New Mexico

Lujan Grisham refuses to withdraw Indian Affairs Dept. pick despite rape charge

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James Mountain, a former San Ildefonso governor who is Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s pick to lead the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department, was previously indicted on charges of rape, kidnapping, and aggravated battery back in 2007.

According to KUNM, “in 2010, the charges were dropped because the prosecution had insufficient evidence to proceed to trial, and court records were then sealed.” 

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported at the time: 

Mountain threw the victim down on the bed and got on top of her, the report says. The victim said she told Mountain “no,” and he should stop when he began to touch her breasts under her shirt and “get aggressive,” according to the report. Mountain took off her jeans and underwear and raped her, the report says.

“When (the victim) began to scream for (her cousin) to help her, James covered her face with a white pillow he had grabbed from the head of the bed,” the report says. “(The victim) told James she could not breathe and explained she thought she was going to lose consciousness.”

When Mountain finished, the victim ran out the bedroom door, which had been locked, and woke up her cousin, the report states. She told the cousin what had happened and the cousin called 911, according to the report.

The Associated Press reported, “On Friday, as calls for Mountain’s recusal from state leaders and activists continued to surface, a spokesperson for New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the governor was ‘aware’ of the allegations against Mountain but does not intend to withdraw her nomination.” 

Democrat state Sen. Antoinette Sedillo-Lopez said that Mountain should be “fully vetted” before being confirmed by the state Senate for the role.

“I’m very troubled by the idea of having someone with his kind of record in that position that oversees the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives Task Force,” she said.

State Sen. Shannon Pinto (D-Tohatchi) said, “I’ve been fighting this, will fight it ‘til the end,” adding, “There’s not any compromise for me in it to support it in any manner. It’s just not something that can happen right now. This is not the time. This is not the place. This is not the position that can be compromised, as far as the figurehead representing Native American people within our state.”

It is unclear if Mountain will make it through the Senate confirmation process amid the rape allegations that still loom large over his confirmation. 

NM Senate panel narrowly passes paid family leave bill

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The New Mexico Senate Finance Committee narrowly passed S.B. 11 by Sen. Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo), which would create “ a 12-week Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) benefit for nearly all workers in the state,” according to the bill’s fiscal impact report.

“The bill would require employee contributions of 0.5 percent and employer contributions of 0.4 percent of wages into the newly established PFML fund.” However, businesses with five employees or fewer would be exempt.

Sen. George Muñoz (D-Gallup) joined the four Republicans on the panel to reject the bill, although it squeaked by on a 6-5 vote.

According to the Albuquerque Journal, Sen. William Sharer (R-Farmington) said, “We want to be compassionate. We just don’t want to have our hands tied about how compassionate we have to be.”

Terri Cole, the president and CEO of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, said during testimony, “If you pass this bill, New Mexico will become more corporate and less unique.”

The Journal noted, “Specifically, the bill analysis projected the fund could face a $516 million deficit by the 2028 budget year — a figure that could cause the state Workforce Solutions Department to order an increase in the premium amount that businesses and employees would have to pay into the fund.”

Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has not yet endorsed the bill, although it is likely she would if it came to her desk.

Leftists have been ramming extreme bills through this session, including proposals to force public bodies to facilitate abortions and transgender surgeries (H.B. 7), new gun bans (H.B. 9), bills to weaken New Mexico elections (H.B. 4), and eco-left bills (H.B. 95), which have already passed the House.

S.B. 11 now heads to the Senate floor for a full vote, and if it is successful, it will need to pass the House in the fewer than four weeks left in the 2023 Legislative Session.

NM House passes extreme abortion, transgender, election bills

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On Tuesday, the New Mexico House of Representatives passed two extreme pieces of legislation, one regarding abortion and transgenderism and one regarding elections. 

H.B. 7 by Rep. Linda Serrato (D-Santa Fe), which would force public bodies to facilitate abortions and “gender-affirming care,” passed the chamber on a vote of 38-31 after a lengthy three-hour debate. Six Democrats joined all Republicans in opposing the extreme bill.

Serrato claimed the bill would save lives due to access to abortion and gender procedures, despite statistics showing such access either increases suicide (regarding abortion) or doesn’t statistically affect suicide rates (gender procedures). 

Republicans offered multiple amendments, including creating standards of care and mandating parental involvement in a gender or abortion surgery.

The bill 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.

H.B. 4, by Rep. Gail Chasey (D-Bernalillo), passed the chamber after a three-hour debate at around 11:21 p.m.

The bill would create an automatic absentee voter registry and automatic registration at the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) without customers’ consent and allow felon voting, among other measures that would be ripe for fraud. 

Extreme abortion, ‘gender-affirming care,’ election bills to have Tues. House votes

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On Tuesday, two extreme Democrat proposals to weaken New Mexico election laws and force state entities to facilitate abortions and “gender-affirming care” will face final consideration on the state House floor during the evening session starting at approximately 4:30 p.m. 

H.B. 4 is a major elections measure sponsored by Speaker Javier Martínez (D-Bernalillo) and House Majority Floor Leader Gail Chasey (D-Bernalillo), among other Democrats from both chambers. 

The bill would create an automatic absentee voter registry and automatic registration at the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) without customers’ consent and allow felon voting, among other measures that would be ripe for fraud. 

H.B. 7 by Rep. Linda Serrato (D-Santa Fe) 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.

On Monday, pro-lifers rallied at the Capitol to support the right to life and parental rights while rejecting the extreme H.B. 7, which would harm children inside and outside of the womb.

The bills will be a major test of how moderate Democrats vote regarding abortion and weakening New Mexico elections. All legislators’ contact information can be found here. 

Pro-life lobby day at Capitol Monday, heartbeat bill hearing Wednesday

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The upcoming week will be jam-packed for the right to life, with many events coming up to support life at the Roundhouse.

On Monday, pro-life groups, including the New Mexico Alliance for Life (NMAFL), will join family-focused groups, including the New Mexico Family Action Movement, among pro-life legislators. 

NMAFL wrote, “New Mexico Alliance for Life is proud to announce we are hosting the Pro-Life Lobby Day and Press Conference with New Mexico Legislators and New Mexico Family Action Movement at the Capitol on President’s Day, from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM! Plan to arrive early in order to find parking, plan to visit legislative offices after the press conference, and invite others! Make your voice heard, and come hear from the experts about what you can do to stay involved!” 

Extremist Abortion and ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ Bill Vote Imminent

The advocacy day at the Roundhouse comes as Democrats seek to ram through an extremist bill, H.B. 7, to force state employees to facilitate abortions and transgender surgeries/hormone blockers, including for minors.

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.

State Sen. Gregg Schmedes, M.D. (R-Albuquerque), commented about the bill, “As a parent and practicing physician, I am deeply concerned about HB 7 forcing teachers and public employees to facilitate elective procedures – despite the best interest of our children. There are negative impacts to the mental, physical, and emotional health of any elective procedure and HB 7 completely ignores the actual science.”

The bill could be heard on the House floor any day now, as it has passed two committees and now sits in contention to pass the lower chamber.

Heartbeat Bill

On Wednesday, the House Health and Human Services Committee will hear H.B. 258, also known as the “New Mexico Heartbeat Act,” sponsored by state Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo), to protect human life in the womb from the moment a fetal heartbeat is detected. 

The meeting will likely take place at 8:30 a.m. in the Capitol’s Room 307, and the Zoom details will be soon available, so check back at this article for the credentials. The bill was previously scheduled for Friday, but it was pushed to this Wednesday due to time constraints. 

Tucker ponders if Biden regime will shoot down ABQ balloon fiesta balloons

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On Friday, Tucker Carlson, host of Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight, pondered what a “helpful” balloon is after Kamala Harris recently said in an interview that the Chinese spy balloon was “not helpful.”

 “Surely and certainly, that balloon was not helpful, which is why we shot it down,” Harris said in an interview with NBC News.

Carlson said in his monologue, “A new policy has been announced by Kamala Harris, and that is that all ‘non-helpful’ balloons will be shot down.”

“Now, unfortunately, hot air balloon season is starting soon in Albuquerque and around the country. Are they going to be shot down? Are they helpful balloons or non-helpful balloons ‘in terms of’ shooting them down?” 

He added, “Balloonists across America need some clarification on that.” 

Although tongue in cheek, Carlson’s point notes how apparently clueless the Joe Biden administration is in handling the Chinese spy balloon, which crossed over the entire country and likely took aerial photographs of key United States military installments before being shot down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina.

This week, multiple unidentified flying objects have also been shot down by the Department of Defense, and others have been shot down over the country of Canada.

Watch Carlson’s monologue here:

NM House passes bill to codify the Green New Deal into state Land Office

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On Friday, the state House of Representatives passed H.B. 95, which would codify the “Renewable Energy Office” to fulfill the Energy Transition Act (New Mexico’s Green New Deal) into the state Land Office. 

Currently, the Renewable Energy Office is a function of the Land Office under Democrat state Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard, but the bill would make this office permanent for all future land commissioners. 

During the debate, the sponsor, state Rep. Tara Lujan (D-Santa Fe), admitted that despite wind energy making up around 30 percent of the state’s energy generation, the industry only brought in an annual $10 million in revenue to the Land Office, while oil and gas produced over $2 billion. 

According to the bill’s fiscal impact report, “The office currently has 39 active long-term

renewable energy leases (27 wind and 12 solar) and 33 lease applications under review.” 

It is unclear if there is an exhaustive list of what is included in “renewables,” but the sponsor noted how nuclear energy and extractive industries, such as oil, gas, and coal, were not within the office’s definition of renewable.

“The Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department contends in-state renewable energy is key to meeting the goals of the Energy Transition Act, enacted in 2019,” the fiscal impact report further states.

The bill passed the House. It now moves over to the state Senate for consideration on whether or not the state will codify the Renewable Energy Office.

Heartbeat bill to be heard Friday in House committee

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On Friday, a pro-life bill, H.B. 258, will be heard in the House Health and Human Services Committee at 8:30 a.m. The bill, sponsored by state Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo), is dubbed the “New Mexico Heartbeat Act” to protect children in the womb from the moment a fetal heartbeat is detected.

The bill reads, “A health care provider who knowingly performs an abortion and thereby kills a human fetus without determining, according to standard medical practice, whether the fetus has a detectable heartbeat; without informing the pregnant woman of the results of that determination; or after determining, according to standard medical practice, that the fetus has a heartbeat is guilty of a third degree felony resulting in the death of a human fetus.”

Block’s legislation also reaffirms that the woman would not be liable, but rather the doctor performing the illicit procedure. It reads, “Nothing in this section shall be construed to

allow the prosecution of a woman who receives an abortion.”

Contact the members of the committee to urge their support. Their contact information can be found here: 

  • Chair: Elizabeth “Liz” Thomson (D). District 24 (Bernalillo). Room 314B, 986-4425. Email: liz.thomson@nmlegis.gov
  • Vice Chair: Pamelya Herndon (D). District 28 (Bernalillo). Room 206B, 986-4248. Email: pamelya.herndon@nmlegis.gov
  • Ranking Member: Jenifer Jones (R). District 32 (Doña Ana, Hidalgo & Luna). Room 203A, 986-4227. Email: Jenifer.Jones@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: Kathleen Cates (D). District 44 (Bernalillo & Sandoval). Room 203BN, 986-4254. Email: Kathleen.Cates@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: Eleanor Chavez (D). District 26 (Bernalillo). Room 205B, 986-4242. Email: Eleanor.Chavez@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: Joanne J. Ferrary (D). District 37 (Doña Ana). Room 314C, 986-4844. Email: joanne.ferrary@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: Tara Jaramillo (D). District 38 (Doña Ana, Sierra & Socorro). Room 203AN, 986-4255. Email: Tara.Jaramillo@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: Stefani Lord (R). District 22 (Bernalillo & Torrance). Room 203HN, 986-4453. Email: stefani.lord@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: Reena Szczepanski (D). District 47 (Santa Fe). Room 134C, 986-4777. Email: reena.szczepanski@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: Harlan Vincent (R). District 56 (Lincoln & Otero). Room 203FN, 986-4467. Email: Harlan.Vincent@nmlegis.gov

To testify at the meeting, it will be held at 8:30 a.m. in the state Capitol, room 307. To join via Zoom, the video conference details are below: 

Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84266137922 Page 6 of 10 Or One tap mobile : US: +16699009128, 84266137922# or +17193594580, 84266137922# Webinar ID: 842 6613 7922 International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbtl0LBS50 

Pastor responds to ‘faith leaders’ celebrating abortions

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On Wednesday, so-called “faith leaders” gathered in a committee room at the state Capitol in Santa Fe to promote killing children through abortions. At the press conference, the individuals showcased a letter organized by the “​​New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.” 

The letter proclaimed that the signers “feel called to declare our support for a woman’s ability to access abortion and other reproductive healthcare services as a basic issue of health and safety for women and their families.”

“Our religious principles are grounded in a love and acceptance of all people, and we believe deeply that means ending the shame and stigma associated with abortion and increasing access for all women to a full range of reproductive healthcare options.”

“These women are our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends, and our peers. As people of faith and as New Mexicans, we believe in loving our neighbors and treating one another as we would like to be treated—with dignity and respect,” and therefore, they back aborting children.

At the press conference, the speakers, which included the heads of groups like “Catholics for Choice,” claimed there was a “false narrative” that faith leaders were against abortion. 

Robert Tso, pastor of Victory Life Church in Shiprock, and Republican Party of New Mexico Executive Committee member responded to the pro-abortion so-called “faith leaders.”

“More than ever, faith leaders need to speak up for life and confront progressive politics that seek to compromise God’s word. We should lead young women to the grace and love of Jesus Christ, not the abortion clinic,” he wrote in a statement. 

“Our Christian faith does not stand for the murder of innocent life and as faith leaders, we must ‘let our yes be yes, and our no be no’ without compromise on this matter (Matthew 5:37). Scripture says, ‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you,’ affirming every unborn life has value and purpose (Jeremiah 1:5). Let us continue to pray for the end of abortion and for a state that honors the sanctity of life.”

The Republican Party of New Mexico wrote in addition, “The Republican Party of New Mexico strongly opposes anti-life bills like HB 7 and other legislation pushed by progressive Democrats that will solidify New Mexico as the nation’s abortion capital.” 

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

NM House Dems pass bill to let children change name without parental consent

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On Tuesday, Democrats in the New Mexico House of Representatives voted 43-24 for H.B. 31 to allow children under 14 to change their legal name without parental consent or public notice.

“If the court finds that notice to one or more legal parents or legal guardians of a child who is under fourteen years of age will jeopardize the child’s or the applicant’s personal safety, the court shall not require notice,” the bill reads.

The bill, however, does not say what would constitute “jeopardizing” the child’s safety. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos), said during the debate that the entire matter would fall under a judge’s discretion.

Previously, in the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee, Chandler’s expert witness repeatedly told the committee that children under 14 would need parental consent. That turned out to be a lie. 

On the House floor, Reps. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park), Greg Nibert (R-R0swell), and John Block (R-Alamogordo) made comments decrying the lack of parental consent.

Nibert talked about how he did not support sealing these records and depriving the parents of being able to make decisions for their children. He noted the “unintended consequences” of doing that. 

Lord spoke about how this legislation could enable pedophiles and groomers to have easier access to harm children.

Block said, “It concerns me a 14-year-old could change their name without any parental involvement or consent. It’s a very slippery slope we’re going down. It’s bad policy.”

Supporters of the bill include the Transgender Resource Center for New Mexico, Planned Parenthood of Rocky Mountains, Equality New Mexico, and Bold Futures.

H.B. 31 now heads to the state Senate where it will be considered. If it passed the chamber, it will then head to Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk for a signature. 

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