Action Alert

Sec. of State to hold hearing on stripping mail-in ballot verification protections, opening door to fraud

2 Comments / Action Alert, New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Thursday, the Secretary of State’s Office will hold a hearing at the Roundhouse on proposed election rule changes to 1.10.15 NMAC regarding voting administration and mail-in ballot verification processes and 1.10.19 NMAC, a “new Secured Containers Rule.” 

These changes would directly impact the security of elections in New Mexico, especially with the proposed rule, written to take effect on August 24, 2021, which would flatly strip out section 1.10.15.8, which gives requirements for ballot verification with the last four digits of a social security number, signature matching, and notifications sent to voters of their ballots being rejected, giving the voter the opportunity to “cure” their ballot at their local city clerk’s office. 

Some of the portions proposed to be stricken by Secretary Maggie Toulouse Oliver  include:

A. Upon receipt of a mailed ballot, the county clerk shall remove the privacy flap to verify that the voter signed the official mailing envelope and to confirm that the last four digits of the social security number provided by the voter matches the information on the voter’s certificate of registration. 

B. If either the voter’s signature is missing or the last four digits of the voter’s social security number are not provided or do not match, the county clerk shall reject the mailed ballot and make the appropriate notation in the absentee ballot register and shall transfer the ballot to the special deputy for mailed ballots for delivery to the absent voter election board. Mailed ballots that are rejected must be secured and kept separate from the accepted mailed ballots.

C. If the mailed ballot is rejected, the county clerk shall within one working day send the voter a notice of rejection, in the voter’s preferred language, along with information regarding how the voter may cure the reason for the rejection.

In the 1.10.19 NMAC rule change, Toulouse Oliver  proposes the institution of “ballot drop box[es],” which would further weaken New Mexico election regulations by forcing New Mexico’s county clerks, unless granted a waiver, to install “a secured container to return official mailing envelopes” based on “a voting population-based formula determined by the secretary of state.”

Although the rule claims to be “secure” with the addition of “video recordings” at the drop-off locations, it would be unclear who is dropping off what ballot, opening up the process to voter fraud through ballot harvesting (taking other peoples’ ballots to the drop-off location for them, which could be altered or otherwise tampered with). Poll challengers tell the Piñon Post that at least in Bernalillo and Sandoval Counties during the 2020 election, the rule adding video recordings was in place, however, no precincts that they witnessed adhered to the video surveillance mandate.

With the Secretary of State’s proposed striking of  1.10.15.8 NMCA ensuring verification of ballots for signatures and matching social security numbers, the addition of the ballot drop boxes would give free rein for bad actors to defraud New Mexico elections through ballot harvesting and the submission of illegal mail-in ballots.

New Mexicans are encouraged to attend the meeting and speak up against the rule change, which would make New Mexico’s elections even more susceptible to fraud with the lack of ballot verification and the addition of ballot drop boxes, leaving New Mexicans’ votes vulnerable.

Ballot harvesting is already happening in New Mexico, with even New Mexico’s newest member of the state House of Representatives, Pamelya Herndon, admitting to harvesting ballots from senior citizens.

Meeting details are below: 

A public hearing will be held on Thursday July 22, from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm, at the State Capitol Building located at 490 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501 in Room 322.  Every effort will be made to ensure that this hearing will be live streamed on the Office’s website.  The public hearing allows members of the public an opportunity to submit data, testimony, and arguments in person on the proposed rule changes detailed below.  All comments will be recorded by a court reporter.

Before the public hearing, written comments may be sent to Kari Fresquez, Director of Legislative and Executive Affairs, via email at kari.fresquez@state.nm.us, fax (505) 827-8403, or by regular mail at Attn: Kari Fresquez – proposed rule, The Office of the New Mexico Secretary of State, 325 Don Gaspar, Suite 300, Santa Fe, NM 87501. The deadline to receive written comment is 9:00 am on July 22, 2021.  All written public comments will be posted on the website throughout the written comment period at: www.sos.state.nm.us.

[READ NEXT: Democrats just deny the existence of fraud, and poof it’s gone (in their minds)]

Sec. of State to hold hearing on stripping mail-in ballot verification protections, opening door to fraud Read More »

ALERT: NM Redistricting Committee holding first meeting Friday—public comment encouraged

2 Comments / Action Alert, New Mexico, News, Politics / By

NEVER FORGET Millionaire Santa Fe Attorney promised to rig CD-2 to favor Democrats!

On Friday, The New Mexico Citizen Redistricting Committee meets at 3:00 p.m. via virtual conference, and the public is invited to attend. “There will also be public comment near the beginning of the meeting on the online public mapping tool, dates and locations for CRC meetings, and rules of procedure,” according to the Committee.

The Committee has already embraced left-wing groups planning what they claim are “fair” redistricting maps. However, they erroneously claim an attack on “minority voting rights,” although New Mexico is a minority-majority state. Groups like the far-left “Common Cause New Mexico” claim to want “equitable district maps,” which is code for left-leaning.

Citizens are asked to specifically speak out against the proposed RULE 10, which would gag the public (including communities of interest) from having any conversations with the members of the committee. This would keep the people out of the process if they cannot attend one of the six set meetings. This is voter suppression. This is what the rule says:

10. EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS:
A. A member of the committee may not engage in any private communication with
any individual other than committee members, committee staff, or committee contractors,
concerning any district plan or part of a district plan.
B. Committee staff and contractors, including any contract demographers, may not
engage in any private communication with any individual, other than committee members,
committee staff, or other committee contractors, concerning any district plan or part of a district
plan.

The NM Citizen Redistrict Committee has shared information from far-left groups on Twitter, such as liberal Princeton University’s “Gerrymandering Project” and the fringe group “NM Native Vote,” which spent many resources earlier this year to elect socialist U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-Bernalillo). 

The Redistricting Committee is made up of the following members: 

HON. EDWARD L. CHÁVEZ, CHAIR – Retired Democrat Supreme Court Justice 

RYAN CANGIOLOSI, MEMBER – Appointed by Republican Leader Jim Townsend (R-Artesia)

LISA CURTIS, MEMBER – Appointed by Senate Pro-Tem Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo)

ROBERT RHATIGAN, MEMBER – Chosen by the Committee

JOAQUIN SANCHEZ, MEMBER – Chosen by the Committee

MICHAEL SANCHEZ, MEMBER – Appointed by Speaker Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe)

CHRISTOPHER SAUCEDO, MEMBER – Appointed by Republican Senate Leader Greg Baca (R-Valencia)

The meeting details for you to tune in are below:

Friday, July 2, 2021, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Location: Virtually via Zoom

Agenda & Meeting Materials: View or Download Here.

Webcasting  link:  http://sg001-harmony.sliq.net/00293/harmony

Join Zoom meeting through internet browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85930726465?pwd=eGRlK2hzUnp3VnFZSnlmTEcyNloxdz09

Meeting ID: 859 3072 6465

Dial-in Number: (669) 900-9128

Passcode: 430850

ALERT: NM Redistricting Committee holding first meeting Friday—public comment encouraged Read More »

New Mexicans holding statewide #UnMaskNMKids protests, ‘LiZARD’ protest at Capitol Saturday

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On Saturday, New Mexicans will gather in cities across the state to protest embattled Gov. Lujan Grisham’s continued school mask mandate in schools, forcing young children to sit for hours in classrooms and at playgrounds while fully masked. 

According to a press release from the organizers, the New Mexico Freedoms Alliance, “Although over half the states in the USA have no school mask mandate, NM school children are still being forced to wear masks, even when playing outdoor sports in 100+ degree heat.” The group contends that unmasking athletes who have had the virus jab is not enough, and that “ALL students must be allowed to unmask, regardless of their vaccination status.” 

“Parents, it is up to us to free our kids from MLG’s sports and school mask mandates. Our Governor knows how damaging masks are to our kids but continues her own agenda vs. protecting them. No one is going to step in and save our kids. It’s up to us. This stops when we stop allowing it to happen. This protest is our chance to expose her abuse,” said Artesia organizer Stacey Turner of Concerned Citizens for Artesia.

Las Cruces organizer Piper Gibson said, “Wake up New Mexico! It’s time to unmask our kids and ourselves!! The rest of the US is open; people are mask-free and there is no social distancing. Here we are still forcing our kids to wear masks, even outdoors in 100-degree heat. Kids in NM are not at risk and according to studies most of us have antibodies from previous infections. It’s time to cut out the nonsense!”

Here’s a list of all the NM localities holding these anti-masking of children rallies. All protests begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 26, 2021, although the Raton rally will begin at 11:00 a.m.

  •     ARTESIA – @ corner of Main & 7th @ 10am
  •     LAS CRUCES – @ Albert Johnson Park on corner of main and Picacho
  •     CARLSBAD – @ Carlsbad Waterpark; area between Water park and gazebo
  •     ROSWELL @ Courthouse 4th and Main in Roswell
  •     FARMINGTON – Animas Valley Mall Lawn near Applebee’s
  •     ALBUQUERQUE – Target/Lowes on Paseo Del Norte and San Pedro
  •     SILVER CITY – @ Gough Park 1200 N Pope Street
  •     DEMING – @ DPS Emmett Shockley Building, 400 Cody Road
  •     RATON – @ Corner of 2nd and Tiger drive
  •     RIO RANCHO- @ Southern & 528

Another protest is happening on Saturday at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe, which is both a combination between an anti-masking of children protest and a protest against Gov. Lujan Grisham’s name-calling of New Mexicans as “QAnon lizard people.” 

A press release from Leanna Derrick of Call to Action New Mexico reads, “We are publicly assembling as LiZARD People to stand united against illegal monetary incentives, discrimination, and masking our kids in schools and sport activities. WE have a Constitutional Right to Peacefully Assemble without reprisal by the government.” 

New Mexicans are meeting for a caravan at 10:00 a.m. from the Bernalillo/Placitas Exit US and I-25 exit going to Santa Fe.

At 11:00 a.m., cars are set to meet at the Capitol for the pre-event at 11:30 a.m, and the gathering begins at 12:00 noon. At 1:00 p.m., there is set to be a prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, the singing of the National Anthem, and then the main protest event with speakers. 

New Mexicans holding statewide #UnMaskNMKids protests, ‘LiZARD’ protest at Capitol Saturday Read More »

Conservatives holding counter-protest to Gov. MLG’s reelection announcement Thursday in ABQ

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On Thursday from 4:45-8:00 p.m., conservatives are coming together to protest embattled Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s re-election campaign announcement being held at Albuquerque Museum on Mountain Road in Albuquerque.

At the Governor’s event, she is requiring attendees over 12 years of age to be fully vaccinated and anyone over the age of two must be masked. 

“This will be a limited capacity event due to COVID-19 restrictions. You must register in order to join us in person. Registrations are handled on a first-come, first-served basis and general admission tickets are sold out for now. By registering for a waitlist ticket, you will be notified as soon as spots become available. Vaccinations are required for attendees over the age of 12. Masks are requested for those older than two,” reads the Governor’s invitation.

It appears the counter-protest is in conjunction with multiple conservative groups, with Karen Larré leading the organizing. Larré previously organized a “freedom rally” in May to protest the governor’s harsh pandemic lockdowns.

Another flier shared by conservative activist Audrey Trujillo reads that the peaceful counter-protest is going against Lujan Grisham for “divisive medical tyranny” and “discrimination against the unvaccinated.” 

One concerned New Mexican who lives in the Albuquerque area recently wrote a letter to the Albuquerque Museum concerned over the event’s requirements, which go against the CDC guidelines. 

“It is particularly concerning that anyone over the age of 12 needs to mask and be vaccinated to enter. Children are considered at low risk for covid, both in terms of transmission, contraction and long-term effects. As a parent myself, I would not sign my child up for an experimental, non-FDA approved shot for a virus that likely would not affect them. I may reconsider once it is FDA-approved and/or research shows that it is risk-warranted. The governor has been recommending masking and vaccinating children against the advice of national experts, and by hosting her event, your organization is complicit in replicating this unethical recommendation,” they wrote. 

“I have long been a patron of the museum and am shocked and disappointed that you would tarnish your otherwise upstanding reputation by hosting this event under the present conditions. I urge you to either reconsider hosting this or revising the guidelines for it. As a taxpayer, patron and one who hosts visiting guests in my business work, I will not be visiting or recommending the museum to others any longer, should this go forward. Medical discrimination in a public facility, perpetrated by a political figure that should be acting in the best interests of her constituents is not something I wish to support,” the letter continued.

For more information about the counter-protest to the Governor’s re-election event, Karen Larré can be reached at naturallyhealthykaren@fastmail.com. Again, the event is from 4:45 to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 3 at the Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Road NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104.

Conservatives holding counter-protest to Gov. MLG’s reelection announcement Thursday in ABQ Read More »

Three NM cities participate in worldwide freedom rallies Saturday

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On Saturday, three New Mexico cities will participate in worldwide freedom rallies against stringent lockdowns due to the pandemic. The rallies will be held in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and Silver City. Freedom rallies are taking place globally, including Canada, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Denmark, Australia, Lithuania, Ireland, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Norway, according to the organizers.

The rallies are being organized by three groups, including “Free People of the Southwest,” the “New Mexico Freedoms Alliance,” and “New Mexico Stands Up!”  

Sarah Smith of Free People of the Southwest, who is organizing the Las Cruces rally, said, “New Mexico is still under some of the harshest lockdown measures in the country. We have the 5th highest unemployment rate, and our businesses are still failing under unnecessarily strict mandates. The lockdown isn’t working, as evidenced by the fact that New Mexico has a worse COVID death rate than 36 states, including states that are wide open such as Florida and Texas. It is time for New Mexico to end the 14-month lockdown.”

A lawsuit to end the lockdown filed against embattled Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham by New Mexico Stands Up! is currently in process in federal court. Ana Garner, the lead lawyer on the case, said, “The lockdown and other mandates in New Mexico are causing vast harm, are ineffective, and are medically unnecessary. We have overwhelming evidence and testimony to prove it. It also violates the U.S. Constitution, the New Mexico Constitution and all precedent of human rights and civil liberties. We call upon our elected representatives and justices to end this crime against New Mexico now.”

Organizer of the Albuquerque rally, Karen Larré said, “There is no good reason for New Mexico to continue to be as locked down as it is. States around us are all more open than we are, and the numbers just don’t justify it. It’s time to fully reopen New Mexico!”

The rallies will take place at 10:00 a.m. and participants are encouraged to bring “General freedom signs, vax, lockdowns, etc.,” according to the New Mexico Freedoms Alliance. In Albuquerque, participants will meet at San Mateo and Central, in Las Cruces, participants will meet at Main and Picacho, and in Silver City, participants will meet at Swan and 180.

For more information, please reach out to the following: Albuquerque naturallyhealthykaren@fastmail.com, Las Cruces concernedfornm@gmail.com, and Silver City johnfoldan@gmail.com.

Three NM cities participate in worldwide freedom rallies Saturday Read More »

TODAY: NM House considering 20+ cent per gallon gas tax on the poor—sign up to testify

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On Tuesday, the New Mexico House Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-Bernalillo, Santa Fe, Torrance, and Valencia) will hear radical gas tax on the poor bill S.B. 11 sponsored by Sen. Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo). Your testimony is requested to stop this anti-worker, anti-energy bill.

S.B. 11 puts extreme clean fuel standards on businesses that produce or import transportation fuels and fuels used in motor vehicles. The restrictions on these companies would force them to invest in costly upgrades to their fuel standards, meaning these costs would transfer to the consumers. The bill also adds vague and sweeping “enviro-justice” provisions to state law.

In California and Oregon, where clean fuel standards are already in place, there are already increased costs of up to 24 cents per gallon on gas, which directly hurts poor consumers. Similar bills have been enacted in Oregon and California, states where the gas prices are 119% and 135% higher than the national average, respectively, according to AAA.

In Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee, Stewart got flustered with people calling her bill out for harming poor New Mexicans, where she insisted, “You know what gas costs in Europe? It costs $6-7 a gallon!” She said people drove smaller electric cars in the region and said she didn’t appreciate “the sky is falling” arguments regarding concerns attributed to her bill. Stewart also complained about the committee hearing nearing two hours long on her bill. 

However, senators from rural areas did, indeed, have concerns about her bill since many people in more remote areas have to drive farther to go to work and to get basic needs from neighboring towns. This de-facto gas tax would harm the poorest New Mexicans. 

But despite any logical argument otherwise, Stewart insists her bill will bring industry to New Mexico, while poor citizens foot the bill for her pipe dream. S.B. 11 was rammed through the Senate and now is being fast-tracked through the House of Representatives. The bill is a priority of far-left Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

ACTION ALERT: 

The New Mexico House Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee will meet today (Tuesday, March 16, 2020) at 8:00 a.m to consider the bill. Please attend and give your testimony against the radical measure which will hurt the poor and middle classes. You can join the meeting with the below information:

Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88692377623  Or iPhone one-tap : US: +16699009128,,88692377623# or +12532158782,,88692377623# Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 Webinar ID: 886 9237 7623

Please reach out to members of the committee and urge them to oppose S.B. 11:

TODAY: NM House considering 20+ cent per gallon gas tax on the poor—sign up to testify Read More »

URGENT ALERT: Sign up to testify against anti-life assisted suicide via lethal drugs bill TODAY

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On Sunday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will consider radical assisted suicide H.B. 47 sponsored by Rep. Deborah Armstrong (D-Bernalillo) at 3:00 p.m. Please sign up to testify below.

The bill seeks to further normalize a culture of death in New Mexico by letting medical professionals prescribe lethal drugs to patients who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness that could take their lives anytime up to six months.

H.B. 47, which devalues human life and dangerously violates ethical codes in medicine, is sponsored by anti-life extremist Rep. Deborah Armstrong (D-Bernalillo) and a few other partisan Democrats in the Legislature. 

The American Medical Association (AMA) itself decries assisted suicide as an affront to the practice of medicine. According to the American Medical Association’s Code of Ethics Medical Opinion 5.7: 

“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.” 

“Instead of engaging in assisted suicide, physicians must aggressively respond to the needs of patients at the end of life. Physicians:

Should not abandon a patient once it is determined that cure is impossible.

Must respect patient autonomy.

Must provide good communication and emotional support.

Must provide appropriate comfort care and adequate pain control.

In Oregon and California–states that allow assisted suicide–patients have been denied payment for treatments to save their lives, but have been told that less-costly lethal drugs would be covered. Assisted suicide creates a strong economic incentive to deny treatment, which is the antithesis of the above medical ethics mandate from the AMA to provide appropriate comfort care and adequate pain control. 

According to official numbers from Oregon, suicide in the general population in the state is 40% above the national average during the 20 year period that Oregon has had legal assisted suicide. 

In July, it was reported that New Mexico’s suicide rate was the highest in the nation. This bill would further encourage suicide as a socially acceptable alternative to life–a dangerous mindset to place in the minds of people young and old living in our state. By embracing more death and treating people who have a terminal illness as expendable, New Mexico would be dehumanizing individuals and treating them as a burden. 

In Canada, where assisted suicide is legal for the ill and the elderly, they are now trying to force through assisted suicide for people who have disabilities, claiming it will save health care costs (as the country has a socialized medicine system). They are threatening patients, such as a man named Roger Foley, who has cerebellar ataxia, a degenerative neurological condition, giving him only two options: pay $1,800 per day to remain in a hospital after he was mistreated at a government-assigned agency home care center, or kill himself with life-ending drugs. The legalization of H.B. 47 would usher in the so-called “progressive” policies of Canada, ultimately leading to disabled people being included in future bills to kill themselves because they are given impossible choices such as the one Mr. Foley had.

Also, the unsafe life-ending drugs used in the killing of these terminally ill patients would force patients to agree to the below statement that they understand it could take longer than three hours of excruciating pain for them to finally be poisoned to death:

“I understand the full import of this request, and I expect to die if I self-administer the medical aid in dying medication prescribed. I further understand that although most deaths occur within three hours, my death may take longer.” 

As Charlie Camosy, a bioethics professor in the theology department of Fordham University in New York said, “A medical system that kills is no longer recognizable as healing and caring.”

Here is a quick and informative video from the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition against H.B. 47:

ACTION ALERT: 

H.B. 47 will be heard on Monday. However, the committee requires people to sign up 24 hours in advance to testify. Please sign up to testify by emailing SJC@nmlegis.gov with your Name, Entity Represented, Bill #, For or Against, and indicate if you wish to speak. Written comments are limited to 300 words or less. You will be contacted by our Zoom Operator with the virtual meeting instructions.

Your help in defeating this bill will mean the difference between a culture of life or a culture of careless death in New Mexico. We should champion policies that promote life for all people in New Mexico, from conception to natural death. Contact the committee members here:

URGENT ALERT: Sign up to testify against anti-life assisted suicide via lethal drugs bill TODAY Read More »

TODAY: GOP-led independent redistricting commission bill to be heard in House committee

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On Friday at 11:30 a.m., the House Judiciary Committee will hear a Republican-led effort by Rep. Rebecca Dow (R-Truth or Consequences) for New Mexico to form an independent redistricting commission.

H.B. 211, which has previously earned unanimous support in House committees, would create a seven-member redistricting body comprised of two Democrats, two Republicans, and two members belonging to neither major party. 

The commission would fairly redraw district maps without partisans from either side getting to redraw districts to their benefit. It prohibits the use of partisan data, voting history, party registration and prohibits favoring a particular party or incumbent. 

H.B. 211 also discourages litigation over new district maps, requires compliance with the Voter Rights Act, and compels citizen input, which before has not happened. 

A competing Democrat-backed bill by Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto (D-Bernalillo) in the New Mexico Senate is cloaked as an independent commission, but would allow partisans to draw district lines, let lawmakers draw their own districts, and would welcome costly litigation. 

Citizens are asked to testify in favor of the bill by Republican representatives. Please join in to testify at 11:30 a.m. in the House Judiciary Committee. 

Here’s an easy sheet to compare the two proposals:

Meeting information can be found here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89543370073

Or iPhone one-tap : US: +16699009128,,89543370073# or +12532158782,,89543370073# Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 – Webinar ID: 895 4337 0073

You can reach out to members of the House Judiciary Committee by calling thier offices or emailing their inboxes here:

Gail Chasey (Chair) | Capitol: (505) 986 – 4411 | Email: gail@gailchasey.com

Micaela Lara Cadena (Vice-Chair) | Capitol: (505) 986 – 4210 | Email: micaela.cadena@nmlegis.gov

Eliseo Lee Alcon | Capitol: ( 505) 986 – 4416 | Email: eliseo.alcon@nmlegis.gov

Deborah A. Armstrong | Capitol: (505) 986 – 4344 | Email: deborah.armstrong@nmlegis.gov

Zachary J. Cook | Capitol: (505) 986 – 4221 | Email: zachary .cook @ nmlegis.gov

Brian Egolf | Capitol: (505) 986 – 4782 | Email: brian.egolf@nmlegis.gov

Daymon Ely | Capitol: (505) 986 – 4243 | Email:daymon.ely@nmlegis.gov

Georgene Louis | Capitol: (505) 986 – 4329 | Email: georgene.louis@nmlegis.gov

Matthew McQueen | Capitol: (505) 986 – 4423 | Email: matthew.mcqueen@nmlegis.gov

Greg Nibert | Capitol: ( 505) 986 – 4211 | Email: greg.nibert@nmlegis.gov

William “Bill” R. Rehm | Capitol: (505) 986 – 4214 | Email: bill.rehm@nmlegis.gov

James G. Townsend | Capitol: (505) 986 – 4758 | Email: townsend@pvtn.net

TODAY: GOP-led independent redistricting commission bill to be heard in House committee Read More »

Legislative Update: Conscience protection, race-baiting bills to be heard in Senate committees

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Wednesday is another busy day at the Legislature, and many radical bills will be heard in committee. Please show up to testify against bad bills and for good bills. All the information you may need to testify is below: 

HEALTH & PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino, Chair – Wednesday, March 10, 2021 – 1/2 hour after floor session

Note: the New Mexico Senate is set to convene at 11:00 a.m. 

SB 323 HEALTH CARE WORKERS PROTECTION ACT by Sen. Gregg Schmedes (R-Bernalillo, Sandoval, Santa Fe & Torrance) and Rep. Rebecca Dow (R-Grant, Hidalgo & Sierra) – GOOD

According to the bill’s fiscal impact report, “Senate Bill 323 would establish that medical care providers, hospitals, and healthcare insurers have the right to refuse to provide or participate in a procedure (e.g., abortion). It provides for penalties against those who violate provisions in the act and whistleblower protection for those who report violations of the act.” 

This bill will protect health care workers’ rights of conscience and would help keep health care workers in New Mexico. This bill is #6 on the agenda for the committee.

For public participation, complete the registration form by clicking the following link https://ggle.io/3pe5. You will be contacted by our Zoom Operator with virtual meeting instructions. The deadline to respond is Tues. March 9 at 5:00 p.m (although sign-up may be allowed up to one hour before the committee starts). If you do not receive a response, check your “junk” email.  

JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
Senator Joseph Cervantes, Chair – Wednesday, March 10, 2021 – 1/2 hour after floor session

SB 230 – INSTITUTIONAL RACISM IN STATE AGENCIES by Sen. Linda Lopez (D-Bernalillo) – BAD

“SB230 directs each state agency or entity that receives state funding to annually develop and submit a plan to address institutional racism as part of its annual final budget submission. SB230 would require copies of the annual plans to be provided to the Legislature, the Legislative Finance Committee, and the Courts, Corrections, & Justice Committee,” according to the Fiscal Impact Report. 

This bill would foster racism within state agencies based upon arbitrary attributes that employees cannot control. This would further bureaucratize New Mexico state agencies and waste hard-earned taxpayer money on programs that do not directly benefit the state in any way, shape, or form. 

H.B. 4 NM CIVIL RIGHTS ACT by Rep. Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe) and Rep. Georgene Louis (D-Bernalillo) – BAD 

The bill would open local governments into bankrupting civil rights claims in state court, remove “qualified immunity,” and put a target on law enforcers’ backs. The bill would also open local governments up to massive costs with frivolous civil litigation complaints.

Brain Egolf, the bill’s sponsor would directly benefit from the bill’s passage, as 60% of his private law practice are civil rights cases and civil litigation. 

For public participation send an email to SJC@nmlegis.gov with your Name, Entity Represented, Bill #, For or Against, and indicate if you wish to speak. Written comments are limited to 300 words or less. The deadline to respond is Wednesday, March 10 at 10:00 a.m. You will be contacted by our Zoom Operator with the virtual meeting instructions.

Legislative Update: Conscience protection, race-baiting bills to be heard in Senate committees Read More »

Legislative Update: Recreational pot, gas tax hike bills to be heard in committee Tuesday

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With less than two weeks left in the 2021 Legislative Session, there are many bills being rammed through committees by Democrats in both chambers, and here are some key pieces of legislation that will be heard in committee on Tuesday:

SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
SENATOR GEORGE MUÑOZ, CHAIRMAN – Tuesday, March 9, 2021, 9:30 a.m.

S.B. 11 CLEAN FUEL STANDARD ACT (also known as the 20-cent gas tax on the poor act) by Sen. Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo). 

The bill puts extreme clean fuel standards on businesses that produce or import transportation fuels and fuels used in motor vehicles. The restrictions on these companies would force them to invest in costly upgrades to their fuel standards, meaning these costs would transfer to the consumers. The bill also adds vague and sweeping “enviro-justice” provisions to state law.

In California and Oregon, where clean fuel standards are already in place, there are already increased costs of up to 24 cents per gallon on gas, which directly hurts poor consumers. 

Call these Senators and ask them to oppose S.B. 11–the gas tax on the poor and the middle classes. 

  • George Munoz (D), Chair, 505-397-8836, senatormunoz@gmail.com
  • Nancy Rodriguez (D), Vice Chair, 505-397-8844, nancy.rodriguez@nmlegis.gov
  • William E. Sharer (R), Ranking Member, 505-986-4381, bill@williamsharer.com
  • William F. Burt (R), 505-986-4366, bill.burt@nmlegis.gov
  • Pete Campos (D), 505-397-8818, pete.campos@nmlegis.gov
  • Jacob Candelaria (D), 505-397-8819, jacob.candelaria@nmlegis.gov
  • Crystal R. Diamond (R), 505-986-4703, crystal.diamond@nmlegis.gov
  • Roberto “Bobby” Gonzales (D), 505-397-8825, Roberto.gonzales@nmlegis.gov
  • Siah Correa Hemphill (D), 505-397-8821, siah.hemphill@nmlegis.gov
  • Jeff Steinborn (D), 505-397-8852, jeff.steinborn@nmlegis.gov
  • Pat Woods (R), 986-4393, pat.woods@nmlegis.gov

On Monday, the committee took public comment on S.B. 11, but committee debate and the final committee vote was rolled over to Tuesday. There is still time to email senators to oppose the bill.

TAX, BUSINESS AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
Senator Benny Shendo Jr., Chair – Tuesday, March 9, 2021 – 1:30 p.m. or 15 minutes after floor session – Virtual Zoom Meeting

H.B. 12 CANNABIS REGULATION ACT by Rep. Javier Martinez (D-Bernalillo) and Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe). This marijuana legalization bill according to the bill sponsor, “makes for the perfect conditions if you will. I don’t think the opportunity has ever been better than it is now to pass a legalization bill.” He says New Mexico needs the bill to cover for gaps in the budget, despite revenue projections being astronomically lower with recreational legalization of pot in states that have legalized it like the state of Colorado.

The revenue projections from the fiscal impact report claim in 2022 the law will increase state revenues by $15,186,000. Mind you, the state’s projected budget is over $7 billion, meaning pot legalization would only make up 0.2% of revenues. Even with the bill’s higher projections of $35,128,400 in revenues by 2024, that would only be approximately 0.5% of the needed revenues for a state budget projected at $7 billion. 

Pro-family groups such as the Family Policy Alliance are organizing against the legalized pot bills, making the case that, “Since Colorado legalized recreational weed, our neighboring state has seen a dramatic increase in violent crime, traffic fatalities, and marijuana hospitalizations. And usage by minors – sometimes fatal, from eating poorly regulated marijuana “candies” – has soared.” 

S.B. 288 CANNABIS REGULATION ACT by Sen. Cliff Pirtle (R-Chaves, Eddy and Otero) does much of the same that Rep. Martinez’s bill would, however, it would bring in even less revenue, operating at a net loss of over $2 million from the state’s General Fund in fiscal year 2022 and the most it would bring in for the state would be $8,078,400 in fiscal year 2024, as projected in the fiscal impact report. Local governments’ tax revenue would be higher than the state’s.

Read more about New Mexico legislators bankrolled by the big marijuana lobby. 

For public participation send an email to SCORC@nmlegis.gov with your Name, Entity Represented, Bill #, For or Against and indicate if you wish to speak. The deadline to respond is Tuesday, March 9 at 10:00 a.m. You will be contacted by our Zoom Operator with the virtual meeting instructions. 

Legislative Update: Recreational pot, gas tax hike bills to be heard in committee Tuesday Read More »

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