New MExico House of Representatives

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

Leave a Comment / Action Alert, New Mexico, News / By

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: Anti-police, flavored tobacco ban bills scheduled for Wednesday committees

Leave a Comment / Action Alert, New Mexico / By

Some controversial bills are scheduled to be heard in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, including the fast-tracked Democrat bill, H.B. 156, which would demonize peace officers by adding redundant law regarding sexual contact with someone in custody. This provision is already state statute, which makes this bill needless. 

An anti-freedom flavored tobacco ban bill will be heard in committees as well. Here is the information you need to know:

HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS AND FINANCE COMMITTEE 
PATRICIA A. LUNDSTROM, CHAIR – Wednesday, March 3, 2021 – 1:30 p.m. 

H.B. 156 SEX CRIMES BY PEACE OFFICERS by Rep. Brittney Barreras (D-Bernalillo) and Rep. Roger Montoya (-Colfax, Mora, Rio Arriba & San Miguel) is a repetitive bill that seeks to duplicate laws that are already on the books barring law enforcers from sexual crimes. The bill maligns police as “rapists” and tries to erode public confidence in law enforcement – BAD 

Read an in-depth summary of what the anti-police does here. 

You can testify via Zoom with the below call information:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81432164016 Or iPhone one-tap : US: +12532158782,,81432164016# or +13462487799,,81432164016# Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 9128 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 558 8656 

Webinar ID: 814 3216 4016

HOUSE COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
ANTONIO “MOE” MAESTAS, CHAIR – Wednesday, March 3, 2021 – 1:30 p.m. 

H.B. 205 – PROHIBIT SALE OF FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS sponsored by Rep. Joanne Ferrary (D-Doña Ana) and Rep. Liz Thomson (D-Bernalillo) – BAD 

This bill would make it a crime “to knowingly sell, offer to sell, barter or give a flavored tobacco product to a person,” and or “purchase, possess or attempt to purchase or possess any flavored tobacco product,” which infringes on personal liberty. 

You can testify via Zoom with the below call information:

 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83846715600 Or iPhone one-tap : US: +12532158782,,83846715600# or +13462487799,,83846715600# Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 9128 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 558 8656 Webinar ID: 838 4671 5600

Legislative Update: Anti-police, flavored tobacco ban bills scheduled for Wednesday committees Read More »

Zoom committee hearings are a prime opportunity for leftist censorship: speak truth at your own risk

4 Comments / Editorial / By

This legislative session is one like no other. The supposed public servants who were elected to “represent” us hide away from us and have erected a giant fence to keep the public out of the People’s House. 

New Mexicans were told the Legislature would be “more accessible” to the public or that the process has been “opened” in a way “that has never happened before,” according to Sen. Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe). 

But the opposite has happened. Before, when members of the public were allowed in the physical committee hearings, they actually could speak face-to-face with legislators and make their case. 

Previously, there were long lines of people allowed to give testimony in front of the committee if they so chose. Elected leaders had to face their constituents face-to-face and explain to them exactly why they are voting for or against a specific bill.

Now, if one of these so-called “public servants” doesn’t like what you have to say or doesn’t want to hear the multitude of “virtual” attendees testify, they can just press the mute button on you and silence your voice—or cut off debate at “fifteen minutes for each side” while giving leftists more time to testify.

Yesterday, while I attempted to testify in the House Judiciary Committee, I was silenced for merely trying to testify against a duplicative bill, H.B. 156, that already is on the books barring law enforcers from sexual contact with a person in custody—consensual or not. This anti-police bill does nothing to change state law and is clearly just another jab at law enforcement officials.

But in a previous hearing, one of the bill’s “expert witnesses,” Alexandria Taylor, dubbed any law enforcer who opposes the useless bill as a “rapist.” 

In the testimony I attempted to give to the committee, I did not mention Taylor by name, only saying, “this is nothing but a smear bill aiming to build public opinion against law enforcement by maligning them as ‘predators’ and ‘rapists’ These are some of the words proponents of this bill have used about law enforcers in prior hearings.” 

However, the radical left chair of the committee, Rep. Gail Chasey (D-Bernalillo), couldn’t stand anyone actually opposing this anti-police smear bill, and so she cut me off, claiming I was going after the bill sponsor’s “motives,” which is nothing of the sort. Then when I respectfully unmuted to finish my testimony, I was cut off again. 

This same occurrence happened earlier in this committee when I testified against S.B. 10, a radical abortion up-to-birth and infanticide bill. At that time, I merely wondered why the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Linda Lopez, refused to debate her bill on the Senate floor. This benign comment also apparently triggered Chasey, and she clapped back at me in that committee.

In a condescending response to another New Mexican concerned with Chasey’s censorship, she wrote back, “I do not allow anyone to attack the motives of the sponsors of bills or members of the committee, just as I would not allow any members of the committee or of the public to attack another individual, regardless of that person’s position. You have been misinformed.” Her supposed rule has never before been instituted.

Some argue that the “virtual” legislature has made the process. But I argue that it has made it even more opaque. Frivolously cutting off members of the public was not possible before when the public had a chance to testify in-person. But now, with the click of a mouse, power-hungry chairmen and chairwomen can mute the public and shut them up if they disagree with their viewpoints. Speak the truth, no matter how respectful it is, at your own peril.

This legislative session has been a complete disgrace, with Democrats ramming through extreme bills no matter what the public thinks, the rules be damned. We must strive for open government and refuse to back down or let them silence our voices. This is the opposite of transparency. Freedom of speech is a critical tenet of our republic, and if we do not fight for it now, we will lose it forever. 

Zoom committee hearings are a prime opportunity for leftist censorship: speak truth at your own risk Read More »

NM House committee rolls over vote on MLG’s Green New Deal 2.0 to Wednesday

Leave a Comment / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Monday, the House of Representatives Committee on Government, Elections, and Indian Affairs Committee rolled over the corrosive anti-energy bill, H.B. 9, to Wednesday morning after much testimony from the public and many questions from the committee. The bill would force extreme carbon emission requirements on all sectors, the second phase of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s “Energy Transition Act,” which set harsh “net-zero” standards by 2050 for the electricity sector. 

The bill’s sponsors, Reps. Melanie Stansbury (D-Bernalillo) and Angelica Rubio (D-Doña Ana) introduced the legislation as a desperate measure required to stop “climate change,” which they claimed created “drought, extreme fire, and impacts to agriculture and water supplies,” which are untrue statements not backed up by science.

Here is the Piñon Post assessment of the bill:

According to the fiscal impact report (FIR) on the bill, it “establishes a climate leadership council, deadlines for the state to achieve specific reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), requirements for state agencies to achieve GHGE reductions, and a number of definitions related to climate, economic development, and socioeconomic equity.” 

The FIR also states that the bill “[r]equires New Mexico to reduce statewide GHGE by least 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050” and “[m]andates a 60 percent reduction, relative to 2005 levels, in emissions of methane, carbon dioxide, and volatile organic compounds from the oil and gas sector by 2030.”  Note, the “net-zero” emission standard mirrors U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “Green New Deal,” the most radical and costly proposal in U.S. history to decimate the energy industry.

Opponents of the bill included workers in the energy and agriculture industries who keep the lights on and feed communities. Supporters of the bill mostly from the dark money groups CAFé, OLÉ, the Sierra Club, among others who self-identified as “community organizers.” One individual from extremist group OLÉ claimed “climate change” was a “racial justice issue,” saying “Black, indigenous, and people of color” somehow are disproportionately affected by the fictitious issue. The dark money groups also exploited children named “Alex” and “Adrian,” who were given scripts in the supposed attempt to pull heartstrings, claiming pine trees in the state would disappear. “Will there still be pine trees when I grow up?” asked one. 

Although the committee chair, Rep. Georgene Louis (D-Bernalillo), claimed to give both sides equal time, proponents of the bill were given more time to testify. 

Rep. Greg Nibert (Chaves & Lincoln) asked multiple questions regarding Native American tribes complying with these strict standards, asking if they were required to comply with these mandates. The condescending witness, Noah Long of the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), said that the Navajo Nation was not subject to it.

When asked about how the bill would bring opportunity to the state, Rep. Rubio went on the defensive, saying, “The fact that it’s still being questioned of whether or not it is something that we need to continue, it minimizes the work being done in communities around the state.” 

Nibert said, “You said it’s a roadmap to diversify the economy….In case you changed it drastically, I don’t see a roadmap there. I see a statement that says “the state shall create economic inclusion opportunity,” which I believe is high-road employment — and so I don’t see a roadmap, and I don’t see how the state is going to create those jobs.”  

“The economy doesn’t create jobs. The people that decide to take risks — They create jobs. The people who decide to produce something — they take a risk…. It’s people who create jobs. It’s not the state. The economy is simply an indication of how well things are going from a standpoint of job-creation and… compensation to employees and standard of living. That’s the economy. I see a lot of words here, but at the end of the day, it’s not your attempt that the state shall create those economic including opportunities. It’s basically you want to set up a framework for which these things are studied, and you hope that people will take risks and see opportunities to use their capital to start a business, expand a business and create additional employment,” Nibert added.

Regarding a question from Nibert about litigation costs of the legislation, Rep. Stansbury claimed that “if consideration of climate change had been included [in Texas], perhaps we may have avoided the shutdown of electricity and water for millions of people” in the state to New Mexico’s east. When Nibert pressed her on her assertion about Texas’ recent crisis with a snowstorm, however, Stansbury retreated, claiming she wanted to comment on “the scope” of her bill. 

Nibert commented that during the harsh storm that affected New Mexico with multiple inches of snow. “The lights in Santa Fe were on because the San Juan Generating Plant had not been shut down yet.” 

The bill’s final vote in the committee has been rolled over to Wednesday morning’s committee hearing.

NM House committee rolls over vote on MLG’s Green New Deal 2.0 to Wednesday Read More »

ACTION ALERT: Your testimony requested in NM Legislative committees Monday, Tuesday

Leave a Comment / Action Alert, New Mexico, Politics / By

The New Mexico Legislature is in full swing, and countless pieces of radical legislation are being rammed through committee hearings, many times without significant public input. Some good bills put forth by some legislators need public support. 

At the Piñon Post, we look to change that. New Mexicans must be more involved in politics in our state, which is why we are working around the clock to monitor committee hearings and bills and give you the information you need to have so you can do your part. On Monday and Tuesday, the House of Representatives and the Senate will consider many extreme bills regarding the environment, law enforcement, taxes, and business. Please participate and make your voices heard.

Committee hearings happening Monday-Tuesday:

HEALTH AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino, Chair, convenes Monday, February 22 at 1:30 p.m.* 

*Times are subject to change depending on the Senate floor schedule. Join the meeting here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89738905182 

For public participation, complete the registration form by clicking the following link https://ggle.io/3pe5 .The deadline to respond is Sunday., Feb. 21 at 5:00 p.m. 

S.B. 232  – EXEMPTION FROM IMMUNIZATION by Sen. Gregg Schmedes (R-Bernalillo, Sandoval, Santa Fe, and Torrance) – GOOD

According to the fiscal impact report, “Senate Bill 232 would amend Section 24-5-3 NMSA 1978 to add a fourth reason why a child should be granted an exemption from state-required immunizations for school or dare. The fourth type of exemption, “for reasons of conscience,” would be added to the three existing reasons: medical exemptions; group religious objections to vaccine(s) and individual religious objections to vaccine(s).” This bill is friendly to New Mexicans who have conscience objections to vaccinations. 

S.B. 238 – ELIMINATE SEC. OF HEALTH POWERS by Sen. Gregg Schmedes (R-Bernalillo, Sandoval, Santa Fe, and Torrance) – GOOD

According to the fiscal impact report, “Senate Bill 238 eliminates the authority of the secretary of the Department of Health under the Public Health Emergency Response Act (PHERA) to isolate or quarantine a person who is unwilling or unable to undergo vaccination for reasons of health, religion or conscience. This bill contains an emergency clause and would become effective immediately upon signature by the governor.” This bill is friendly to those who have objections to being forcibly vaccinated by the Department of Health. 

SENATE CONSERVATION COMMITTEE
SENATOR ELIZABETH STEFANICS, CHAIR Convenes Tuesday, February 23, 2021, 9:00 a.m. via Zoom

Please click here to register for public comment on a bill being heard by this committee: https://forms.gle/5pgx2bgxGyHEDeCS8

S.B. 312 GAME & FISH & WILDLIFE CHANGES by Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D-Doña Ana) and Rep. Nathan Small (D-Doña Ana). – BAD

S.B. 312 is a costly bill that takes power away from the people and gives it to the government, according to liberals, giving “wildlife conservation” a “modern approach to wildlife management. It directs the state to manage and conserve the public’s wildlife.” This power-grab would mean higher permit prices for many out-of-state permits, harsher restrictions on what wildlife one could hunt, and it would rename the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish to the “Department of Wildlife Conservation.” 

While the Piñon Post supports conservation efforts in our state, this 241-page overhaul bill further bureaucratizes the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and according to the bill itself, “[narrows] conditions for landowners on taking or killing animals on private land.” That means, in part, that it usurps the right for landowners to kill a wild animal on their land, for reasons of immediate threats to human life and for damage of property, including crops, it would now only allow killing the animal for the threat to human life. This would be required to be reported to the Department within 24 hours of disposal of the carcass. 

These burdensome restrictions, among countless other flaws in the bill, such as a large appropriation necessary for its passage, are a detriment to taxpayers, landowners, and hunters in the state. Read the fiscal impact report on the bill for more information.

SENATE TAX, BUSINESS AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
SENATOR BENNY SHENDO JR., CHAIRMAN Tuesday, February 23, 2021, 1:30 pm 

*For Public Participation send an email to SCORC@nmlegis.gov with: Name, Entity Representing, Bill #, For or Against, and email address by Feb. 23, at 10 am. You will be contacted by our Zoom Operator with virtual meeting instructions.

S.B. 11 (as amended) CLEAN FUEL STANDARD ACT by Sen. Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo) and Nathan Small (D-Doña Ana) – BAD (This is one of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s legislative priorities).

This anti-business bill put forth by two anti-energy extremist legislators, would in the bill sponsors’ own words, “[require] fuel providers that refine, blend, make or import fuel used in New Mexico to gradually reduce the carbon intensity of the transportation fuel itself, we can reduce emissions by 4.7 million metric tons in carbon dioxide equivalent by 2040. That’s like taking 44,000 cars off the road every year for 15 years.” 

This bill would harm critical industries in New Mexico with expensive and punitive new regulations on the transportation of the fuels New Mexicans rely on to keep them driving and doing business. This bill has an appropriation of $1,210,000 for the 2022 fiscal year alone, with it gradually increasing annually. 

House of Representatives

HOUSE COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
ANTONIO “MOE” MAESTAS, CHAIR Convenes Monday, February 22, 2021 – 1:30 p.m. – Zoom

H.B. 110 – PHASED MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE by Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero (D-Bernalillo) – She is running for Congress in CD-1.  – BAD

“Starting January 1, 2022, the minimum wage would rise to $12.00 per hour Starting January 1, 2024, the minimum wage would rise to $15.00 per hour,” according to the fiscal impact report.

This bill hurts small businesses and causes fewer people employed because of the mandates from this anti-business, anti-worker bill. 

You are invited to a Zoom webinar. Feb 22, 2021, 01:30 PM When: Feb 22, 2021, 01:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada) Topic: HOUSE COMMERCE & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83846715600

HOUSE STATE GOVERNMENT, ELECTIONS AND INDIAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
GEORGENE LOUIS, CHAIR, Convenes Monday, February 22, 2021 – 8:00 a.m. – Zoom

H.B. 9 CLIMATE SOLUTIONS ACT by Reps. Melanie A. Stansbury (D-Bernalillo), Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe), Angelica Rubio (D-Doña Ana, Nathan P. Small (D-Doña Ana), and Sen. Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo).  – BAD (This is one of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s legislative priorities).

H.B. 9 is a costly and corrosive piece of legislation that not only would cost millions to the state annually, but it would also create even harsher standards than those that were passed in the “Energy Transition Act” to completely and totally annihilate the oil and gas industry. 

According to the fiscal impact report (FIR) on the bill, it “establishes a climate leadership council, deadlines for the state to achieve specific reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), requirements for state agencies to achieve GHGE reductions, and a number of definitions related to climate, economic development, and socioeconomic equity.” 

The FIR also states that the bill “[r]equires New Mexico to reduce statewide GHGE by least 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050” and “[m]andates a 60 percent reduction, relative to 2005 levels, in emissions of methane, carbon dioxide, and volatile organic compounds from the oil and gas sector by 2030.”  Note, the “net-zero” emission standard mirrors U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “Green New Deal,” the most radical and costly proposal in U.S. history to decimate the energy industry.

The FIR further states how the bill is likely to significantly impact “New Mexico’s oil and gas sector and, consequently, state revenues.” Extremist anti-energy dark money groups including “OLÉ,” “Power4NM,” and “NM Voices” have been lobbying on behalf of this destructive legislation, and your voices are needed to cancel out their radical cries for socialism and supposed “environmental justice.”

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89283197941
Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +16699009128,,89283197941# or +12532158782,,89283197941#
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: 892 8319 7941

HOUSE CONSUMER AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
ELIZABETH “LIZ” THOMSON, CHAIR, Convenes Tuesday, February 23, 2021 – 1:30 p.m. – Zoom

H.B. 254 – USE OF DEADLY FORCE REPORTING by Sen. Antoinette Sedillo-Lopez (D-Bernalillo) and Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero (D-Bernalillo) – BAD

Note: both of these women are running for Congress in CD-1. This is the House version of the Senate’s S.B. 274. 

According to the bill, “Within twenty-four hours of a person suffering great bodily harm or death as a result of a peace officer’s actions, the sheriff or the chief of police of the jurisdiction in which the great bodily harm or death occurred shall report the great bodily harm or death in writing to the district attorney of the judicial district in which the great bodily harm or death occurred. The sheriff or chief of police shall report all instances of suspected great bodily harm to the appropriate district attorney, even if a more thorough assessment of great bodily harm will be undertaken at a later date,” 

The bill would put undue suspicion of wrongdoing on the part of the law enforcement officer, overburdening local sheriffs and district attorneys, while not trusting police officers to carry forth their duties. 

Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89243737297 Or iPhone one-tap : US: +16699009128,,89243737297# or +12532158782,,89243737297# 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: 892 4373 7297

ACTION ALERT: Your testimony requested in NM Legislative committees Monday, Tuesday Read More »

Legislative Update: Bills you need to know about for Feb. 19-20

3 Comments / Action Alert, New Mexico / By

This is a busy time at the New Mexico Legislature, and here are short rundowns of some bills being considered today, tomorrow, and over the weekend. Those marked with “BAD” are what Piñon Post sees as bills detrimental to the state.

Today, the New Mexico House of Representatives is expected to vote on the final passage of S.B. 10, an abortion up-to-birth and infanticide bill. New Mexico Alliance for Life is urging people to contact representatives who may be willing to change their vote, which can be found here:

Rep. Phelps Anderson: Roswell, 986 4426, phelps.anderson@nmlegis.gov | Rep. Melanie Stansbury: ABQ NE Heights, 986 4432, melanie.stansbury@nmlegis.gov | Rep. Marian Matthews: ABQ Tanoan 986 4242, marian.matthews@nmlegis.gov | Rep. Karen Bash: ABQ Westside 986 4236, karen.bash@nmlegis.gov | Rep. Joy Garratt: ABQ NE Heights 986 4249, joy.garratt@nmlegis.gov | Rep Meredith Dixon: ABQ NE Heights 986 4210, meredith.dixon@nmlegis.gov | Rep. Christine Chandler: Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval & Santa Fe, 986 4242 christine.chancler@nmlegis.gov | Rep. Ambrose Castellano San Miguel, Torrance, 986 4236 ambrose.castellano@nmlegis.gov | Rep. Brittney Barreras: ABQ Westgate 986 4248, brittneyfornewmexico@gmail.com | Rep. Roger Montoya: Velarde, NM, 986 4464, roger.montoya@nmlegis.gov | Rep. Eliseo Alcon: Grants, NM 986 4416, eliseo.alcon@nmlegis.gov | Rep. Dayan H-Vigil: ABQ North Valley, 986 4432 dayan.hochman-vigil@nmlegis.gov | Rep. Liz Thompson: ABQ NE Heights 986 4415 liz.thomson@nmlegis.gov | Rep. Susan Herrera: Embudo, NM 505 986 4249 susan.herrera@nmlegis.gov

SENATE COMMITTEES

HEALTH AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE – Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino, Chair, convenes at 1:30 p.m.* 

*Times are subject to change depending on the Senate floor schedule. 

For spoken public comment, please follow the below Zoom link to access the meeting to testify:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89738905182

Meeting ID: 897 3890 5182
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,89738905182# US (Tacoma)
+13462487799,,89738905182# US (Houston)

S.B. 224 – CRIME OF FAILURE TO SECURE FIREARM by Sen. Antoinette Sedillo-Lopez (D-Bernalillo) – BAD

As reported on earlier, this bill will criminalize parents who teach their children how to shoot and mandate specific gun safes and locks for firearms. This is the bill’s first committee appearance.

This bill is staunchly anti-Second Amendment and counter-productive, as it would leave children without proper firearms training to use guns properly. 

S.B. 232  – EXEMPTION FROM IMMUNIZATION by Sen. Gregg Schmedes (R-Bernalillo, Sandoval, Santa Fe, and Torrance) – GOOD

According to the fiscal impact report, “Senate Bill 232 would amend Section 24-5-3 NMSA 1978 to add a fourth reason why a child should be granted an exemption from state-required immunizations for school or dare. The fourth type of exemption, “for reasons of conscience,” would be added to the three existing reasons: medical exemptions; group religious objections to vaccine(s) and individual religious objections to vaccine(s).” This bill is friendly to New Mexicans who have conscience objections to vaccinations. 

S.B. 238 – ELIMINATE SEC. OF HEALTH POWERS by Sen. Gregg Schmedes (R-Bernalillo, Sandoval, Santa Fe, and Torrance) – GOOD

According to the fiscal impact report, “Senate Bill 238 eliminates the authority of the secretary of the Department of Health under the Public Health Emergency Response Act (PHERA) to isolate or quarantine a person who is unwilling or unable to undergo vaccination for reasons of health, religion or conscience. This bill contains an emergency clause and would become effective immediately upon signature by the governor.” This bill is friendly to those who have objections to being forcibly vaccinated by the Department of Health. 

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. 

S.B. 274 – USE OF DEADLY FORCE REPORTINGby Sen. Antoinette Sedillo-Lopez (D-Bernalillo) and Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero (D-Bernalillo) – BAD

Note: both of these women are running for Congress in CD-1.

According to the bill, “Within twenty-four hours of a person suffering great bodily harm or death as a result of a peace officer’s actions, the sheriff or the chief of police of the jurisdiction in which the great bodily harm or death occurred shall report the great bodily harm or death in writing to the district attorney of the judicial district in which the great bodily harm or death occurred. The sheriff or chief of police shall report all instances of suspected great bodily harm to the appropriate district attorney, even if a more thorough assessment of great bodily harm will be undertaken at a later date,” 

The bill would put undue suspicion of wrongdoing on the part of the law enforcement officer, overburdening local sheriffs and district attorneys, while not trusting police officers to carry forth their duties. 

NOTE: This same bill, but in the House form as H.B. 254 will be heard in the HOUSE CONSUMER AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE on Thursday, February 18, 2021 – 10 Minutes After the Floor Session – Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89243737297

S.B. 227 –  INSPECTION OF POLICE MISCONDUCT INVESTIGATION – Sen. Linda Lopez (D-Bernalillo) – BAD

This bill is opposed by the Bernalillo County Deputy Sheriffs Association. It adds crippling restrictions on law enforcement and adds strict reporting criteria which does nothing by penalize law enforcers for simply carrying out their duties. Included in the bill are restrictions, such as the following:

“A law enforcement officer shall not use a chokehold. J. A law enforcement officer shall not discharge tear gas or other chemical weapons. K. A law enforcement officer shall not discharge rubber pellets from a propulsion device. L. A law enforcement officer shall not direct a dog to bite a person.” This is an anti-law enforcement bill, which takes critical tools away from officers. 

SATURDAY SENATE HEARINGS

TAX, BUSINESS AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE – Senator Benny Shendo Jr., Chair | Saturday, February 20, 2021 – 9:00 a.m. – Virtual Zoom Meeting

S.B. 197 – INCREASE CIGARETTE TAX sponsored by Sen. Linda Lopez (D-Bernalillo) – BAD

According to the fiscal impact report, the bill “increases the tobacco products tax for products distributed for consumption from 25 percent to 83 percent, for e-liquids from 12.5 percent to 83 percent, and for closed system cartridges from 50 cents to $3.32 per closed system cartridge” 

This would put a crippling burden on this commodity by hiking its tax by over 332%.  

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 Friday, February 19 at 5:00 p.m. You will be contacted by our Zoom Operator with the virtual meeting instructions.

See the full Senate schedule here.

HOUSE COMMITTEES

HOUSE COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

ANTONIO “MOE” MAESTAS, CHAIR – 1:30 p.m. – Zoom

H.B. 110 – PHASED MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE by Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero (D-Bernalillo) – She is running for Congress in CD-1.  – BAD

“Starting January 1, 2022, the minimum wage would rise to $12.00 per hour Starting January 1, 2024, the minimum wage would rise to $15.00 per hour,” according to the fiscal impact report.

This bill hurts small businesses and causes fewer people employed because of the mandates from this anti-business, anti-worker bill. 

You are invited to a Zoom webinar. Feb 22, 2021 01:30 PM When: Feb 22, 2021 01:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada) Topic: HOUSE COMMERCE & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83846715600

SATURDAY HOUSE HEARINGS

HOUSE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE – DEBORAH ARMSTRONG, CHAIR

Saturday, February 20, 2021 – 9:00 a.m. – Zoom

Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89853256841 Or iPhone one-tap : US: +13462487799,,89853256841# or +16699009128,,89853256841#

Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

US: +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 Webinar ID: 898 5325 6841

H.B. 205 – PROHIBIT SALE OF FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS sponsored by Rep. Joanne Ferrary (D-Doña Ana) and Rep. Liz Thomson (D-Bernalillo) – BAD 

This bill would make it a crime “to knowingly sell, offer to sell, barter or give a flavored tobacco product to a person,” and or “purchase, possess or attempt to purchase or possess any flavored tobacco product,” which infringes on personal liberty. 

See the full House schedule here.

Hearings after Saturday:
TAX, BUSINESS AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE – Monday, February 22, 2021 – 1:30 p.m. – Virtual Zoom Meeting

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 Thursday, February 18 at 10:00 a.m. You will be contacted by our Zoom Operator with the virtual meeting instructions.

SB 168 – INCREASE GAS TAX by Sen. “Bobby” J. Gonzales (D-Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe and Taos) – BAD — rolled over

Senate Bill 168 increases the gasoline excise tax and the special fuel excise tax by five cents per gallon (from 17 cents to 22 cents and from 21 cents to 26 cents, respectively) over a five-year period, with a one-cent increase each fiscal year beginning in FY22.

In an economic crisis, the state already faces, this bill will raise taxes on gas, hurting the state and hurting people in New Mexico already suffering enough through burdensome taxation. 

This is just an overview of some of the most consequential bills going through the pipeline, but please visit NMLegis.gov to follow more bills.

Legislative Update: Bills you need to know about for Feb. 19-20 Read More »

House Dems pass bills vilifying police, promoting corruption, letting sex offenders cut kids’ hair

1 Comment / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, while the New Mexico House of Representatives met for a floor session, it considered multiple Democrat bills, one of being H.B. 4, the so-called “Civil Rights Act” brought forth by Rep. Georgene Louis (D-Bernalillo), who is also a candidate for Congress in the First District.

According to the New Mexico House Republicans, “The bill is intended to address civil rights concerns in New Mexico, however, the bill will effectively expose every New Mexico government entity for lawsuits.” 

During the debate over the bill, Rep. T. Ryan Lane (R-San Juan), an attorney, expressed his concerns over state legislators who are lawyers profiting off of H.B. 4. He offered an amendment declaring that a member of the Legislature who is a lawyer cannot represent claimants and profit off of H.B. 4 during service and three years following their departure from the Legislature. The House Speaker, Brain Egolf, refused to allow Lane to explain his amendment.

The amendment died on a party-line vote, showing that Democrats in the Legislature agree that lawyers serving in the body should be able to profit from claimants with the bill. On final passage of the anti-law enforcement legislation, it was approved on a mostly party-line vote of 39-29, with Democrat Reps. Willie Madrid (D-Chapparal), Derrick Lente (D-Rio Arriba, Sandoval and San Juan), Candie Sweetser (D-Deming), Susan Herrera (D-Rio Arriba, Santa Fe & Taos), and all Republican representatives rejecting it. 

After the passage of the bill, the House Republicans released a statement, with Republican Whip Rod Montoya saying, “We are in a building guarded by State Police and National Guard, and this bill is a slap in the face to each and every one of them…. Why would anyone want to be in law enforcement in this state? It has to be difficult for our police to wake up every day to out-of-control crime and progressive lawmakers who are working overtime to make their jobs and lives miserable.” 

“House Bill 4 puts every community and non-profit organization and their board members at great risk for lawsuits,” said House Republican Leader Jim Townsend. “The only group that has expressed significant support for HB 4 are the trial lawyers, who could have a significant windfall when the bill is enacted.” 

Another piece of legislation, H.B. 54, brought forth by far-left Reps. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe) and Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe), aimed to regulate cosmetologists and barbers. Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Bernalillo, Sandoval & Santa Fe) proposed an amendment barring registered sex offenders and child molesters from cutting children’s hair. The amendment died on a party-line, revealing that Democrats support child predators and pedophiles touching children. Without the amendment, the bill would allow these predators to cut children’s hair.

House Dems pass bills vilifying police, promoting corruption, letting sex offenders cut kids’ hair Read More »

Abortion up-to-birth and infanticide S.B. 10 passes last committee, heads to House floor

1 Comment / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Monday, the New Mexico House Judiciary Committee met to consider S.B. 10, a bill that would strip all conscience protections from health care providers, allow abortion up-to-birth and infanticide, and allow underaged children, possibly victims of human trafficking, to get abortions without any questions asked.

During the hearing, the Senate sponsor of the bill, Sen. Linda Lopez (D-Bernalillo), did not answer any questions about her bill, as she previously did on the Senate floor when Republicans tried to ask her a question.

I was at the hearing and testified against the bill. The chair, Rep. Gail Chasey, attempted to cut me off when mentioning Sen. Lopez’s refusal to defend her bill. However, I did get my full statement into the record. 

Here’s what my one-minute statement read: 

Thank you, Madame Chair and Representatives: My name is John Block, a New Mexico native, and I oppose S.B. 10, which its own sponsor, Sen. Lopez, refused to defend on the Senate floor. And I know why she refused to defend it. It’s indefensible.

It would allow abortion up-to-birth and infanticide, let underage girls, many being victims of human trafficking, be forced into unwanted abortions by predators with no questions asked, and mandate health care workers to refer and continue care for abortion.

S.B. 10 does nothing but reward late-term abortionists, child rapists, and sex traffickers, putting vulnerable women and babies in an impossible situation. I urge the committee to vote “no” on this antiquated and staunchly anti-woman bill. Thank you.

Many other pro-lifers, including Elisa Martinez of New Mexico Alliance for Life and many others, offered cogent testimony against the bill, despite the short notice from the committee and the hearing being heard on President’s Day, a holiday. A poll that was conducted during the Zoom meeting claimed there was 50/50 support versus opposition to the bill. However, many who testified indicated how inaccurate the poll was.

During one bit of testimony from the pro-abortion side, one person complained their grandmother “didn’t have access to abortion,” and was “forced to give birth” to her mother. 

The bill passed on a party-line vote of 8-4, with all Democrats voting for it and all Republicans opposing it. S.B. 10 now moves to the House floor for third-reading and then final passage.

Here’s a vlip from the Senate debate where Sen. Jacob Candelaria (D-Bernalillo) said he threw a baby model “right in the trash.”

Abortion up-to-birth and infanticide S.B. 10 passes last committee, heads to House floor Read More »

Report: Every NM legislator bankrolled by the abortion lobby in 2020

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

The votes on abortion up-to-birth and infanticide bills H.B. 7 and S.B. 10 are slated for today or Friday in the New Mexico House and Senate, respectively. A lot of speculation has gone into who will vote for or against these abortion up-to-birth bills and who is being bankrolled by the abortion lobby.

We went through every donation the abortion lobbyists gave to members during the 2020 election from the New Mexico Secretary of State’s website, and all the recipients are below. The abortion groups that gave during this cycle included Planned Parenthood (abortionists) and EMILY’s List (sexist pro-abortion advocates who only give money to pro-abortion women).

Sen. Carrie Hamblen (D-Doña Ana): $5,567.36 total ($4,567.36 from Planned Parenthood, $1,000.00 from EMILY’s List).

Sen. Leo Jaramillo (D-Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, and Santa Fe): $3,944.86 total (all from Planned Parenthood).

Sen. Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo): $4,567.35 total (all from Planned Parenthood).

Sen. Siah Correa-Hemphill (D-Catron, Grant, and Socorro): $9,567.36 total ($4,567.36 from Planned Parenthood, $5,000 from EMILY’s List). 

Sen. Brenda McKenna (D-Bernalillo & Sandoval): $4,567.36 total (all from Planned Parenthood). 

Sen. Katy Duhigg (D-Bernalillo & Sandoval): $4,567.36 (all from Planned Parenthood). 

Rep. Miguel P. Garcia (D-Bernalillo): $2,032.22 total (all from Planned Parenthood). 

Rep. Raymundo Lara (D-Doña Ana): $4,567.36 total (all from Planned Parenthood).

Rep. Linda Serrato (D-Santa Fe): $4,567.36 total (all from Planned Parenthood).

Patricia Roybal Caballero (D-Bernalillo): $2,516.23 total ($2,016.23 from Planned Parenthood, $500 from EMILY’s List). 

Rep. Roger Montoya (Colfax, Mora, Rio Arriba, and San Miguel): $3,944.86 total (all from Planned Parenthood). 

Rep. Kristina Ortez (D-Taos): $4,567.36 (all from Planned Parenthood).

Rep. Meredith Dixon (D-Bernalillo): $1,220.69 (all from Planned Parenthood).

Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-Bernalillo, Santa Fe, Torrance, and Valencia): $4,567.36 (all from Planned Parenthood). 

Rep. Marian Matthews (D-Bernalillo): $5,067.36 total ($4,567.36 from Planned Parenthood, $500 from EMILY’s List Federal Fund). 

Rep. Joy Garratt (D-Bernalillo): $70 total (all from EMILY’s List). 

Rep. Elizabeth Thomson (D-Bernalillo): $70 total (all from EMILY’s List). 

Rep. Dayan Hochman-Vigil (D-Bernalillo): $70 total (all from EMILY’s List). 

Rep. Natalie Figueroa (D-Bernalillo): $70 total (all from EMILY’s List). 

Rep. Debra Sarinana (D-Bernalillo): $70 total (all from EMILY’s List). 

The Piñon Post will keep you up to date on the floor votes for H.B. 7 and S.B. 10. Planned Parenthood has been lobbying in favor of these bills with well-funded misinformation campaigns, one even claiming not being able to get an abortion is similar to not being able to own a credit card.

If you haven’t already, you can find your legislators to contact by clicking here. 

Report: Every NM legislator bankrolled by the abortion lobby in 2020 Read More »

Newly sworn-in NM rep. stands up for life in the womb

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

New Mexico Rep. T. Ryan Lane (R-San Juan) is brand new to the New Mexico Legislature, but he’s already ruffling some feathers on the left by standing by his convictions and boldly supporting human life in the womb.

In a video message tweeted out by the New Mexico House Republicans, Rep. Lane told New Mexico why he stands for life.

Here’s what he said: 

“I represent and stand for life because I care about the future of our state. I care about our future citizens who will be teachers, doctors, engineers, farmers, small business owners, and so many other things. And that future will never become a reality because they are not given an opportunity for life. Life is precious and I love all of it. That’s why I stand for life.”

Watch Rep. Lane’s message below and follow him here. 

The Farmington lawmaker wrote on his Facebook in a caption to the video, “Who knew that standing for life could be so controversial? Welcome to the Brave New World.”

Rep. Lane’s message comes as radical Democrats in the Legislature are working hard to ram through an abortion up-to-birth and infanticide bill that would strip away protections for babies in the womb, mothers, and health care providers. The Senate version of the bill passed through its last committee on Wednesday by a vote of 6-3 and it heads over to the Senate floor next.

Democrats claim they have the votes to pass the extreme bill after they mounted multiple primary challenges to pro-life Senate Democrats and other pro-life members mysteriously died or faced scandals, leading to their defeats.

Newly sworn-in NM rep. stands up for life in the womb Read More »

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