Author

Megan Gleason

Megan Gleason

Megan Gleason is a journalist based in Albuquerque. She recently graduated from the University of New Mexico, where she served as the editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo. Other work has appeared under the New Mexico Press Association as well as in the Independent, Gallup Sun and Silver City Daily Press.

Effort to protect abortion medical providers and patients passes Senate

By: - March 11, 2023

Democratic lawmakers are continuing their push to get bills passed through the Roundhouse that protect abortion rights. Meanwhile, Republicans keep taking up hours of time to speak against the measures that are likely to pass nonetheless. There’s a week left in this year’s 60-day session. Hundreds of bills have yet to be heard on the […]

Lobbyists had safety plans and trainings for NM’s 2023 session, fearing misconduct by lawmakers

By: - March 9, 2023

How well do you know the Roundhouse? Do you trust who you’re around?  Where’s the closest exit?  Are you alone? Do you feel safe? These are questions some lobbyists in New Mexico ask themselves to ensure their own safety while working during the state’s legislative session. Last year, a lobbyist filed a complaint against Sen. […]

Lawmakers pass legislation through the House specifying standards of political conduct

By: - March 9, 2023

Legislative efforts to ensure professionalism and safety in the Roundhouse are making their way through Santa Fe. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed House Bill 5 unanimously, with eight legislators excused and one absent representative not voting. This legislation reorganizes the Governmental Conduct Act, laying out professional political standards. It specifies that sexual acts […]

Bill to help stop minors from accessing firearms heads to NM governor

By: - March 9, 2023

Gun safety legislation is on its way to the governor’s desk for a signature. Bennie’s Bill, which would make it a crime for allowing a firearm to be accessible to a minor, passed with concurrence through the House by a vote of 34-28 on Wednesday evening. The bill was named after Bennie Hargove, a middle […]

Bill protecting reproductive health care rights passes Senate after lengthy debate

By: - March 8, 2023

Despite repeated failed attempts from Republican senators to alter a bill protecting abortion and gender identity health care rights, House Bill 7 is now one stop away from heading to the governor’s desk. It took an hourslong, back-and-forth, heated debate to pass the Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Health Care bill through the full Senate on Tuesday. […]

Snowy cliffsides full of baren trees.

Disaster relief legislation has less than two weeks to make it through the Roundhouse

By: - March 7, 2023

It seems like it could be smooth sailing for legislation that would get relief funds to wildfire disaster victims. Bipartisan support is showing up in committees for legislation that would aid New Mexico counties and local communities struggling to recover from devastating fires and floods that happened in 2022. It can take a while for […]

State committee approves $21M for fire relief funds in SW New Mexico and Ruidoso

By: - March 6, 2023

A few minutes of discussions by the Senate Finance Committee on Friday led to legislation moving forward that would allocate more than $21 million to fire recovery efforts in southern New Mexico. Two bills are aiming to get disaster relief funds on the ground to help those affected by the Black Fire in southwest New […]

A river runs below a cliffisde.

Lawmakers concerned bill to tighten state water commissioner requirements is too strict

By: - March 3, 2023

The New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission oversees stream systems in the state. Lawmakers want more advanced expertise and diversity standards for future commissioners. People that work with the commission say the proposal could cause issues for the state to find people to actually meet the new job requirements. Senate Bill 58 would compile a new […]

Beyond a fence, construction materials sit around the outline of a building.

Bill proposes to take people to crisis centers for mental health aid instead of jails or hospitals

By: - March 2, 2023

Instead of law enforcement taking people to jails or hospitals, New Mexicans could be sent to crisis triage centers to help with mental health needs.  This will happen if House Bill 373 makes it through the Roundhouse.  The legislation passed unanimously through the House Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday. That was the bill’s […]

Liz Stefanics talks to an unseen crowd with two other senators sitting on either side of her.

Health care fund could grow specialty medical services in rural New Mexico

By: - March 1, 2023

When Melinda Montoya worked as a physical therapist in Shiprock, she saw patients that drove hundreds of miles for specialized medical care. Medical services and access to them for people that live in rural New Mexico is another burden on top of everything else Montoya said her patients experience daily. “People barely can meet their […]

Lawmakers get closer to passing bill that would expand voting rights and accessibility

By: - February 28, 2023

Voting could be easier for hundreds of thousands of people in New Mexico if election-related legislation makes it a few more steps forward in the Roundhouse this session. House Bill 4, otherwise known as Voting Rights Protections, would boost voting accessibility in the state, especially for Indigenous communities and formerly incarcerated people convicted of felonies. […]

A construction machine stands over a culvert.

State starts monthslong process to get debris out of acequias near the Gila

By: - February 27, 2023

In a few months, some acequias in southern New Mexico will finally be free of debris. The work to get that done starts today. During fall 2022, floods that came after the Black Fire in the Gila pushed debris down rivers, blocking up irrigation systems that need to have water flowing for farmers and ranchers […]