spay And Neuter Programs

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Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, a Santa Fe Democrat, defends a law that helps fund spay and neuter programs during a Senate Conservation Committee meeting at the state Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. The law, which calls for a fee on pet food to fund the programs, is scheduled to sunset. Jim Weber/The New Mexican

By LILY ALEXANDER
The Santa Fe New Mexican

A pet food manufacturer fee that could provide an estimated $1.37 million annually to make spay and neuter programs affordable for low-income pet owners in New Mexico faces a sunset date in July.

Some state lawmakers are trying to throw Read More

OBAE Proposes $10 Million For Broadband Affordability

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OBAE News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access (OBAE) and Expansion (OBAE) has announced legislation to authorize $10 million in broadband funding to help low-income families afford broadband service.

Senate Bill 152 was introduced by Senate Majority Whip Michael Padilla (D-14) and prepared by OBAE in consultation with the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC).

The funding would come from the State Rural Universal Service Fund, which by current statute, has $40 million specifically earmarked for broadband programs.

The legislation is called the “Low-Income Read More

NMSOP To Host Patient Advocacy Day At Roundhouse

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NMSOP News:

SANTA FE — Patients, survivors, and advocates from across New Mexico will gather at the State Capitol on Friday, January 30, for Patient Advocacy Day, hosted by New Mexico Safety Over Profit (NMSOP).

Patient Advocacy Day will center the voices of New Mexicans who have been directly impacted by the state’s health care workforce shortage, unsafe hospital conditions, and barriers to accountability when preventable harm occurs. Participants will meet with lawmakers to share why NMSOP’s legislative priorities are critical to improving access to care without weakening patient Read More