News
Though NM outlawed the practice, hospitals are still suing folks with low incomes to collect debt
Even after New Mexico made it illegal for hospitals to send collectors after people with low incomes who owe them money or to sue patients to collect medical debt, a review of court records finds that hospitals or their collection agencies have filed more than 700 lawsuits trying to do exactly that. Over 200,000 New […]
Biden pledges federal commitment to Indian Country at the tribal summit
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he is poised to designate Avi Kwa Ame, a sacred site for Native American tribes in southern Nevada, as a national monument that would ensure the preservation of ancestral lands for those 12 tribes. “I’m committed to protecting this sacred place that is central to the creation […]
What’s the deal with New Mexico’s PRC?
If you’ve never heard of the state’s Public Regulation Commission, you’ve likely still observed the consequences of its decisions in your daily life. On your electricity bill, for example. Or your gas bill. Your water bill. Commissioners also have a hand in broadband and telecommunications around the state, and field consumer complaints. Transportation, too. Staff […]
Tribal leaders get Joe Biden’s attention
WASHINGTON — The halls of the Department of the Interior were abuzz with conversations and laughter before the beginning of the 10th annual White House Tribal Nations Summit, and the first in-person one since 2016 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Yates Auditorium, five flag bearers wearing jingle dresses were walking slowly back from […]
U.S. House Democrats make history electing first Black party leader in Congress
WASHINGTON — The three U.S. House Democrats who have led their party through four presidencies and thousands of floor votes formally passed the torch to the next generation Wednesday, when the party gathered behind closed doors to elect its top leaders for the 118th Congress. House Democrats named Hakeem Jeffries, of New York, as their […]
Congressional reps vote to avert calamitous rail strike, but Senate prospects murky
The U.S. House moved Wednesday to avoid an economically disastrous nationwide rail strike, voting to codify an agreement that members of some unions had already rejected and separately add paid sick leave that workers had demanded. The two-track approach allows Democrats to avert a strike that could cost the U.S. economy up to $2 billion […]
Same-sex marriage protected under bill passed by U.S. Senate with GOP support
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate approved legislation Tuesday that would enshrine protections for same-sex and interracial marriages, codifying many of the rights that would disappear if the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn those landmark decisions the way it overturned the nationwide right to an abortion this summer. The 61-36 bipartisan vote sends the bill […]
More than $37 billion in disaster aid under scrutiny in congressional lame duck
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration wants Congress to approve more than $37 billion to help communities throughout the country recover from various natural disasters, including Hurricanes Ian, which battered Florida and the Southeast U.S. in late September, and Fiona, which hit Puerto Rico. The supplemental funding request comes on top of a $9 billion COVID-19 […]
President Biden asks for almost $3 billion more for northern New Mexico wildfire victims
President Joe Biden has asked Congress for another $2.9 billion for New Mexico to recover from a wildfire ignited by the United States Forest Service, the largest in the state’s recorded history. If passed, victims would be in line to receive more than $5 billion total in federal compensation. Biden in late September signed a […]
U.S. Supreme Court wrestles over Biden’s immigration enforcement policy
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday on whether the Biden administration has the right to decide which undocumented immigrants federal agents should prioritize for deportation. During the two hours of arguments, the court’s conservative justices sounded skeptical of the Biden administration’s efforts to prioritize undocumented immigrants convicted of felonies rather than ordering agents to […]
Paid family and medical leave proposal returning to NM Legislature
When New Mexicans face the life circumstances that make it impossible for them to work, there’s no guarantee that their boss will keep paying them or that they can keep their job. A proposal to change that — which lawmakers have been talking about for decades — will return in January in the upcoming legislative […]
NM High Court denies Indigenous groups’ attempt to block changes to PRC
The New Mexico Supreme Court on Monday denied a challenge made on behalf of Indigenous groups that sought to block a constitutional amendment set to take effect next year. New Mexico voters approved a constitutional amendment during the November 2020 election that changed membership on the state’s utility regulatory body from being an elected position […]