Follow Bills and Committees

House Health and Human Services Committee

9 a.m. Monday, January 27

Room 307 

HB 11, the Paid Family Medical Leave Act, is first on the committee's agenda.  We  learned we need a show of force, as the restaurant association will be there in full force. We believe we have  the Democratic votes, and the Republicans will be using stall tactics.  You will not need to testify, and the coalition asks that you do not at this first committee meeting. A presentation and a selected roster of speakers in support have already been planned.  Note that 307 is a small room,  so please come but be prepared to have to wait outside if there are large numbers.

-- Bill Watchers:  Kathleen Moseley, Willie Orr  

Senate Conservation Committee

9 a.m. Tuesday, January 28

Room 311

Here are our positions on these four bills:

• Vote YES on SB 4 to give NM emissions reduction goals the force of law, to require the  establishment of rules, and to establish assessment and reporting requirements by the Environmental Improvement Board. Importantly, this  bill does not endorse the dangerous and empty false solutions that prior  legislation included like "carbon trading" or "carbon credits". Read more here.
• Vote YES on SB 21 to authorize the state to take over pollutant discharge permitting for waters still federally protected and under EPA jurisdiction. This authority is necessary to pursue primacy for National Pollutant  Discharge Elimination System ("NPDES") permits so that New Mexico can  pass more stringent water protections than federal law allows. Read more here.
• Amend SB 22, the Water Quality and Pollution Act. This  important act puts in place discharge permit standards for the 95% of New Mexico waterways that were excluded from Clean Water Act protections by the Sackett decision.  The current version of the bill includes language requiring the  promulgation of rules for reuse of produced water outside the oilfield.  We joined Defend NM Water to ask the sponsors and  committee members to amend the bill to allow for produced water  research outside the oilfield only at an accredited laboratory, and  prohibit all other reuse until scientific evidence demonstrates  treatment safety.
•  Vote YES on SB 23 to raise oil and gas royalty rates from 20% to 25% for new leases. This  is the third time the State Land Office has attempted to ensure that New Mexico receives the same compensation that Texas receives from oil operators, and to increase state funding from the oil and gas industry by $1 billion. Read more here.

-- Bill watchers:   Carl Peterson, Rayellen Smith 

House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee

1:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 28

Room 317

HB 12, Extreme Risk Protection Order Changes, modifies the existing law, thereby making it more enforceable.  The changes allow law enforcement officers to file a  petition for an extreme risk protection order based on information collected during their official duties.  The changes also include requiring respondents to relinquish firearms immediately upon being served with an extreme risk protection order, rather than within 48  hours. 

-- Bill watcher:  Rayellen Smith

House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs Committee

8:30 a.m. Wednesday, January 29

Room 305

We need your voice for this first committee hearing on this amendment!  For more info, go to www.NMGreenAmendment.org.

Starting at 10:30 a.m. at the Railyard Park

March to the state capitol

Rally at the east entrance to the capitol, starting about 11 a.m.

Legislator visits

For more details, see the Actions and Events page.

 Look for someone wearing a Reboot Our Democracy button and ask them to give you one.  Wear it all around the Roundhouse!

Go to the What's Happening tab on the legislative website.  Click the link for the hearing you're interested in watching, and locate the Zoom Webinar information for that hearing.  (You will not be able to speak if you participate remotely.)

We still need a few people to watch certain bills, tell us how committee meetings go, tell us when to send Alerts to members, etc. 

If you would like to be a bill watcher, send us an email!

Click the link below to fill out a form that prompts you for your State House and Senate district numbers. Our coalition will work to to send you alerts that tell you when you need to notify your legislators about bills we support.   This is one of the most important actions we do each year.  Help us! 

Note: if you've completed this form already, you do not need to complete it again.  

Tell us your legislators  

The Healthcare Issue Committee will meet at 5:30pm Tuesday night, January 28, at First Congregational Church on the corner of Lomas and Girard in Albuquerque. 

We will discuss the possible specific legislation we want to support, strategize how to do that, and get organized. Everyone is invited and encouraged to participate.  We need all hands on deck to make this happen.  (Note: if you don’t  live in Albuquerque, click this link to send an email and find out how to get involved.)

The Governor's Strategic Water Supply Act, HB137, is a direct threat to our water, our health and our tax dollars.  Learn more here to help ensure the Governor's poisonous bail-out of the billionaire Oil & Gas industry is defeated. The time to act is now, before PFAS and radioactive materials are dumped into our water supply.  Don’t be fooled  by the name of this bill -  the only strategy here is a bailout. 

 Hundreds of people joined the 8 sessions of Zoomfest.  If you missed it, you can download the recordings and read all the materials from the home page.