Author
Elections bill moves through second Senate committee but with changes
Another committee and another change to a major proposal seeking to expand and offer voting protections in New Mexico. Senate Bill 8 was passed by the Judiciary Committee on a 5-3 party line vote on Wednesday, but without the effort to register people to vote when they finish a transaction at the Motor Vehicle Division […]
Language access legislation clears the NM House
An effort to shrink language barriers for people trying to access state assistance with health care, food and housing services was passed by the New Mexico House of Representatives 42-23 Wednesday afternoon. The vote split along party lines, with every Republican present voting against the measure. Five representatives abstained, including three Democrats. “This is really […]
Language barriers surround state services
New Mexico is on the cusp of lowering language barriers for people trying to access services such as housing, worker’s compensation and medical assistance. Demand for housing, food and medical services in New Mexico is increasing, while people who do not speak English are experiencing delays to state aid. Last month, a federal judge ruled […]
Local AIM, Red Nation members gather to demand Peltier’s release
Norman Patrick Brown knows what he’ll say to his friend Leonard Peltier, he says, when he sees him for the first time since 1976. “I’m going to tell him I never gave up on him for 46 years, that I’ve prayed for him every day. That when I was younger, I was willing to take […]
Voting rights measure working its way through the process
Legislation to expand and protect voting rights in New Mexico is again moving after delays, hours long public comment and several amendments that did take out a major provision. The Senate Rules Committee voted 7-4 to push the bill forward to the Judiciary Committee. The proposal has a ways to go before it makes it […]
After a long day of debate, state senators opt to take up voting rights this week
Legislation to expand voting rights looks like it is moving forward without a major provision that would have granted 16-year-olds the right to vote in local elections. After a nine-hour debate that included more than four hours of public comment and a handful of amendments, Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto said the Senate Rules Committee would vote […]
New Mexico House approves $8.47 billion budget
The New Mexico House of Representatives passed a $8.47 billion budget plan on Thursday with bipartisan support. Every sector in the state will benefit from the proposal, which boosts spending by 13.8%. The bill was passed by a 56-13 vote, with yes votes coming from 11 House Republicans and the lone independent in the chamber. […]
‘We request that Mr. Peltier be immediately released’
Benny Shendo said it shouldn’t have to be this way. The New Mexico state senator from Jemez Pueblo doesn’t like that Native American leaders elected to public office are once again leading the charge to have Leonard Peltier released from federal prison. “I think his liberation and clemency and release from prison would send a […]
Can voting rights and elections bills race through the rest of the session?
The effort to expand voter protections in New Mexico has been amended and now sits in the Senate Rules Committee where it is facing a ticking clock counting down the 30-day legislative session. Changes to Senate Bill 8 do not veer from the original intent to increase voter participation in part by making it easier […]
Indigenous educators urge lawmakers to fund a transformation of public schools
Three education bills enhancing support for Native American education reform in New Mexico passed out of committee Monday morning. The House Education Committee pushed forward legislation sponsored by Rep. Derrick Lente (D-Sandia Pueblo) that commits $70 million to directly addressing the state’s requirement to meet a court mandate under the Yazzie-Martinez lawsuit. The landmark court […]
New director at Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian shares priorities
In times of stress, the balance of symmetry can center focus and calmness. That’s the solution for Cynthia Chavez Lamar, the recently appointed director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). Her stress relief, doodles follow the pottery designs that have surrounded the San Felipe Pueblo woman’s life. “When things get a […]
Food banks to lawmakers: The need for state funding is urgent
The final two food boxes are placed in a small SUV, the last vehicle of hundreds that neatly line up in rows every Tuesday starting as early as 7 a.m. They fill the parking lot each week at EXPO New Mexico for food distribution. “Sometimes, like now, I have nothing. I absolutely have nothing,” said […]