Renato Costa

Lujan Grisham signs bill changing NM’s assisted suicide law

25 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed S.B. 471, which will no longer force New Mexico doctors to perform physician-assisted suicides following litigation by the national group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) in Lacy v. Torrez. The measure passed unanimously through both legislative chambers.

The bill allows exceptions for physicians based on reasons of conscience or religious beliefs. Previously in 2021, physician-assisted suicide passed the legislature, which would mandate all physicians to prescribe drug “cocktails” to cause death in terminally ill patients. 

The American Medical Association previously wrote in a medical opinion, “Physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks.”

During the 2021 assisted suicide bill’s hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee, the “expert witnesses,” law professor Robert Schwartz and physician Steven Kanig could not list the drugs that would be prescribed to end an individual’s life and admitted that there is no set “cocktail” that is used. Schwartz claimed the concoction of harmful drugs “has been refined over the years” and that “these drugs do change.”

Following the signing of S.B. 471, ADF’s senior counsel Mark Lippelmann wrote, “We commend the New Mexico Legislature and Gov. Lujan Grisham for enacting this critical law to protect health care professionals who object to assisted suicide for reasons of conscience or faith.”

“Dr. Lacy and the thousands of other Christian medical professionals we represent believe every life is sacred and full of inherent value, and that assisted suicide ends an innocent human life without justification. The government should never force doctors to surrender their religious, moral, and ethical convictions.”

Dr. Jeffrey Barrows, senior vice president of bioethics and public policy for the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA) wrote after the bill’s signing, “As Christian health care professionals, it is our aim to serve every patient with excellence and compassion, as image-bearers of God,” adding, “We strive to perform our work according to the dictates of our faith and professional ethics, including the belief that every life is precious. We’re grateful New Mexico quickly responded to our lawsuit by enacting protections for conscientious physicians.”

NM nonprofits misused federal funds, gave them to illegal aliens: DHS audit

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According to a new audit report issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), around $110 million Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-awarded humanitarian relief to the National Board was misspent by 18 nonprofits, some of them being in New Mexico. However, the names of the particular non-profits were not listed in the report. 

“In some cases, it was given to illegal immigrants who had evaded Border Patrol,” reported Fox News.

The OIG report notes, “On March 18, 2021, FEMA awarded $110 million in humanitarian relief funding to the National Board. According to the National Board, as of September 8, 2021, it had awarded $80.6 million of humanitarian relief funds to 25 LROs throughout California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. We judgmentally selected 18 [local recipient organizations (LROs)], which received awards totaling $66 million, to review how the funds were used. The National Board continued to award and reimburse humanitarian relief funding to LROs throughout our audit.”

“We determined that these 18 LROs did not always comply with the funding and application guidance when using funds. Specifically, the LROs did not always provide or maintain the required receipts or documentation to support reimbursement for humanitarian relief fund services. In addition, some of the LROs were unable to provide supporting documentation for families and individuals to whom they provided services. From the information some LROs provided, we determined some families and individuals did not have a DHS encounter record.” 

The lack of a DHS encounter record means these “gotaway” illegal aliens had evaded Border Patrol agents instead of turning themselves in after crossing into the country illegally. 

“The IG said that of the 824 names it tested as a sample, 197, or 24%, were ineligible to receive humanitarian services, and 154 did not have an encounter record,” the Fox News report noted.

In the 2022 fiscal year alone, 2.3 million illegal alien encounters were registered by DHS.

The OIG warned in the report that “Without additional oversight and enforcement from FEMA and the National Board, LROs may continue to use the funds for services without providing the required supporting documentation for reimbursement, increasing the risk of misuse of funds and fraud.”

NM Republicans respond to Dem-led indictment of Trump

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On Thursday, a New York grand jury voted to indict 45th President Donald J. Trump, according to reports. It is the first time a current or former president has ever been indicted.

This is what many believe is yet another attempt to discredit the president. The so-called “witch hunt” against Trump has continued since he first entered the political arena, and it appears that there is no end in sight. Even though there is no evidence of wrongdoing on Trump’s part, his detractors continue to pursue him at any cost.

Actually, according to evidence, disgraced former Trump attorney Michael Cohen paid off porn actress Stormy Daniels with his own funds and with Trump or his team having no knowledge of Cohen’s payment.

The New York grand jury’s indictment against Donald Trump is yet another desperate attempt to vilify this great leader. It represents nothing more than an ongoing effort by the left-wing establishment to undermine everything he accomplished during his time in office. From day one, they have sought to tear down everything he stands for and discredit his administration’s achievements. But despite their best efforts, President Trump remains a hero and a champion for millions of Americans who cherish freedom and prosperity.

The Times reported, “It is unclear precisely when the grand jury vote criminally charging the … president was taken. Prosecutors walked into the office of the clerk in the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, where the paperwork for an indictment was filed only minutes before the office closed for the day. For weeks, the atmosphere outside the district attorney’s office had resembled a circus. But the fervor had cooled in recent days, and the environs of the office were emptier on Thursday than they had been in weeks.”

New Mexico Republicans responded to the news, with the Republican Party of New Mexico’s chairman, former Congressman Steve Pearce, writing: 

“We’ve known from the beginning that this is a political witch hunt against the former President. We had a rogue, Soros-funded district attorney with a political agenda facing intense pressure from the left ahead of an election year.

Many Democrats have criticized this case for lack of credibility and condemned the biased judicial system in New York. This indictment sets a dangerous precedent for the future of the nation. If a former chief executive officer of the United States can be arrested on dubious charges, the same thing can happen to others.

It would be great to see the same fervor for the solid evidence against the Biden family and their ties to Communist China, or better yet, let’s see an investigation into our Governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, and her alleged hush money payments made from her campaign funds. I wonder how long U.S. and New Mexico prosecutors will continue to sit on their hands with the precedent that has been set in New York.”

State Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) wrote on Twitter, “Since a grand jury indicted Trump over hush money paid to Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign, then New Mexico Democratic Gov @GovMLG, who paid $150,000 in hush money to settle a sexual harassment claim from a former campaign spokesman, should also be indicted.”

“The BlueAnon mob’s attacks against President Trump are getting increasingly desperate—ANYTHING to make headlines in the hopes it keeps him out of the White House in 2024. Not working. This just emboldens Trump supporters like myself who want America to WIN again. #Trump2024,” wrote state Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo).

Ronnie Lucero of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly wrote, “My support for Trump just doubled! Thank you to the radical NY grand jury for assuring a Trump victory in 2024!”

Rio Grande Foundation releases 2023 legislative ‘Freedom Index’ results

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On Wednesday, the Rio Grande Foundation (RGF), a free market think tank, released the highest performers of its 2023 Legislative Session Freedom Index, a ranking system by the group based on floor votes taken by state legislators regarding “various economic, education, and constitutional issues from a pro-freedom perspective.”

The group ranked each vote from -8 to +8 “depending on the overall impact of the legislation.”

“The best overall voting records were compiled by Alamogordo area freshman legislator Rep. John Block. Block was followed by Rep. Randall Pettigrew, who represents parts of Hobbs and surrounding areas,” wrote the group. 

Block received a total score of 116, while Pettigrew scored 102. 

“Kudos and thank you to Rep. Block and Rep. Pettigrew for their strong leadership. We’ll discuss the Senate and have more scores in a subsequent post,” RGF wrote. 

The highest-rated state senators were Sen. Joshua Sanchez (R-Grants), with a 75 score, and Sen. William Sharer (R-Farmington), with a score of 72.

The lowest-rated senators, according to the Freedom Index, are Sen. Leo Jaramillo (D-Española), with -132, and Sens. Brenda McKenna (D-Corrales), Michael Padilla (D-Albuquerque), Nancy Rodriguez (D-Santa Fe), and Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe) tying for second-worst with a score of -131. 

The House members with the lowest scores are Reps. Joann Ferrary (D-Las Cruces) and Natalie Figueroa (D-Albuquerque) with scores of -130. 

Votes included in the Index ranged from gun rights to abortion, with the highest-weighted categories appearing to be regarding taxation, the budget, and the environment. 

A podcast with RGF President Paul Gessing talking about the Freedom Index can be streamed here.

As NM carjackings rise, leftists rejected Dem-sponsored proposal to fix crisis

18 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

During the 2023 Legislative Session, few proposals to tackle the state’s crime epidemic reached the governor’s desk. A handful of bills focusing on retail crime, catalytic converter thefts, and cyber security ultimately passed, but nothing specifically tackling carjackings or other violent crimes.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau’s (NICB) report shows New Mexico has the fourth-highest rate of car thefts in the nation, with Albuquerque leading the state in rates of carjackings.

H.B. 491, a bill to tackle car theft, sponsored by Reps. Cynthia Borrego (D-Albuquerque), Joseph Sanchez (D-Alcalde), and Art De La Cruz (D-Albuquerque) died in its first committee, with four leftist Democrats rejecting the measure.

The bill would increase penalties for the unlawful taking of a vehicle, embezzlement of a vehicle, or fraudulently taking a vehicle.

According to the bill’s fiscal impact report, “Under the revised penalties, anyone convicted for these crimes could be guilty of a fourth-degree felony for a first offense; a third-degree felony for a second offense, regardless of which provision was the first offense; and a second-degree felony for a third or subsequent offense, regardless of which provision was the first or second offense.”

Borrego explained was necessary due to the increased number of car thefts, including a family member of hers who owns a car lot and fell victim to thieves stealing a vehicle then later trashing it miles away.

Despite carjackers seeming to become increasingly emboldened to steal vehicles in New Mexico, the four Democrats on the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee, Reps. Joanne Ferrary (D-Las Cruces), Angelica Rubio (D-Las Cruces), Liz Thomson (D-Albuquerque), and Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe) quickly tabled the bill. Reps. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) and John Block (R-Alamogordo) both voted against tabling the bill.

Block wrote on Twitter following the vote, “The NM House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee just tabled a commonsense bill that would enhance penalties for repeat offending carjackers. NM is top in the nation for car thefts, but the bill died on a party-line 4-2 vote despite it being sponsored by 3 Dems. What a clown show.”

Other bills that died on arrival in the committee included legislation from Rep. Bill Rehm (R-Albuquerque) to curb fentanyl dealing, increase sentences for illegal gun possession, and make it easier to keep suspects behind bars pending trial.

Without meaningful crime bills getting across the finish line, it is unlikely crime in the state will let up, as weak-on-crime legislators have prevailed in killing proposals from both Democrats and Republicans to fix the scourge of violence and lawlessness in New Mexico.

Smugglers hire through WhatsApp, Craigslist to sneak illegals into NM

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A recent report from KXAN News Austin has documented multiple recent altercations Border Patrol units have had with smugglers, mostly Americans, transferring illegal aliens into New Mexico through the southern border. 

In one case reported by the outlet, a black Mazda CX-5 was stopped by agents in Hidalgo County after failing to stop for a speeding violation on March 14. The vehicle, manned by U.S. citizen Francisco Perez Mercado, sped onto Interstate 10 until crashing into another car in Lordsburg. 

Perez Mercado’s companion Christina Lynn James-Blake and two of the illegal aliens being smuggled were airlifted to the hospital.

“James-Blake allegedly told Homeland Security investigators that she availed her vehicle to the smugglers for $1,000. She said she and Perez picked up Mexican and Guatemalan migrants at a Douglas, Arizona, motel and were to drive them to Phoenix, taking a detour through Southwestern New Mexico to avoid highway checkpoints…. Migrant apprehensions remain steady along Southwest border One of the migrants told investigators smugglers charged him $8,000 to get him across the border and past highway checkpoints,” reported KXAN.

On February 28, an agent stationed at the Arizona-New Mexico border spotted a passenger inside a blue Hyundai duck, which led to the questioning of the driver, U.S. citizen Gabriel Scott. He sped up amid being questioned and was later apprehended with a tire-deflation device.

“Scott allegedly volunteered that he picked up the migrants in Nogales, Arizona, and hid two of them in the trunk for more than three hours. Scott said he was recruited by smugglers through an ad on Craigslist for an undisclosed amount of money, court records show,” the outlet reported.

On the morning of March 16, a Las Cruces-area Border Patrol agent spotted a dark Dodge Challenger following a gold Jeep with its lights off. As the caravan approached a Border Patrol checkpoint, the Challenger revved past traffic and was later apprehended on New Mexico Highway 185 after two miles of pursuit. The gold Jeep has not yet been located, but the driver of the Challenger, Jorge Luis Freyre, told investigators he belonged to the Chuco Tango gang.

Another caravan situation happened near New Mexico’s Antelope Wells point of entry, where a white Chevrolet Silverado and a 2006 Honda Pilot refused to yield and were later stopped by tire-deflation devices. 

Seven illegal migrants were apprehended wearing camouflage clothing in the Silverado and three in the Pilot.

“The vehicles eventually stopped, and border agents apprehended seven migrants wearing camouflage clothing inside the Silverado and three inside the Honda Pilot. All were from Mexico. One driver, Marco Garcia Acevedo, allegedly said he was hired through WhatsApp to transport migrants; driver Carlos Eduardo Cruz Guzman said he is an Arizona resident who entered the United States illegally, court documents show.” 

On February 27, Matthew Paul Anderson of Phoenix was apprehended driving his SUV on New Mexico Highway 80, where he surrendered, revealing his contract to smuggle three illegal aliens from Mexico via one of his contacts. He allegedly said to the Border Patrol agent, “You got me, man.”

U.S. Border Patrol said in a statement, “Arrested smugglers intercepted in recent smuggling schemes have been primarily from Mexico and the United States. However, they have also come from other countries such as Venezuela, Honduras and Cuba.” 

NM GOP calls for probe into MLG following Trump arrest rumors

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On Tuesday, the Republican Party of New Mexico (RPNM) demanded an investigation into Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham over claims by a former staffer, James Hallinan, that the then-candidate for governor groped him.

The calls from RPNM come amid Manhattan, New York’s district attorney Alvin Braggs trying to indict President Donald Trump for “allegedly falsifying documents as ‘legal expenses’ concerning hush money paid to Stormy Daniels and potentially breaking New York campaign finance law” as the party put it in a news release.

The Party continued: 

These seven-year-old accusations resurface after Stormy’s hush money case was previously dismissed by a federal judge who ruled the suit “irrelevant.” Stormy also filed a defamation case against Trump and lost, also losing a subsequent appeal to the Supreme Court. Daniels’ lawyer has since been found guilty of extortion and fraud.

The return of these accusations against Trump shows the signs of another political witch hunt. Even those critical of Trump have blasted the district attorney’s potential indictment. One such critic, lawyer and former Harvard law professor, Alan Dershowitz, highlighted the political agenda surrounding this case saying, “This is 100% political. 

There is no basis for this prosecution, but with the judiciary in New York, you never know.” These claims are especially cogent when district attorney Braggs has recently vowed he would not prosecute numerous non-violent crimes.

While the investigations into former President Trump have turned up fruitless, there are almost identical charges against Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham that New Mexico prosecutors refuse to investigate.

RPNM Chairman Steve Pearce, a former congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District, wrote, “Instead of harping on finding fault in Trump, who, after years of probing investigation, is continually vindicated, the left should begin an investigation into the eerily similar charges against our Governor.”

Ahead of the 2022 gubernatorial election, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s campaign paid out $150,000 in alleged hush money to her former campaign staffer, who accused her of grabbing his genitals and making sexually demeaning comments to him. The Lujan Grisham campaign then refused to explain an additional $87,500 payment, labeled “legal expenses,” to the law firm believed to have represented the Governor in her sexual harassment case.

“This is a perfect example of the left’s hypocrisy. While the media continues an uproar over weak accusations against Trump, no investigation has been made into the substantial accusations against Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham,” wrote Pearce. 

RPNM continued in the press release, “We call for New Mexico prosecutors to investigate the accusations against Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. RPNM believes nobody is above the law and that truth, not politics, should determine justice.”

Lujan Grisham signs bill giving life-sentenced minors chance of parole

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On Friday, the day before the 2023 Legislative Session adjourned, Democrat New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed S.B. 64 by Rep. Gail Chasey and Sen. Antoinette Sedillo-Lopez (D-Bernalillo), which would give inmates sentenced as juveniles the opportunity for parole after 15 years in some cases.

The bill would even give school shooters, rapists, and other criminals sentenced from age 14 to 17 the opportunity for a parole hearing. This would include if the then-juvenile was tried and convicted as an adult. 

On the House floor Monday, Republicans unsuccessfully tried to add amendments to the bill.

Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) wrote on Twitter following her amendment being tabled, “Bad bills are usually heard after midnight — right on cue, Dems presented a bill to allow early parole of 20 years for minors who willfully and deliberately premediate a murder.  I presented an amendment to exclude those that RAPE and murder a child, Dems said no.” 

Another amendment offered by Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo) would have exempted mass shooters from being eligible for parole. That amendment also died. 

“Late last night and early this morning (11:16 pm yesterday to 2:16 am today), we debated SB64 letting mass shooters/rapists/other life-sentenced criminals convicted as minors get parole hearings. Dems passed it and killed my amendment excluding mass shooters,” wrote Block.

Rep. Andrea Reeb (R-Clovis) offered an amendment extending the parole deadlines in the bill. Democrats killed that amendment.

The bill allows the inmate to get a parole hearing every four years, which Republicans noted would “revictimize” the families of those harmed or victims themselves. 

Another measure, S.B. 29 by Sen. Bill O’Neill (D-Bernalillo), “allows early parole for anyone over 55 with an ‘age-related disease,’ which, according to WHO, includes hearing loss, cataracts, back/neck pain, osteoarthritis, diabetes, depression, etc.,” according to Rep. Lord.  

Lord offered an amendment to O’Neill’s bill that would exempt pedophiles from being eligible for early parole, but “Dems said no,” she wrote. 

Despite a massive crime wave plaguing New Mexico, especially Albuquerque, Democrats failed to pass much meaningful crime legislation targeting criminals. They instead opted to reward criminals with early parole and target law-abiding gun owners in bills such as H.B. 9, which passed and was signed by Gov. Lujan Grisham.

During the 2023 Legislative Session, over 200 bills passed. It is unclear how many the governor will sign. She has until April 7, 2023, to act upon the passed legislation, or else it will be “pocket vetoed,” meaning it will be discarded due to inaction.

NM legislature adjourns with only one anti-gun bill reaching governor’s desk

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On Saturday at noon, the New Mexico House and Senate adjourned from the 2023 Legislative Session. The adjournment meant the death of many anti-gun proposals that would have restricted citizens’ constitutional rights. Only one bill, H.B. 9, mandating the lockup of firearms, passed and was signed by Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The dead gun-grabbing legislation includes S.B. 44 banning citizens from carrying a firearm within 100 feet of a polling place during an election, S.B. 428 targeting firearm retailers and manufacturers with frivolous lawsuits, H.B. 100 banning most firearms over 10-round capacity, and H.B. 101 mandating a 14-day waiting period before firearm purchases.

S.B. 427, which is similar to H.B. 101 banning magazine capacity, died, while S.B. 116, mandating a person must be 21 to purchase a firearm, did not make it across the finish line.

Other bad bills, such as H.B. 426 to create a “clean fuel standard” (resulting in increased gas prices), along with H.J.R. 4 to install the “Green Amendment,” died in their first chamber. 

Other extreme legislation, such as H.B. 399 to attack counties’ sovereignty, died, while a proposal, H.J. R. 8, to pay legislators salaries fizzled in the Senate. 

H.B. 25 to raise the minimum wage to over $16.00 per hour, S.B. 77 mandating electric vehicle charging stations be put in all new homes, H.B. 263 to create taxpayer-funded drug dens for addicts to shoot up, and H.B. 230 to astronomically increase the cost of alcohol, all died. 

A tax package that will increase taxes overall by around $100 million did pass, although it is unclear if it will be signed into law by Gov. Lujan Grisham. That package included a minor additional tax on alcohol. 

Following the end of the session, the Republican Party of New Mexico wrote, “We knew progressives would take advantage of their majority in the legislature to push through their radical agenda this session. However, despite being in the minority, Republicans successfully passed beneficial legislation and halted other unconstitutional bills from becoming law.”

House committee kills Dem ‘paid family leave’ bill

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On Monday, the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee voted 6-5 to table S.B. 11, a proposal mandating up to 12 weeks of “paid family leave” for all New Mexico businesses.

The move would have been a multi-million dollar tax on employees that would have forced small businesses and employees to pay into a fund for paid leave. 

According to the group Better Together New Mexico, “SB 11, the Paid Family Medical Leave Act  (PFMLA) is estimated to cost well over $400 million dollars if it becomes law. This act forces employees and employers to pay out of pocket into a fund managed by the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. That’s the same agency that overpaid an estimated $250 million dollars in unemployment benefits during 2020-21.”

“Many New Mexicans are already dealing with the financial strain of inflation, and for many families, an additional .5% of their wages would go into this state-managed fund.”

The bill carried by Rep. Linda Serrato (D-Santa Fe) died with two Democrats, Reps. Patricia Lundstrom (Gallup) and Marian Matthews (Albuquerque) voting with all four Republicans against the costly measure.  

“Lundstrom also expressed concern about the long-term solvency of the initial fund, saying it’s likely businesses would have to pay more to keep it afloat down the line,” according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

With the 2023 Legislative Session ending at noon on Saturday, the bill is undoubtedly dead.

Supporters of the extreme bill, including AARP New Mexico, told reporters they are optimistic the bill will come back in another legislative session, despite its extreme cost to businesses and workers, who would be significantly taxed for the socialized program.

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