Mimi Stewart

Vengeful Dem Senate boss to boot ex-Democrat from Finance Committee

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

In the Democrats’ latest act of partisan vengeance as they have been working hard during the special session to ram through partisan gerrymandered maps, billion-dollar funding for leftist pork, and other wish list items for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, an alleged serial groper, now Senate Pro-Tem Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo) is demanding a senator who left the Democrat Party should be booted from the powerful Senate Finance Committee.

“Senator [Jacob] Candelaria has quit the Democratic Party; he’s not been in our caucus since April of this year,” Stewart said, referring to the Albuquerque lawmaker who recently quit the Democrat Party over Lujan Grisham’s partisan power grab and leftist bullying. “Finance is a very important committee and we need to have team players on it,” Stewart added, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

“It’s clear retaliation from a Senate Democratic leadership that I have no respect for,” Candelaria noted.

The retaliation by Stewart is no surprise, as the Democrat caucus in the Senate has an iron fist on its members who even dare stray, such as Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto, who was bullied earlier this year by Stewart. 

In the 2020 Democrat primaries, Senate leftists, aided by the alleged sexual predator governor, worked hard to boot out five incumbents who voted against Lujan Grisham’s abortion up-to-birth and infanticide bill. 

Candelaria noted on Twitter how these radical Democrats who defeated Republicans in the Senate, “When it comes to fighting for west side communities, Senators Pope and Duhigg have been a real downgrade from Rue and Gould.” 

Candelaria on Tuesday noted on Twitter how he had been booted from the Finance Committee and would now serve on Senate Public Affairs and Education. He wrote, “Senator Mimi Stewart has just removed me from the Senate Finance Committee. Horse trading around redistricting sealed the deal. Will now proudly serve on Senate Public Affairs and Education.”

Candelaria, a known far-leftist, has recently made surprising statements against Democrats and the Democrat Party, in one tweet even writing, “Let’s go Brandon,” referring to the anti-Biden chant, “F**k Joe Biden.” 

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Legislators advance Dem gerrymandered congressional, state House maps

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On Friday, the New Mexico Senate passed a revised map from what was originally proposed by state Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Doña Ana). The originally proposed map by Cervantes made two D+4 districts in the Third and Second Districts, while one D+11 performing district in the First District. The plan looped the First District with parts of Santa Fe County while it extended all the way down from Albuquerque to Lincoln County.

It put the Third District in a snake-like figure, which went all the way from northeast New Mexico, including Taos and Santa Fe, to Lovington and Hobbs. The Second District would include Albuquerque’s South Valley and parts of Valencia County it once had would be plunged into the First District.

However, the Senate voted on an update from Cervants’ original map he presented, which kept Santa Fe County intact in the Third District and swung it one more point Democrat, leaving it at D+5. The Second District would remain a D+4 district and the First would be a D+11. The First District, in this new map, would snake all the way over to Roswell and include Fort Sumner.

Despite backlash from Republican and independent members, the Democrats rammed it through on a vote of 25-14, with Sen. Jacob Candelaria (DTS) voting with all Republicans against it. 

Candelaria dubbed the map “inherently racist.” “I don’t use those words lightly, but when you are drawing the line in this map, I’ll tell you exactly how it’s drawn: It’s drawn along the wealthy homes along the bosque — million-dollar estates, $500,000 homes. That’s who this map says gets to be part of the Albuquerque ‘community of interest.’ But poor, working-class Hispanic folks in the southeast part of Albuquerque and the South Valley are no longer part,” Candelaria said, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. 

The vote came after a tumultuous Senate Judiciary Committee hearing where most New Mexicans in attendance were against the newly proposed map and virtual attendees via Zoom were not allowed to speak until public backlash forced the committee to allow virtual testimomy. Even Rep. Teresa Leger de Fernandez’s (D-NM-03) brother, Martín Leger, testified against the bill.

In the House, Speaker Brian Egolf and Democrats rammed through the heavily gerrymandered state House redistricting map based on a George Soros-funded group’s proposal, the Center for Civic Policy (CCP). It passed by 43-23. 

The CCP map would create extreme-looking shapes that are traits of heavy partisan gerrymandering. 

“We can’t always get what we want,” Rep. Dayan Hochman-Vigil (D-Albuquerque) said. “Sometimes we have hard races in front of us, but we shouldn’t be looking at maps in a protectionistic manner.”

Now, the House’s state House map moves to the Senate, while the Senate’s heavily gerrymandered congressional map moves to the House for consideration.

Also on Saturday, all Republicans excluding Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) helped Democrats pass their $1.06 billion spending spree with federal funds, further assisting the leftist agenda in New Mexico.

See the partisan analysis of the congressional maps via FiveThirtyEight here.

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MLG’s gas tax on the poor is coming back

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During the 2021 Legislative Session, the Piñon Post helped in the defeat of the radical “Clean Fuel Standards” bill sponsored by state Sen. Mimi Stewart, which would result in a 20+ cent per gallon gas tax, hurting the poorest New Mexicans.

As we previously reported in July, the proposal, which is supported by scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, will try to bring the failed proposal back to further harm New Mexicans already being harmed by the currently inflamed gas prices:

Our report noted:

According to a press release from the Governor’s Environment Department, “In her remarks, Gov. Lujan Grisham highlighted the innovative ways New Mexico is addressing climate change, including reducing emissions from the utility sector and the oil and gas industry, adopting clean car standards, prioritizing clean fuel standard legislation, investing in green energy job training, and making New Mexico the nation’s largest hydrogen hub. Through a whole-of-government approach, New Mexico is decarbonizing and diversifying its economy.” 

It is important to note that she mentioned “adopting clean fuel standards.” Not only is this concerning regarding a standard on industries, such as the transportation industry, but it is concerning regarding citizens if she chooses to try to impose a clean car standard on the average citizen.

By implementing this on industries, it would result in an at least 20+ cent per gallon gas tax on the poor, a proposal that failed during the 2021 Legislative Session, with even Democrat senators being hesitant to support it.

But a “clean car standard” for everyday citizens would mean forcing New Mexico’s citizens — a state with some of the poorest people in the nation — to buy expensive “fuel-efficient,” “green,” “hybrid,” or fully electric vehicles — crippling New Mexicans’ bank accounts and forcing thousands to either break the law, walk, or not travel at all. It would plunge countless people into financial ruin, resulting in an economic catastrophe for New Mexico. 

But the Governor’s new “Clean Fuel Standards Act” has been drafted and is ready for the 2022 legislative session, being touted as one of Lujan Grisham’s top priorities.

The new bill, according to the Rio Grande Foundation, “would lead to a 35 cent/gallon increase in gasoline prices. That’s based on the Environment Department’s statement that [the] bill targets reductions “carbon intensity” of 20% by 2030 and 30% by 2040 from 2018 levels.”

The poorest New Mexicans are set to be harmed the most by this proposal and Piñon Post urges citizens, as they did in the 2021 Legislative Session, to again advocate against this legislation. 

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NM Senate bully targets another senator in apparent vindictive rage

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Over the weekend, far-left Sen. Jacob Candelaria (D-Bernalillo), who has not always towed the party line and gone along with the Senate Democrats’ wishes, is being targeted by the Senate bully, Pro-Tem Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo), according to his tweets.

Candelaria wrote, “Have been informed that Sen Mimi  Stewart will remove me from Senate Finance Committee, on account of my opposition to Gov control over federal ARPA funds.” 

In a subsequent tweet, he wrote, “This move will require full senate approval before final, let’s see if Mimi can pull it off. One things [sic] for sure though—Mimi Stewart is not morally or ethically fit to lead the Senate. Our legislature needs better and actual leaders.”

According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, “But Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, says that’s not true. She said if she removes Jacob Candelaria, who also represents Albuquerque, from that position, it will be because he has pulled away from his party and no longer caucuses with other members.”

“It’s no big surprise to me that this is coming on the heels of the decision of the Supreme Court on Wednesday,” Candelaria said. “This in no way has dampened my spirits. If leadership wants to act in this sort of retaliatory fashion, that’s their decision, just as it will be the Senate’s decision as to whether it will go along with this childish behavior.”

“He’s completely wrong. What he did this week [before the Supreme Court] has nothing to do with what I might have to do,” Stewart countered. While she said it is “possible” she may move to remove him from that committee, “it will have nothing to do with his great performance in front of the Supreme Court.”

Stewart has long bullied other members she disagrees with, including many in her own party. She bullied Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto (D-Bernalillo) in committee hearings, then subsequently refused to answer Ivey-Soto’s questions on the Senate floor on a bill she sponsored. Because she refused to answer, she claimed Ivey-Soto was being “sexist.”

In a previous committee hearing, Ivey-Soto claimed “leadership” (meaning Stewart) told him he could no longer debate on House bills, so he left the meeting and claimed he would not hear House bills in his Senate Rules Committee for the foreseeable future. This came after Stewart accused Ivey-Soto of not emailing her the proper bill, which he countered with a time and date the bill was sent to her email.

In committee hearings, Stewart bashed the public who had concerns over her extremist bill that would add on at least 20 a cent per gallon of gas tax that would harm poor New Mexicans the most.

“Two cents a year — That is nothing,” she said, claiming, “I am not concerned about that because I do believe this is kind of fear-mongering…. I want to answer honestly because that’s how I feel about it.”  

Stewart clapped back at concerns with her bill, “I don’t have concerns. I’m certainly proud that you all are concerned about low income. I don’t think it’s going to impact us,” she said, adding, “We’ve got two years to phase this in. We’re going to do it right.”

Stewart’s spat with Candelaria appears to be her latest move in her nasty tirades against other members of the Legislature, both Republican and Democrat.

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Nasty feud between two Dem senators reaches boiling point in heated late-night floor debate

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Late on Thursday, Sen. Daniel Ivey Soto (D-Bernalillo) and President Pro Tempore Sen. Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo) continued their nasty feud again on the Senate floor after multiple little battles as they butted heads this session in committees.

During a discussion on H.B. 20, which is a “paid sick leave” bill, Sen. Ivey-Soto repeatedly questioned Sen. Stewart on her bill applying to both private and public entities. The provisions of the bill would mandate employers to pay out one hour of sick leave per 30 hours of work. 

She called the bill “very moderate” and “very reasonable.” 

“This bill was not written for a public employee sick leave policy,” said Sen Stewart. 

Ivey-Soto shot back, saying, “While I understand that it was written for [the] private sector when it left the Senate Judiciary, it was no longer was for [the] private sector.” He added, “What I seem to be hearing you say is ‘we the government want to apply a standard to private enterprise that we don’t want to apply to oursel[ves].’ And I just find that very problematic…. The last time I checked, among frontline workers, would not police officers be included in frontline workers?” 

Stewart continued to claim that the bill was designed to cover “people that work in grocery stores, bars, restaurants, food delivery services, the folks that are out there without a plan at all, without a plan to get paid sick leave.” 

Ivey Soto continually used the example of a receptionist at UNM Hospital versus one at Presbyterian and whether they would be eligible for the bill’s paid sick leave. Stewart continued to claim that the bill was for the private sector, intended for smaller businesses. 

In multiple points during the debate, Stewart claimed Ivey-Soto’s questions were “abusive” and at another point refused to recognize Ivey Soto at all. 

After the contentious debate, the Senate took a ten-minute recess requested by Sen. Jacob Candelaria (D-Bernalillo) following Sen. Liz Stefanics angrily scolding Sen. Ivey-Soto for his questions, claiming “we are in a bullying state at this point in time and it’s disgraceful to the public.” 

Watch a supercut of the whole fiery exchange between the two Democrats:

The two senators previously hashed it out in the Senate Judiciary Committee, where they gave each other sass while discussing an assisted suicide bill. Ivey-Soto claimed “leadership” told him he could no longer debate on House bills, so he left the meeting and claimed he would not hear House bills in his Senate Rules Committee for the foreseeable future. The Senate floor debate appears to be a boiling point for the two senators’ feud. 

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Sen. Stewart callously dismisses concerns as committee rams through gas tax hike on the poor

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On Tuesday, the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee convened to discuss S.B. 11, the de-facto gas tax on the poor by over 20 cents per gallon. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo). 

When asked simple questions about her bill and the math not adding up in the cost of gasoline pushed on consumers, she erroneously claimed, “Gas is cheaper now than when they started.” However, according to raw gas prices from California and Oregon, the states she championed as models for New Mexico, the prices in 2014 and 2015 for California and Oregon respectively were cheaper then than when they implemented the clean fuel standards.

Rep. James Strickler (R-San Juan) brought up the fact that the California equivalent of New Mexico’s Legislative Finance Committee urged the state to shut down the clean fuel standards program due to cost concerns with transportation that ultimately went on to the consumer. 

He noted how in Farmington, where he is located, “We pay probably 25 to 30 cents higher in gasoline costs up here.” 

Stewart clapped back, “I don’t” have concerns. “I’m certainly proud that you all are concerned about low income. I don’t think it’s going to impact us,” she said, adding, “We’ve got two years to phase this in. We’re going to do it right.”

Rep. Rod Montoya (R-San Juan) echoed Rep. Strickler’s concerns, saying, “The poor are going to be the ones who are going to be the ones most affected by this.” 

At this point, Stewart got frustrated, as she did in multiple other committee hearings when faced with the truth about her unaffordable gas tax on the poor. She said,  “When everybody talks about, ‘Oh the poor are gonna be hurt,’ I do believe the poor care about the climate,” she said.

“This is bigger than just the cost of gasoline…. This program does not really affect the cost of gasoline, like so many other factors that go into it.” 

“Two cents a year — That is nothing,” she said, claiming, “I am not concerned about that because I do believe this is kind of fear mongering…. I want to answer honestly because that’s how I feel about it.” 

“The cost is in the transportation — that’s where the poor people in rural New Mexico get hit,” Montoya clapped back.

He added that the example of supposed “new investment” in New Mexico used by Stewart, a company in Clovis, had their production in Texas which was across the border.

“The problem was the delivery cost,” said Montoya. He noted that transportation costs would be “astronomical” if someone lived in a more rural area, such as Deming. “The cost was going to be outrageous,” said Montoya. 

“That’s where the poor people in rural New Mexico get hit,” he said, “The cost to transport is where the cost comes from.” 

“If you live in California and you have a lot more outlets like that, the cost goes down…. that’s a real number that’s a real factor.”  

When Stewart was pressed on the lack of legislative oversight that the commission responsible for implementing the clean fuel standard would have, she replied, “No. I have seen us year after year after year come back and make changes” She added, “I have no fears about that.” 


After dismissing the very real concerns of the rural representatives, Democrats made a motion to pass the bill, with all Democrats voting for it while all Republicans stood up for the poor and voted against it, with the S.B. 11 passing on a vote of 7-4. The gas tax on the poor bill now heads to the House floor for final approval.

Find and contact your legislator to oppose the bill by clicking here.

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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:

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Assisted suicide bill advances from committee amid ugly spat between Sen. Ivey-Soto, Pro Tem Stewart

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On Sunday, the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Doña Ana) met to consider multiple proposals, chief among them H.B. 47, which is a rabidly anti-life assisted suicide via lethal drugs bill brought forth by Rep. Deborah Armstrong (D-Bernalillo) and Sen. Liz Stefanics (D-Bernalillo, Lincoln, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Torrance, and Valencia). 

The bill would legalize doctors to prescribe a “cocktail” of lethal drugs to patients suffering from terminal illnesses, which will save insurance companies money. The bill is opposed by the American Medical Association’s guide of ethics, the Navajo Nation, multiple Catholic organizations, and disability rights groups. 

During the committee, the “expert witnesses,” law professor Robert Schwartz and physician Steven Kanig could not even list the drugs that would be prescribed to end an individual’s life and admitted that there is no set “cocktail” that is used. Schwartz claimed the concoction of harmful drugs “has been refined over the years” and that “these drugs do change.”

Chairman Cervantes asked multiple questions regarding the legality of the bill, such as its clause listing that a physician would be compelled to list the patient’s underlying condition as their cause of death instead of the lethal drugs. Another concern regarded proof that the patient was not being coerced into the decision, as well as the effectiveness of these drugs to end the patient’s life. He also asked about redundancies in the bill, such as the term “a peaceful death,” referring to the ending of the patient’s life. He said, “The issue here is not to produce that, but rather to produce death. And that really is straightforward.” 

No other senator, Republican, or Democrat asked the bill sponsors or their expert witnesses about the bill, other than Sen. Katy Duhigg (D-Bernalillo and Sandoval) arguing with the Chairman over exempting doctors from liability. 

During the consideration of a previous bill in the committee, H.B. 129, Senate Pro Tem Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo), and Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto (D-Bernalillo) had a spat over amendments to the bill, with Stewart claiming she was not sent amendments in advance. 

Later, during consideration of the anti-life H.B. 47, Ivey-Soto had informed the committee that he had been asked by leadership not to exercise his “senatorial duties” on any House bills and that he would no longer be hearing House bills in his Senate Rules Committee.

He said, “I just wanted to let everybody know that since I have been asked by leadership not to exercise my senatorial duties on any House bills, I will not be participating in the consideration of any House bills. I am terribly sorry for this. We will also no longer, in my committee, be considering any House bills at this time for the foreseeable future. Thank you very much, and I wish everyone well on this bill and I’m very sorry not to be participating in the consideration of this bill because I find it to be incredible for us to be doing in our work in the Legislature.” 

In prior committee hearings in his Rules Committee, Sen Ivey-Soto has gotten into spats with Sen. Mimi Stewart. She has been critical of his inclination to amend bills to not create problems later on. In contrast, she has been focused on ramming through as much radical legislation despite any ramifications in the future. 

Before the final vote on H.B. 47, Republicans on the committee made a motion to table it, with it dying on a vote of 3-5. The anti-life bill ultimately passed through the committee 5-3 despite many indications of opposition from Chairman Cervantes, with him voting to advance the bill. Cervantes said he intends to offer amendments to the bill on the Senate floor, the proposal’s next stop before the Governor’s desk.

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Every Democrat NM senator voted to raise gas taxes on the poor by 20+ cents per gallon

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On Thursday, in a fast-track effort to ram through extreme legislation, the New Mexico Senate approved the 20+ cent gas tax on the poor, Sen. Mimi Stewart’s S.B. 11, on a party-line vote of 25-14 with every Democrat voting for it and one Democrat, Sen. Bill O’Neill (D-Bernalillo) absent for the vote. However, he has supported the measure in previous committees. 

Despite public outcry from countless New Mexicans about this bill and the measure raising gas taxes on the poorest in our state by hiking taxes on transport fuels, the outrage fell on deaf ears as Mimi Stewart is the Senate Pro Tem, meaning she can force through just about anything she wants, such as the radical abortion up-to-birth and infanticide S.B. 10, which is now law. 

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 now heads over to the House of Representatives, where it will be introduced, deferred to committees (likely only one), and then go for a full House of Representatives vote. 

ACTION ALERT

Reach out to members of the House of Representatives and ask them to vote “NO” on S.B. 11–the gas tax on the poor. You can find your legislator here.

Every Democrat NM senator voted to raise gas taxes on the poor by 20+ cents per gallon Read More »

20+ cent per gallon gas tax on the poor heads to Senate floor

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On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee advanced the gas tax on the poor, S.B. 11, which has been previously enacted in Oregon and California, states where the gas price is 119% and 135% higher than the national average, respectively, according to AAA. The bill is sponsored 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.

In the bill’s previous committee, Senate Tax, Business, and Transportation, Sen. Craig Brandt (D-Sandoval) asked a question about the tax on the poor, to which Sen. Stewart got flustered. She said in a stern voice, “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.

The New Mexico Oil and Gas Association (NMOGA), which took a neutral stance on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s “mini” Green New Deal (The Energy Transition Act) is also taking a neutral stance on this bill. NMOGA dumped thousands into Democrat campaigns in 2018 and 2020. 

The bill advanced the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday by a vote of 6-4, with Sens. Bill Burt (R-Chaves, Lincoln & Otero), Crystal Diamond (R-Doña Ana, Hidalgo, Luna & Sierra), Bill Sharer (R-San Juan), and Pat Woods (R-Curry, Quay and Union) rejecting the measure. Sen. Woods dubbed the bill a “lawyers’ dream” and a “pie-in-the-sky proposal.” 

The bill is listed as the 11th item on the Senate floor calendar for March 10, 2021. You can help stop this bill by reaching out to your New Mexico senator and asking them to vote “NO” on Senate Bill 11. You can find your senator here.

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