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Citing omicron, NM House to put some meetings online for legislative session
New Mexico House Democrats, the majority party in the state, announced Thursday that committee hearings will be conducted online only. This announcement was made ahead of the 2022 legislative session, which convenes Tuesday. It’s unclear at the moment whether the state Senate will do the same, and what both chambers’ choices will mean for members […]
Eviction ban is disappearing
The Supreme Court last week announced the beginning of the end of the state’s eviction ban, one that has kept many New Mexicans housed amid a pandemic that destroyed the economy and killed thousands here. The court’s new order creating the Eviction Prevention and Diversion Program will take effect statewide in March. It will replace […]
Wait times increase in Albuquerque’s emergency rooms, as hospitals treat patients in hallways and chairs
Leading doctors at Albuquerque’s two biggest hospitals urged residents not to visit emergency rooms unless they have a severe health issue, citing the surge of coronavirus patients that stretched hospitals beyond capacity. Emergency room wait times at the University of New Mexico Hospital are regularly six hours for some patients, said Dr. Steve McLaughlin, chair […]
Wage boost for chile workers hangs in the balance, though some say the state could make it happen
Some New Mexico farmers and their employees are bracing for a tough holiday season, many of them left on the hook after being promised a living wage to produce this winter’s red chile crop. About $2.2 million in wage subsidies for thousands of workers is sitting unspent at the Department of Agriculture, the casualty of […]
Make sure you got paid enough to harvest chile this year
Occasionally, farmworkers call New Mexico Legal Aid worried they’ve been cheated out of their bonus or pay boost — the state-funded wage increase aimed at curbing a labor shortage to protect this year’s chile crop. It’s a valid fear, said attorney Ismael Camacho, but he doesn’t know what to tell them. That’s because the New […]
Governor signs off on new congressional districts
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday signed off on a new congressional map, one that its sponsor has said “reshapes” the state’s political map and imagines a “more united state — rural and urban.” And it gives Democrats a better chance of winning all three congressional seats, while also giving each party less of an […]
After drawn-out stunts and bitter debate, N.M. Senate passes tribal consensus maps
The New Mexico Senate finally voted to redraw its own political districts Thursday following three hours of bitter debate about race, bipartisanship and decency in politics. The chamber voted 25-13, largely along party lines, to adopt a bill introduced by Sen. Linda Lopez (D-Albuquerque). The map they approved, if passed by the House and signed […]
Three GOP senators punt again on redistricting, prolonging pandemic legislative session that can cost $50k or more per day
Three Republican senators voted to extend a procedural stunt Thursday afternoon, one that will prevent the Legislature from voting on a new state Senate political district map. The senators – Mark Moores of Albuquerque, Cliff Pirtle of Roswell and Joshua Sanchez of Bosque – voted Thursday afternoon not to lift the “Call of the Senate,” […]
State Republicans throw down ‘obstructionist’ tactic to stall vote on Senate map
A new state Senate map that would shape the next decade of New Mexico politics remains elusive after a late-night stunt by Republican senators delaying the bill’s passage. Senators didn’t start their scheduled 6 p.m. session until around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, following days of disagreement on the state Senate redistricting plan. The negotiations remain stalled […]
$478 million for state needs passed by the NM Senate, despite fears of a rushed process
New Mexico is inching closer to spending nearly half of the roughly $1.1 billion in remaining federal relief money given to the state under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The state Senate on Tuesday afternoon approved $478 million to be distributed to state agencies, covering housing services, upgrades to state parks, pre-trial services […]
Tribal leaders say they won’t accept changes to their state Senate map after hours of talks
A coalition of tribal leaders announced Tuesday that despite “productive, meaningful, and respectful” conversations with leadership of the New Mexico State Senate, they still do not accept any of the alterations to the Senate district map they drew up earlier this year. The All Pueblo Council of Governors celebrated in September a “historic” consensus about […]
Tribal leaders object to 11th-hour NM Senate redistricting map
Lawmakers on Sunday replaced a map that a tribal coalition spent months working on to find consensus. A Senate committee voted instead to approve an amended plan re-drawing the New Mexico Senate’s voting districts that was introduced just before the meeting. Sen. Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque), the Senate’s president pro tem, introduced an amended map that […]