New Mexico

Minimum wage hike bill dies in committee

On Monday, the New Mexico House Commerce and Economic Development Committee voted 6-4 to table H.B. 28, a bill by Rep. Miguel Garcia (D-Albuquerque) to increase the minimum wage by tying it to the Consumer Price Index, an inflation calculator.

Two Democrats joined all the Republicans on the panel in tabling the bill.

The move likely spells doom for another bill by Rep.Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos), H.B. 25, which would dive up the minimum wage to $15.50 by January 1, 2025. 

Garcia described his bill as “dead.”

Following the meeting, Chandler told the Santa Fe New Mexican, “I still think we need to increase the minimum wage and apply the [consumer price index],” claiming she feels “pretty good” about her bill’s chances of passage. 

Chandler’s bill reads, “On January 1, 2026 and on January 1 of each successive year, the minimum wage rate provided by Paragraph (4) of Subsection A and Paragraph (5) of Subsection C of this section shall be adjusted by multiplying the minimum wage as of January 1, 2025 by a fraction, the numerator of which is the consumer price index ending in September of the previous year and the denominator of which is the consumer price index ending September 2024; provided that the minimum wage rate shall not be adjusted downward as a result of a decrease in the consumer price index. By November 1, 2025 and by November 1 of each successive year, the workforce solutions department shall post on its website and otherwise notify employers of the minimum wage for the next year.”

Rep. Linda Serrato (D-Santa Fe) said, “Minimum wage shouldn’t be determined by a legislative body.”

Now, as the committee moves to consider Chandler’s bill, hesitancy by a majority of the panel’s members could mean it will meet a similar fate. 

Alamogordo Public Schools puts CRT-pushing superintendent on admin. leave

On Sunday, the Alamogordo Public School Board voted unanimously to put Superintendent Kenneth Moore on paid administrative leave amid a lawsuit filed by the Flickinger Performing Arts Center’s executive director Lorrie Black and a video released showing Moore demeaning community members. The move came after the board members met for an executive session that day.

Black wrote in a February 9, 2023 press release, “The Flickinger Center for Performing Arts has entered into a lawsuit against Alamogordo Public School Board and Superintendent Kenneth Moore. The Flickinger Center’s mission states ‘…. reaching our local student population with live music, dance and theater.’ For many years, the Flickinger Center has provided free use of the facility to public schools, private schools, and home school students for band, choir, orchestra concerts, theatrical performances, and awards programs.  Six to ten times per year, the Flickinger Center pays additional fees to their Premier Series performers to provide free school educational outreach programs for all area public and private schools.”

“The Flickinger Center was extremely disappointed to learn that the Alamogordo Public School Board allowed Superintendent Moore to make the decision that the Flickinger Center was no longer an approved facility for the students and teachers at Alamogordo Public Schools to use.  The Flickinger Center looks forward to a quick resolution to this conflict and get the students at Alamogordo Public Schools back into the theater.”

In an undercover video posted via YouTube by Casey and Myke Petersen, Moore was seen at a conference telling attendees he and his administration are stealthily sneaking in Critical Race Theory through the curriculum.

Moore said in the video, “I mentioned guerrilla warfare. We have to do it subtly to work. We can’t even say ‘equity,’ you know?” He also said, “We’re sneaking [Critical Race Theory] in. It’s guerrilla warfare.”

He must “be careful that we don’t let the ‘e’ word slip (equity) out of our mouths, lest we get shot or something like that” he said.

In other comments made by Moore in the video, he demeaned Alamogordo residents, saying, “If you’ve ever heard of Alamogordo — Otero County — and I’m not knocking the place, but been there four years, and if ever there was a time and a place for discussions about race and equity to take place, it’s in this little town called Alamogordo, New Mexico, where many people would rather not have this discussion, would rather bury their heads in the sand when it comes to race…. If you look up ‘Otero County news’ on Google, where you’ll see headlines from a couple [of] days ago here, you’ll see how we’re trying out fascism as a type of government. I am embarrassed by the county government and the things that are going on.” 

He later said, “They have also co-opted religion with this. They believe they are doing God’s work by doing this…. Alamogordo has been a place where these people go to.” He said, “This has become a place that’s only attractive to Trumpers.” 

When asked how he, a progressive, became superintendent, he answered, “I have four board members that are on the fence, and they support me because I’m a safe white guy, really.” 

“We got less triggering CRT training for our teachers. It was more on implicit bias and things like that that they could take a bite out of without — without much of the backlash…. Never talk CRT. They don’t know what it is, but if those three letters are there, it blows back in our face[s]. So, we’ve done a lot of the implicit bias, the microaggression stuff… SEL (social and emotional learning).” 

“If I could force ‘em all, one by one, into something like this (CRT), we might get ten percent of them to open their eyes,” Moore said.

Following the release of the video, state Rep. John Block of Alamogordo wrote in a statement, “I am extraordinarily proud to represent my home of Alamogordo in the Roundhouse. I am equally disgusted by comments made in a recent undercover video showing our public school superintendent demeaning the good people who live in our community as racists and fascists. This angers me to see such disrespect for our great community, and I will continue to work with our local officials to continue promoting our Otero County values while ensuring children in the Alamogordo Public Schools are not indoctrinated with racist Critical Race Theory extremism.” 

District Three Alamogordo City Commissioner Karl Melton wrote, “Public education is an institution that requires mutual trust to operate. Parents should never be worried what is being taught behind their back.”

The Flickinger Center and Black’s 34-page lawsuit against APS and Moore was filed in the Twelfth Judicial District Court. The full complaint can be found here.

Board Member Angie Cadwallader made the motion for Moore to be put on leave, although it is not immediately clear what the specific reason was for his administrative status change. Deputy Superintendent Pam Renteria has been named acting superintendent while Moore remains on leave. That motion was made unanimously by the Alamogordo Public School Board. The public meeting lasted around only five minutes for the board to conduct its business.

House committee tables bill to let 16 and 17-year-olds vote

On Saturday in the House Government, Elections, and Indian Affairs Committee, a bipartisan group of representatives tabled H.B. 217 by Reps. Christine Trujillo (D-Bernalillo) and Christina Ortez (D-Taos). The bill would have allowed 16 and 17-year-olds to vote.

The bill also notes that 17-year-olds would be allowed to vote in state primaries if they are 18 by the time the primary election is over. “For the purposes of a political primary, 17-year-olds may also currently vote if they will turn 18 on or before the general election immediately succeeding that primary election,” reads the fiscal impact report (FIR) for the bill, which implies that even in federal elections the minor could vote.

The FIR further notes that this move could likely increase Democrat voter turnout, according to Tufts University.

It reads, “[I]t should be noted Tufts University’s Tisch College of Civic Life find that 63 percent of voters aged 18 to 29 nationally voted for democratic candidates in the House of Representative elections, so it is possible that allowing 16-year-olds to vote as provided for in HB217 could result in a disproportionate increase in turnout for democratic candidates. However, it is unclear whether this is because 16-year-old Democrats are more likely to turn out to vote or that 16-year-olds are more likely to be Democratic-leaning. Further, data does not indicate whether the turnout from youth voters (ages 18 to 29) effectively changed the results of prior elections.”

Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo) noted a scientific study by Tak Wing Chan, Ph.D., and Matthew Clayton, D.Phil., which read, “research in neuroscience suggests that the brain, specifically the prefrontal cortex, is still undergoing major reconstruction and development during the teenage years.” He said he was going to be “following the science” and reject the bill.

The bill ultimately died on a tie 4-4 vote, with Reps. Block, Bill Rehm (R-Albuquerque), D. Wonda Johnson (D-Rehoboth), and Martin Zamora (R-Santa Rosa) all voting against the bill. 

Similar bills in the past have shared similar fates, with science proving that 16 and 17-year-olds would not be appropriate qualified electors. 

Dem bill to let 16 and 17-year-olds vote scheduled for Saturday hearing

On Saturday, a bill by Reps. Christine Trujillo (D-Bernalillo) and Christina Ortez (D-Taos), H.B. 217, would make 16 and 17-year-olds “qualified electors” will be heard in New Mexico House Government, Elections, and Indian Affairs Committee. 

The bill also notes that 17-year-olds would be allowed to vote in state primaries if they are 18 by the time the primary election is over. “For the purposes of a political primary, 17-year-olds may also currently vote if they will turn 18 on or before the general election immediately succeeding that primary election,” reads the fiscal impact report (FIR) for the bill, which implies that even in federal elections the minor could vote.

The FIR further notes that this move could likely increase Democrat voter turnout, according to Tufts University.

It reads, “[I]t should be noted Tufts University’s Tisch College of Civic Life find that 63 percent of voters aged 18 to 29 nationally voted for democratic candidates in the House of Representative elections, so it is possible that allowing 16-year-olds to vote as provided for in HB217 could result in a disproportionate increase in turnout for democratic candidates. However, it is unclear whether this is because 16-year-old Democrats are more likely to turn out to vote or that 16-year-olds are more likely to be Democratic-leaning. Further, data does not indicate whether the turnout from youth voters (ages 18 to 29) effectively changed the results of prior elections.” 

The committee will consider the bill on Saturday, February 11, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. in Room 317 of the state Capitol. To join the meeting via Zoom, the instructions are below:

Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88261854647 Or One tap mobile : US: +12532158782,,88261854647# or +13462487799,,88261854647# Webinar ID: 882 6185 4647 International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kqF4xwnAY 

Below, find the contact information for the members of the committee:

  • Chair: D. Wonda Johnson (D). District 5 (McKinley & San Juan). Room 413D, 986-4236. Email: dwonda.johnson@nmlegis.gov
  • Vice Chair: Natalie Figueroa (D). District 30 (Bernalillo). Room 203AN, 986-4255. Email: natalie.figueroa@nmlegis.gov
  • Ranking Member: Martin R. Zamora (R). District 63 (Curry, DeBaca, Guadalupe, Roosevelt & San Miguel). Room 203EN, 986-4211. Email: martin.zamora@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: Janelle Anyanonu (D). District 19 (Bernalillo). Room 203BN, . Email: Janelle.Anyanonu@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: John Block (R). District 51 (Otero). Room 202B, 986-4220. Email: John.Block@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: Gail Chasey (D). District 18 (Bernalillo). Room 134C, 986-4777. Email: gail@gailchasey.com
  • Member: Dayan Hochman-Vigil (D). District 15 (Bernalillo). Room 312A, 986-4327. Email: dayan.hochman-vigil@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: Charlotte Little (D). District 68 (Bernalillo). Room 203CN, 986-4254. Email: Charlotte.Little@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: William “Bill” R. Rehm (R). District 31 (Bernalillo). Room 201B, 986-4214. Email: bill.rehm@nmlegis.gov

Biden appoints MLG to Council of Governors

On Thursday, it was reported that Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was appointed by Joe Biden to sit on the Council of Governors, which consists of five Democrat and five Republican governors appointed by the occupant of the White House. 

“Preparation and planning are the keys to saving lives and property in every crisis from historic wildfires and major weather events to threats against critical infrastructure, protecting our electrical grid and hardening our technological defenses against cyber attacks,” Lujan Grisham said following the appointment. 

Lujan Grisham was appointed alongside Gov. Eric Holcomb (R-Indiana) to fill the vacancies left by former Gov. Kate Brown (D-Oregon) and Gov. Bill Lee (R-Tennessee). Both governors will have two-year terms on the council.

According to the National Governors Association, “The Council consists of ten governors appointed to two-year terms by the President – five from each party – with two governors serving as co-chairs. The Executive Order specifically names a number of federal participants in the Council, including the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security, the President’s Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor, the Commander of U.S. Northern Command and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, among others.” 

The Albuquerque Journal reported that the appointment will be “deepening ties between the state and federal administrations as the 2024 election year looms on the horizon.”

Lujan Grisham previously failed to be picked for the position of Biden’s U.S. Department of Health secretary, losing to Democrat former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Lujan Grisham then opted to run for reelection, narrowly defeating Republican challenger Mark Ronchetti in the November 2022 election.

Biden campaigned for Lujan Grisham during the election, even visiting New Mexico to stump for the embattled governor.

Lujan Grisham will serve on the Council with Governors Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), Tim Walz (D-Minnesota), John Carney (D-Delaware), John Bel Edwards (D-Louisiana), Gretchen Whitmer (D-Michigan), Spencer Cox (R-Utah), Phil Scott (R-Vermont), and Mark Gordon (R-Wyoming).

Anti-gun bill to be heard on House floor Thursday

Democrat state Rep. Pamelya Herndon’s H.B. 9 is set to be heard on the House floor on Thursday, according to state Rep. Luis Terrazas (R-Doña Ana, Grant & Sierra). The bill, which previously passed two committees on party-line votes, forces 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. Now, the House calendar shows H.B. 9 is being heard Thursday, which makes the stakes that much higher for stopping this radical anti-gun legislation.

Contact Democrat legislators to oppose H.B. 9 by copying the following legislators’ emails in the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) section of your email:

eliseo.alcon@nmlegis.gov, Janelle.Anyanonu@nmlegis.gov, Cynthia.Borrego@nmlegis.gov, micaela.cadena@nmlegis.gov, ambrose.castellano@nmlegis.gov, christine.chandler@nmlegis.gov, gail@gailchasey.com, Eleanor.Chavez@nmlegis.gov, art.delacruz@nmlegis.gov, meredith.dixon@nmlegis.gov, joanne.ferrary@nmlegis.gov, natalie.figueroa@nmlegis.gov, doreen.gallegos@nmlegis.gov, hgarciad69@gmail.com, miguel.garcia@nmlegis.gov, joy.garratt@nmlegis.gov, yanira.gurrola@nmlegis.gov, pamelya.herndon@nmlegis.gov, susan.herrera@nmlegis.gov, dayan.hochman-vigil@nmlegis.gov, Tara.Jaramillo@nmlegis.gov, dwonda.johnson@nmlegis.gov, raymundo.lara@nmlegis.gov, derrick.lente@nmlegis.gov, Charlotte.Little@nmlegis.gov, tara.lujan@nmlegis.gov, patricia.lundstrom@nmlegis.gov, willie.madrid@nmlegis.gov, Alan.Martinez@nmlegis.gov, marian.matthews@nmlegis.gov, matthew.mcqueen@nmlegis.gov, kristina.ortez@nmlegis.gov, andrea@andrearomero.com, andres.romero@nmlegis.gov, pat.roybalcaballero@nmlegis.gov, angelica.rubio@nmlegis.gov, debbie.sarinana@nmlegis.gov 

Dems advance anti-gun bills, kill Constitutional Carry proposal

On Tuesday, the New Mexico House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee considered two anti-gun bills sponsored by Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe) and one pro-Second Amendment bill sponsored by Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo).

H.B. 100 by Romero would institute a 14-day waiting period before any New Mexican can purchase a firearm. During the discussion, Block, who sits on the committee, proposed an amendment to exclude those who have filed a protection order and may need to get immediate access to a firearm for self-protection. However, the bill sponsor noted how the amendment was unfriendly to the bill.

After a discussion from Block and Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) about how statistics show there is no evidence showing how such orders protect those who the bill intends to keep safe, the Democrats on the committee voted 4-2 to table the bill, with Block and Lord opposing it. 

Next up was H.B. 101, which would ban New Mexicans from purchasing “high-capacity” rifles over ten rounds or “high-capacity” pistols with over 15 rounds, as well as mostly any gun that has modifications, labeling them “assault” rifles or pistols. It would also “grandfather” current owners of such weapons, but only if they registered with the state on a list. 

During the discussion, Romero claimed that “no rights are absolute” and discounted statistics showing such bans have not worked in the past. Also, constitutional arguments were brushed aside. 

The committee proceeded to vote 4-2 to pass the extreme anti-gun bill.

The Constitutional Carry bill, H.B. 164, which Block co-sponsored with Reps. Lord, Tanya Mirabal Moya (R-Los Lunas), Jimmy Mason (R-Artesia), and Mark Duncan (R-Farmington) had much support from the public, with only a handful of comments made via Zoom opposing the commonsense, which is already implemented in 25 states including liberal Vermont and Maine. Despite the massive public support, the measure also died on a party-line 4-2 vote to table it. 

H.B. 100 and H.B. 101 now advance onward to the House Judiciary Committee, which will now examine the extreme anti-gun proposals.

America’s most deadly abortionist stops offering late-term abortions at ABQ location

According to the pro-life legal group Abortion On Trial, Curtis Boyd’s Albuquerque late-term abortion mill, Southwestern Women’s Options, is no longer performing late-term abortions, only offering patients abortions throughout 23.6 weeks.

Boyd, a former Baptist minister, left the church to commit abortions at a back-alley abortion mill in Athens, Texas. 

According to reporting by Life News, “Before Roe v. Wade in 1973, the Supreme Court Decision that decriminalized abortion in the United States, Boyd was aborting children by the hundreds. Though illegal, Boyd felt that performing abortions was more important than abiding by the law of the land. When word got out about his chop shop, he was forced out of Athens and reopened in Dallas, where he continued to rally support for ‘abortion rights.’”

Boyd said, “Am I killing? Yes, I am. I know that.”

In total, he has personally killed 250,000 children in the womb, according to attorneys who have interviewed him. Throughout his abortion mills, he has committed over 700,000 abortions, or around one percent of all babies aborted since Roe. He is the single biggest abortionist in history. 

Previously, Boyd’s website reflected that he aborted babies “through 32 weeks – Late Term Abortions After 32 Weeks on a Case by Case Basis.” 

Now, Boyd no longer performs the deadly late-term abortion practice, although he continues to kill babies through his abortion centers.

Abortion On Trial reported on Twitter Monday, “We’ve confirmed via scheduling attempts that Curtis Boyd’s infamous SWO abortion facility in Albuquerque is no longer providing late term induction abortion and is now referring out of state.”

Recently, multiple ambulances have been spotted leaving Boyd’s abortion center with patients who had apparently botched procedures. It is not immediately clear if the ending of the late-term practice at his abortion mill is due to unsafe late-term abortions.

The news comes as New Mexico considers radical anti-life legislation with H.B. 7, which would force New Mexico public bodies and employees to aid in abortions and “gender-affirming care.” This comes two years after the legislature legalized unlimited abortion up to birth while stripping all protections for women, medical professionals, and babies in the womb.

Dem anti-gun bills, GOP Constitutional Carry bill to have Tuesday hearing

On Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., the New Mexico House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee will hold a hearing to consider multiple anti-gun bills, as well as one pro-gun Constitutional Carry bill.

The three anti-gun bills that will be heard include the unconstitutional H.B. 50 to ban firearm magazines over nine rounds by Rep. Patricia Roybal-Caballero (D-Albuquerque), H.B. 100, and H.B. 101 by Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe). 

H.B. 101 bans large-capacity magazines “regardless of whether the device is attached to a firearm.” It forces anyone owning such magazines to “remove the large-capacity magazine from the state,” “sell the large-capacity magazine to a licensed firearms dealer,” or “surrender the large-capacity magazine to a law enforcement agency for destruction.” It includes no grandfather clause and would take effect July 1, 2023, if passed. Any violator of the proposed law would be a fourth-degree felon.

Furthermore, anyone who owns any semi-automatic firearm, which Romero dubs an “assault” weapon, would be forced to either “remove the assault weapon from the state,” “render the assault weapon permanently inoperable,” or “surrender the assault weapon to the appropriate law enforcement agency for destruction.” Like the previous section of the bill, anyone not in compliance will become a fourth-degree felon.

H.B. 100 mandates a 14-day waiting period before anyone can buy a firearm in New Mexico.

The Committee will also hear H.B. 164 by Reps. John Block (R-Alamogordo), Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park), Tayna Mirabal Moya (R-Los Lunas), Jimmy Mason (R-Artesia), and Mark Duncan (R-Farmington). The pro-gun bill would legalize Constitutional Carry (permitless carry) in the state for New Mexicans over 18, joining 25 other states, including liberal Maine and Vermont, in enacting such laws. 

The Zoom information for the Tuesday meeting is 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

Contact information for the committee members can be found at this link.

House committee advances bill pushing abortion, ‘gender-affirming care’

On Friday, the state House Health and Human Services Committee advanced a radical piece of legislation, H.B. 7, which would force public bodies to facilitate abortions and transgenderism, dubbed “gender-affirming care,” or face lawsuits. 

The bill also explicitly bans municipalities and counties from passing local laws to protect children in the womb from being aborted, meaning places like Roosevelt County would be banned from enforcing their ordinances.

The bill would “prohibit public bodies from discriminating against persons based on their use or non-use of reproductive or gender-affirming care,” meaning it could push teachers and any other public workers to support body mutilation for all ages, including children, as well as abortion, according to the bill’s fiscal impact report. 

So-called “gender-affirming care” means “psychological, behavioral, surgical, medication, and other medical services to support a person’s gender identity,” while “public bodies” are defined as “state and local governments, commissions, or boards established by the state and any branches of state government, such as school districts and universities, that receive state funding.” It would also open up conscientious objectors to civil suits.

The New Mexico Family Action Movement wrote of the committee, “Although it was a great disappointment to see this bill move forward, we are thankful for the representatives who stood in opposition to it. With meticulous scrutiny of the bill, Rep. Jenifer Jones, Rep. Stefani Lord, and Rep. Harlan Vincent stood firmly against the proposed legislation.” 

Following the bill’s passage through the committee, Ranking Member Jenifer Jones (R-Deming) wrote, “During today’s discussion it became clear that this bill opens up the doors for any agent of any ‘public body’ or organization that receives public funding including [M]edicaid — to include doctors, teachers, firefighters, police, etc. — to be sued privately or by the Attorney General for ‘indirectly interfering’ with anyone seeking abortion or transgender procedures.”

“This means that if a child asks a teacher or doctor for help obtaining an abortion or transgender procedure, and they do not refer them to such a provider, or if they suggest alternative care, the teacher or doctor could potentially be sued for ‘indirectly interfering’ with access to these procedures for up to $5,000 or ‘damages’ including tens of thousands in attorney fees.” 

The bill ultimately passed 7-3 and now heads to the House Judiciary Committee, where it will continue to be scrutinized.

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