Renato Costa, Author at Piñon Post

NMPED Secretary Kurt Steinhaus quits Lujan Grisham administration

18 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Renato Costa

On Saturday, Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) secretary, Dr. Kurt Steinhaus, announced his departure from the governor’s administration. He was first appointed to the post in 2021.

“The state of public education in New Mexico is in a better place than ever because of Kurt’s dedication, and I wish him a very happy and well-deserved retirement,” claimed Lujan Grisham, whose PED ranks as the worst of every other state and the District of Columbia.

“I am deeply proud to have given my best to this job, but at this time I have a critical need to focus on my family and health,” Steinhaus said in a statement, as reported by the Santa Fe New Mexican. “I am grateful to the governor for giving me the opportunity to finish my career working on behalf of the state of New Mexico, and I know that she will continue to work to deliver the best possible public education system for New Mexico students, educators, and families.”

Steinhaus began his education career working for Alamogordo Public Schools, then at Santa Fe Community College, the University of New Mexico, and the Los Alamos Public Schools.

Steinhaus’ departure comes just one day following the announcement that New Mexico Human Services Department Secretary David Scrase, M.D., was also quitting.

Lujan Grisham’s General Services Department secretary, John Garcia, is also leaving on February 4, 2023.

Tucker Carlson interviews Rep. Lord about bill to castrate pedophiles

12 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Renato Costa

On Thursday night, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson of Tucker Carlson Tonight interviewed New Mexico state Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) about a bill, H.B. 128, co-sponsored by Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo) to chemically castrate pedophiles as a requirement for parole.

Lord told Carlson, “In New Mexico, the majority of the people in our state are moderate Democrats, but unfortunately, you’ve got some progressive Democrats that are pushing forward some radical ideology. So, my first session when I was up here, there [were] quite a few bills to be soft on criminals, let criminals out, [and] give them special things you wouldn’t normally have. So, I kept presenting amendments that said, ‘Okay, you want to let the criminals out early. How about not pedophiles? How about we don’t be nice and don’t give them special treatment?’” She said, “And every amendment I presented was shot down.”

“So, it really got me thinking, so what can I do? What’s something I can do in this next session when I got reelected, what can I do? And I happened to see this bill in Tennessee that was based off the Alabama bill on chemical castration. I looked at it and said, ‘This is a great idea. This is… a tool we can use to keep these pedophiles away from our children.’”

“I just don’t want pedophiles to get any special treatment or to be allowed early of out of prison,” she concluded.

The bill notes, “A person required to undergo chemical castration treatment shall begin the treatment not less than one month prior to the person’s release from custody of the corrections department and shall continue receiving treatment until the court determines the treatment is no longer necessary. The treatment shall be administered by the department of health.”

Furthermore, the offender must eat the cost of the chemical castration in addition to any court costs.

Another section of the proposed bill reads, “In addition to any condition of parole under Subsection A of this section, as a condition of parole, a person released on parole under this section shall authorize the department of health to share with the parole board all medical records relating to the person’s chemical castration treatment. A person may elect to stop receiving the treatment at any time and may not be forced to receive the treatment; provided that the refusal shall constitute a violation of the person’s parole and the person shall be immediately remanded to the custody of the corrections department for the remainder of the sentence from which the person was paroled.”

WATCH:

Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

Photo: Screenshot via Fox News.

Dems looking to resurrect extremist pro-voter fraud bill

8 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Renato Costa

Democrats are planning on resurrecting the failed bill they tried to pass in the last legislative session that was filibustered down by Republicans in the final hours. Sen. Bill Sharer (R-Farmington) spoke for hours on the final day of the 2022 Legislative Session, successfully blocking the legislation.

The previous piece of legislation, 2022’s H.B. 144, included ballot harvesting, unsecured ballot drop boxes for ballot stuffing, and automatic voter registration, among other measures to make New Mexico elections less secure.

The bill started out as a two-page simple elections bill but was amended by Democrats in the final hours to add hundreds of pages of regulations that made New Mexico elections extremely at risk of more fraud.

Democrat Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver said to the Santa Fe New Mexican, “This legislation, I think, is even better because it has really been spearheaded and brought to life by the advocacy community [that wants] to continue to sort of pick up the ball and continue to move it forward on advancing voting rights here in New Mexico.”

According to the report, “The new chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, Sen. Katy Duhigg, D-Albuquerque, is one of the sponsors of the voting rights legislation, along with Martínez and House Majority Leader Gail Chasey, D-Albuquerque.”

Duhigg claimed the bill will “protect the health of our democracy by helping ensure that here in New Mexico every eligible voter has access to the ballot and that every vote is freely cast and fairly counted.”

Republican Senate Leader Greg Baca of Belen said, “Last year, we followed the lead of our County Clerks and unanimously passed a bipartisan election bill out of the Senate that strengthened voter rights and improved election security,” but it was hijacked by the Democrat majority.

It is unclear if the bill will pass this legislative session, but if it does, it should expect roadblocks in the state Senate and the House from Republicans opposed to making it hard to cheat in elections.

AG Torrez demands NM Supreme Court strike down pro-life ordinances

17 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Renato Costa

On Monday, newly elected Democrat New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez asked the New Mexico Supreme Court to intervene to overturn pro-life “sanctuary” ordinances passed by multiple county commissions and city governing boards.

KOB 4 reported, “At a news conference, Torrez said the ordinances are significant even in regions with no abortion clinics because they threaten to restrict access to reproductive health care in people’s homes. More than half of U.S. abortions are now done with pills rather than surgery.”

“This is not Texas. Our State Constitution does not allow cities, counties or private citizens to restrict women’s reproductive rights,” Torrez claimed in a statement. “Today’s action sends a strong message that my office will use every available tool to swiftly and decisively uphold individual liberties against unconstitutional overreach.”

Torrez’s action targets Roosevelt and Lea counties and the cities of Hobbs and Clovis in eastern New Mexico.

“In his filing, Torrez argues that the New Mexico Constitution provides broader protection of individual rights than the U.S. Constitution — and that the local ordinances violate New Mexicans’ inherent rights, liberty and privacy,” the report noted.

On Monday, the City of Eunice in Lea County passed a pro-life ordinance with a 7-0 vote.

Pro-life advocate Mark Lee Dickson wrote on Facebook, “Tonight, Eunice, New Mexico (pop. 3,026) became the THIRD sanctuary city for the unborn in New Mexico and the SIXTY-FIFTH sanctuary city for the unborn in the United States! Eunice was also the FIRST city to pass such an ordinance since the State of New Mexico filed suit against the two cities and two counties in New Mexico which have passed similar ordinances.”

It is unclear if the state Supreme Court will take up pro-abortion Attorney General Torrez’s request since the ordinances are based on federal, not state laws that protect the sanctity of life in the womb.

Behar concocts conspiracy about ‘Rust’ shooting special prosecutor

11 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Renato Costa

Far-left The View co-host Joy Behar claimed Friday that state Rep. Andrea Reeb (R-Clovis), the former district attorney for the Ninth Judicial District, should be booted from the legal team as special prosecutor of the investigation into October 2021’s fatal shooting on the set of the movie Rust.

Behar claimed that Reeb being “a big Republican” means she should be booted from investigating leftist actor Alec Baldwin, who shot multiple crew members, leading to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Democratic Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies decided to charge Baldwin and head armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed for Hutchins’ death.

“The DA [special prosecutor] who is indicting him, or whatever the legal term is right now, she’s a big Republican. I’m only saying this because Alec Baldwin is a target for Republicans,” Behar claimed. “They cannot stand him. I’m not saying anything more than that.”

Behar was forced to issue a correction after the commercial break that she mixed up the Democratic district attorney, Carmack-Altwies, with Reeb, a Republican.

“I get them mixed up sometimes. So, sue me,” she said.

Carmark-Altwies told CNN in an interview Thursday that the investigation found there is “probable cause” to charge Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed because of lacking “safety standards” on the set. She said the tragedy would have been prevented if Baldwin and the others charged had “done their jobs.”

Photo credit: Walt Disney Television.

NM House committee hearing anti-gun bill on Tuesday

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Renato Costa

On Tuesday, the New Mexico House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee (HCPAC) will meet to consider an extreme anti-gun bill, H.B. 9, sponsored by state Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Bernalillo). It is also co-sponsored by the chairwoman of HCPAC, Rep. Joanne Ferrary (D-Doña Ana).

Herndon’s bill will force New Mexicans to lock up their firearms in “a gun safe or a device that prevents a firearm from being discharged or from being used to expel a projectile by the action of an explosion or a device other than a gun safe that locks a firearm and is designed to prevent children and unauthorized users from firing a firearm, which device may be installed on a firearm, be incorporated into the design of the firearm or prevent access to the firearm.”

If the gun owner does not lock up any and all firearms and their gun is somehow used in an offense by a minor causing “great bodily harm” or death, the parent of that child could be made a felon if the victim of the crime is killed or permanently disabled.

As noted by even some Democrats in the chamber during a July 2022 preview of the bill, it would be the first crime proposal to base a defendant’s sentence not on their own actions but that of someone else (a minor) who got ahold of a firearm.

The bill does not, however, include provisions protecting the gun owner if the firearm was stolen, nor does it account for the de-facto tax it burdens the owner with being forced to find a new locking device to place it at all times. The bill is also blatantly unconstitutional.

Previous versions of this bill sponsored during the last two legislative sessions by state Sen. Antoinette Sedillo-Lopez (D-Bernalillo) have died.

The first anti-gun bill introduced by Democrats is one by state Rep. Patricia Roybal-Caballero (D-Bernalillo), H.B. 50, which bans all citizens who own firearm magazines greater than ten rounds and makes any offender a felon.

The Committee will meet ten minutes following the House floor session, or approximately at 1:30 p.m. in Room 317 in Santa Fe.

To join the meeting virtually, see the Zoom details below:

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89037370054

Or One tap mobile :

US: +13462487799,,89037370054# or +16694449171,,89037370054#

Webinar ID: 890 3737 0054

International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdAYD2zIM2

To contact the members of the committee, see the contact information for their offices below:

Chairwoman Joann Ferrary (D) 505-986-4844 joanne.ferrary@nmlegis.gov

Rep. Angelica Rubio (D) 505-986-4210 angelica.rubio@nmlegis.gov

Rep. Andrea Romero (D) 505-986-4243 andrea@andrearomero.com

Rep. Liz Thomson (D) 505-986-4425 liz.thomson@nmlegis.gov

Rep. Stefani Lord (R) 505-986-4453 stefani.lord@nmlegis.gov (NRA Endorsed in 2022)

Rep. John Block (R) 505-986-4220 John.Block@nmlegis.gov (NRA Endorsed in 2022)

NM state Reps. Stefani Lord, John Block sponsor bill mandating pedophile castration

21 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Renato Costa

On Thursday, New Mexico state Reps. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) and John Block (R-Alamogordo) dropped a bill, H.B. 128, which will mandate the chemical castration of pedophilic sex offenders as a condition of parole.

Furthermore, the offender must eat the cost of the chemical castration in addition to any court costs.

If the offender claims indigency, the pedophile would need to appear before a court and prove they are “not capable of paying the fees or costs within the reasonably foreseeable future.”

The legislation will be heard in House Health and Human Services Committee and then House Judiciary Committee. No date has yet been set on the bill.

Editor’s note: Rep. Block is the founder and editor of the Piñon Post, New Mexico’s leading conservative online news publication.

Anti-gun bills referred to legislative committees

7 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Renato Costa

On the second day of the 2023 Legislative Session, progressive legislation was referred to House committees for consideration. Some of the proposals include sweeping gun bans to assault New Mexicans’ constitutional rights. Here are some of the bills that will be going through committees soon.

H.B. 9 by state Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Bernalillo), will force New Mexicans to lock up their firearms in “a gun safe or a device that prevents a firearm from being discharged or from being used to expel a projectile by the action of an explosion or a device other than a gun safe that locks a firearm and is designed to prevent children and unauthorized users from firing a firearm, which device may be installed on a firearm, be incorporated into the design of the firearm or prevent access to the firearm.”

If the gun owner does not lock up any and all firearms and their gun somehow was used in an offense by a minor causing “great bodily harm” or death, the parent of that child could be made a felon if the victim of the crime is killed or permanently disabled.

H.B. 9 has been referred to House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee (HCPAC) and then House Judiciary Committee. No committee times have yet been posted for HCPAC, but hearings are expected within the week.

H.B. 50, sponsored by Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero (D-Bernalillo), will ban magazines over nine rounds, making all owners of such firearms felons. The bill has been referred to House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee, House Judiciary Committee (HJC), and the House Appropriations and Finance Committee (HAFC). No dates have yet been set on HCPAC for a hearing.

H.B. 72, also by Roybal Caballero, would make it a felony to possess a bump stock, binary trigger, or anything else that “increased the rate of fire of a semiautomatic firearm.” The bill has been referred to Judiciary and HAFC. No dates have yet been set for a hearing yet.

H.B. 100, by Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe), would mandate a 14-day waiting period before someone could purchase a gun from a Federal Firearms License (FFL).

H.B. 101, also by Romero, aims to ban magazines, but for those that are ten and under, while also banning so-called “assault weapons.” The legislation has not yet been referred to a committee.

S.B. 44, by Majority Senate Leader Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe), would ban firearms at polling places. That bill has been referred to the Senate Rules Committee and then the Senate Judiciary Committee. No dates have yet been set for a hearing as of publication.

Keep track of bills scheduled for the committees by visiting the NMLegis.gov website’s “What’s Happening” page.

Opening day: MLG goes leftward, Dems boot moderate from powerful chair post

20 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Renato Costa

On Tuesday, the New Mexico Legislature met for the first session of the 56th Legislature, which is meeting for 60 days this year. 17 new members were sworn in, and Democrats elected Rep. Javier Martínez (D-Bernalillo) as the next state House speaker, succeeding former Speaker Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe).

Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham also gave her annual “State of the State” address, where she made clear her priority to ram through $10 million in funding for a new Las Cruces abortion facility and codify abortion up to birth into law.

She also announced she wants socialized “universal health care” in New Mexico, taxpayer-funded paid family leave, expanded “free” college programs, as well as millions more to fund the state’s already failing schools that rank behind all other states and the District of Columbia. She also called for a new state department, the “New Mexico Health Care Authority” to help enact her universal healthcare dreams, as well as universal gun bans in the state.

But the most surprising takeaway from the meeting of the 56th Legislature on opening day was the removal of more moderate Rep. Patricia Lundstrom (D-Gallup) from the powerful House Appropriations Committee. Speaker Martinez put progressive Rep. Nathan Small in the spot instead, garnering confusion about the leadership mixup.

According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, Lundstrom said following the news, “This is unbelievable.” She told the Albuquerque Journal, “I’m incredibly disappointed, and I’m absolutely shocked.” She said Martínez “said I don’t meet his vision.”

“The speaker has the responsibility and the prerogative to organize the House committees as he feels best meets the current needs of New Mexico,” House Democratic spokeswoman Camille Ward told the Journal. “With new leadership on both sides of the aisle and on many of our committees in this session, Speaker Martínez is beginning a new chapter to move New Mexico forward.”

Another member making a large move is Rep. Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos), who was moved from the chairwoman of House Taxation and Revenue to the powerful House Judiciary Committee, succeeding Rep. Gail Chasey (D-Bernalillo), who was recently elected Democrat House floor leader.

Initiatives Democrats seek to pass during the legislature include many of Lujan Grisham’s proposals, as well as “modernizing” the state legislature from a “citizen legislature” to a “professional legislature” where members of the House and Senate are paid, while they each are granted funds for district offices in their respective areas of the state.

Lujan Grisham surprises with support for ‘School Choice Week’

16 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Renato Costa

Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham made a surprise proclamation honoring School Choice Week, which commemorates school choice and the betterment of educational opportunities for students.

Lujan Grisham declared January 22-28, 2023 as School Choice Week in the state, writing in the proclamation that “educational variety not only helps to diversify our economy, but also enhances the vibrancy of our community.”

She recognized that New Mexico has “many high-quality teaching professionals in all types of school settings who are committed to educating our children.”

New Mexico's @GovMLG officially declared January 22-28 2023 as #SchoolChoiceWeek!

Governors play a key role in raising awareness about school choice in their state and with this proclamation, we're closer to helping New Mexico families access educational opportunity! pic.twitter.com/1RuBrEOvwK
— School Choice Week (@schoolchoicewk) January 16, 2023

Now, as the 2023 Legislative Session rolls around on Tuesday, she will have the opportunity to push for and sign legislation that will enshrine school choice in New Mexico.

State Sen. Craig Brandt (R-Sandoval) is sponsoring a school choice bill enacting “Education Freedom Accounts, which can be used to pay for private school tuition, tutoring services, textbooks, and instructional materials, nationally standardized assessments, and other educational charges” approved by the Public Education Department.

“It outlines the application process and procedures for parents and education service providers, as well as the rules and responsibilities of the parents and students,” and “creates an Education Freedom Review Commission to assist the department in determining what expenditures are qualifying educational expenses,” according to Brandt.

A similar bill being sponsored by state Rep.-elect John Block (R-Otero), will enable open enrollment for students to attend other schools in their district or outside of their district if their zoned educational resources are failing. Block believes no child should have to be stuck in a failing school just because of where they live in New Mexico.

Enacting school choice, which is a non-partisan issue, has shown to be an incredible step forward in creating quality education in other states. If New Mexico enacts such changes, it could lift the state from being 51st in education and propel it on the path to educational betterment.

Editor’s note: Block is the founder and editor of the Piñon Post, New Mexico’s #1 conservative online news publication.

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