The 2022 Legislative Session was sure a rough one — for the Democrats that is. Although there were many long nights and a few all-nighters, New Mexicans from across the state, including so many Piñon Post readers, made their voices heard and secured victories against the Radical Democrat agenda.
Here are some of the biggest victories:
H.B. 156 — Radical Magazine Ban Making Countless New Mexicans Felons
Together, because of all of our calls, emails, and testimony given in House committees, New Mexicans killed H.B. 156, a radical anti-gun bill that would ban firearm magazines containing more than 15 rounds, which would have effectively made many gun owners felons.
The House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee voted to table the radical bill by Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero (D-Bernalillo). During the committee, a poll of attendees showed that 82 people were against the bill (93%) to just six in support (7%).
Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) called the bill a“pipeline to prison” that would affect low-income families. The committee’s vote was 5-0, with no one supporting it. Rep. Randall Pettigrew (R-Lea) made the motion to table the bill. Our editor, John Block, submitted testimony against this bill.
[Read more about it here]
H.B. 9 — Lockup Firearms or Become a Felon
Another radical anti-gun bill, H.B. 9, sponsored by Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Bernalillo), was rejected by the House Appropriations and Finance Committee on a 13-5 vote to table it. The bill would have mandated citizens to lock up their guns, imposing a cost burden on New Mexicans.
“It is unlawful for a person who keeps or stores a firearm to do so in such manner that the firearm is accessed by a minor without the authorization of the minor’s parent or guardian or when used in the commission of a crime,” the bill reads. Our editor, John Block, submitted testimony against this bill.
It continues, “When a firearm is accessed by a minor and used in the commission of a crime, the person who keeps or stores the firearm commits unlawful access to a firearm by a minor and is guilty of a misdemeanor.”
Reps. Patricia Lundstrom (D-McKinley and San Juan), Allison (D-San Juan), Harry Garcia (D-Bernalillo, Cibola, McKinley, Socorro, San Juan, and Valencia), Ambrose Castellano (D-San Miguel, Santa Fe, and Torrance), and Candie Sweetser (D-Grant, Hidalgo, Luna) voted with the Republicans on the Committee to table the bill. Our editor, John Block, submitted testimony against this bill.
[Read more about it here]
H.J.R. 2 — Radical Eviro-Marxist Constitutional Amendment
For the second straight year in a row, the Piñon Post helped organize New Mexicans to fight this radical enviro-Marxist proposal to enshrine a constitutional right to “clean and healthy air, water, soil and environment; a stable climate; and self-sustaining ecosystems, for the benefit of public health, safety and general welfare.” It was sponsored by Rep. Joanne Ferrary (D-Doña Ana) and Sen. Antoinette Sedillo-Lopez (D-Bernalillo).
The generic and subjective terms encompassed in the bill would open up private entities, state agencies, and local governments to costly litigation, as seen in other states that have enacted similar resolutions, such as Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts.
During the short 30-minute testimony period allowed by Chair Gail Chasey (D-Bernalillo) in the House Judiciary Committee, multiple industries spoke out against the radical proposal. One expert from UNM Law School shared that “Small companies and small businesses might be injured as well” as governments from the bill — harming the little guy.
The Committee ultimately voted 9-3 to table the extreme proposal — making it the second year in a row it has failed. The Piñon Post organized New Mexicans in both years against the resolution. Our editor, John Block, testified against this legislation.
[Read more about it here]
S.B. 14 — Radical 20 to 35+ Cent Gas Tax on the Poor
During a nail-biter victory at around 3:00 a.m. Thursday, the House of Representatives voted 33-33 to kill S.B. 14 by Senate Pro-Tem Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo), which would have installed a “clean fuel standard,” resulting in a 20 to 35+ cent per gallon gas tax, harming the poorest New Mexicans.
During the committee process, Stewart erroneously claimed gas prices were lower in California after the clean fuel standard, despite California’s prices being lower before it was implemented. Currently, California’s average price of gas is 135% greater than the national average, according to AAA.
This is the second year in a row the Piñon Post has organized New Mexicans to fight this radical bill, and it looks to have paid off both times. Our editor, John Block, testified against this bill.
[Read more about it here]
H.B. 126 — CRT in State Agencies
This bill by Reps. Tara Lujan (D-Santa Fe) and Pamelya Herndon (D-Bernalillo) would implement Critical Race Theory into state agencies, which mandates the “Chief Diversity Officer” of the state to “lead the development and implementation of proactive diversity, equality, equity and inclusion initiatives in support of the state’s strategic plan to create a culture of diversity, equality, equity and inclusion pursuant to Section 6 of the Diversity Act.”
The bill that would have put Critical Race Theory in state agencies thankfully died, due in part to the Piñon Post advocating against the bill. Our editor, John Block, testified against this bill.
[Read more about it here]
S.B. 8/144 — Dems’ Extreme ‘Wild West of Voter Fraud’ Bill
Possibly the sweetest victory this legislative session was the death of the Democrats’ most desperate, extreme bill imaginable, S.B. 8 (resurrected in the dead of night as S.B. 144), which would have turned New Mexico into the “wild west of voter fraud.”
The bill was a top legislative priority of scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who was hell-bent on ramming it through to enshrine Democrat election fraud forever. It would have legalized widespread ballot harvesting, unsecured ballot drop boxes, automatic voter registration, felon voting abilities, and more in the 165+ page bill that was amended at the last minute to give Democrats everything they could have dreamed of.
But the Democrats got greedy — and they ended up with NOTHING — not even the compromise S.B. 6 bill, which the Senate unanimously passed.
The Piñon Post sent out tens of thousands of emails about S.B. 8/144 and it resulted in New Mexicans sending tens of thousands of emails and phone calls to members of the Legislature to oppose the radical legislation. Together, we killed the voter suppression bill that would have harvested votes from our senior citizens and taken away the voices of low-income, underserved communities. Our editor, John Block, testified on multiple occasions, both in the Senate and the House, against the bill(s).
[Read more about it here]
H.M. 38 — Critical Race Theory and ‘Sensitivity Training’ for Law Enforcers
The radical memorial, which had around an $800,000 backend appropriation through the General Appropriations Act, would have implemented the first steps into putting Critical Race Theory and “LGBTQ sensitivity training” into the police force. It luckily was never given an audience before the full House of Representatives and it died. Our editor, John Block, testified on multiple occasions, both in the Senate and the House, against the bill.
[Read more about it here]
S.B. 202 — Pay Raises for Governor, AG, Others
S.B. 202, sponsored by by Sen. Pete Campos (D-Las Vegas), would have increased the governor’s and all state-level positions’ salaries by a massive amount.
The governor would be paid $150,000 — an increase of 36.36% while all state-level officials, including state auditor, treasurer, and secretary of state would receive a 35.29% increase in salary. The attorney general would receive a 31.57% increase in salary and the commissioner of public lands would receive a 38.88% increase. This fiscally irresponsible bill will pay politicians — who already are of little to no use to New Mexico — even more money. The pay increases far exceed inflation, which is currently at 7%.
The bill never reached the Senate floor and effectively died. Our editor, John Block, submitted testimony against this bill.
[Read more about it here]
H.B. 4/H.B. 227 — MLG’s Hydro Hub Bills
Despite making this a top priority for this legislative session, Michelle Lujan Grisham’s eco-left“hydrogen” bill died early, with both Republicans and leftists rejecting H.B. 4 on a vote of 6-4 in the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee. The Democrats tried to resurrect it in the form of a zombie bill, H.B. 227 by Rep. Patricia Lundstrom (D-Gallup), but it once again died, being withdrawn from the committee and tabled.
This top Lujan Grisham priority was yet another victory for the reliable oil and gas industry, which the Governor has been hell-bent on crippling throughout her tenure.
H.B. 6 — ‘Clean Future Act’ DEAD
This radical bill by Rep. Nathan Small (D-Doña Ana) would have further crippled energy producers in New Mexico by mandating the Environmental Improvement Board adopt rules that would force the reduction of “greenhouse gas emissions.”
“by 2030, statewide direct emissions of greenhouse gases shall not exceed fifty percent of 2005 levels; and by 2050, total statewide greenhouse gas emissions shall achieve at least net-zero emissions; provided that total statewide direct emissions of greenhouse gases shall not exceed ten percent of 2005 levels in 2050 or any subsequent year,” the bill reads.
The bill never achieved final passage in the House and ended up dying before it could reach the finish line. This was another top legislative priority of the Piñon Post to kill in the 2022 session, and we did just that — killed it. Our editor, John Block, testified against this bill.
[Read more about it here]
Although there were multiple other pieces of radical Democrat legislation that New Mexicans helped kill, these most horrifying bills all died — thanks to YOU, the readers of the Piñon Post. We are not only your #1 source for online conservative news and opinion in the state, we are an effective resource to battle the Santa Fe Swamp! Thank you for staying in this fight with us to take back our state.
