Greetings New Mexico Activists:

First, a few words about yesterday’s Supreme Court decision to strike down Roe v. Wade. Thankfully, we were successful in repealing the abortion ban here in New Mexico just last year. And now that we are without federal protection for a woman’s right to choose, it is even more essential that we retain Democratic control of our Roundhouse and the Governor’s office. You can be sure that if Republicans win control in our state, they will target a woman’s right to choose, putting women’s and families’ health and futures in jeopardy.

We’re concerned that many progressives across the state are unhappy, even angry, with Governor Lujan Grisham. We understand your feelings. In spite of the many accomplishments during her tenure –– e.g., repeal of the abortion ban, legal cannabis, free college, lower small loan rates, increased child tax credits –– we, too, have been critical of some of her policies and decisions. But this isn’t the time to take your anger to the ballot box. There is too much at stake. To have Republican extremist Mark Ronchetti as our Governor would set us back years, undoing so much of what we’ve accomplished. We can’t let this happen!

So, whether or not you like or agree with our Governor, we need her to win in November. And we need to retain our Democratic advantage in the state House and Senate. With Democrats, we can keep the conversation going and work with them on progressive issues. With Republicans, the conversation will be over. All that we’ve gained in the last few years, and more, will be in peril. We progressives have a lot of power in our state. Let’s use it to keep New Mexico blue!

Now let’s look at what’s coming up.

June-July Interim Committee Meetings

We were told this week by one of the Roundhouse staff attorneys that “Legislative Council Service has reconsidered moving away from Zoom meetings and is now in the process of getting together the technical resources needed to allow members of the public to participate in interim committee meetings remotely.” This is good news and may be the result of activists writing to legislators to urge them to make interim hearings accessible to the public via Zoom. Thank you!

However, we don’t know when Zoom access will become available. And at this point none of the upcoming Interim Committee meeting agendas have any info about Zoom participation. We’ll let you know when we hear more. In the meantime, all the meetings should be Webcast (available at this link) and they are open to the public in person.

Interim Committee meetings may not be as exciting as committee hearings during the session when members are voting on legislation, and you may not have a chance to comment, but it’s a good opportunity to get a sense of what legislators are thinking about the issues and how potential legislation might be received during the 2023 Session. So, we hope you’ll listen in if you can.

The Legislative Council will meet on Monday, June 27, 1:30 p.m. at the Roundhouse in Room 307. They will hear from 19 of the 23 Interim Committees about work plans and budgets. We’re not sure what to expect in this meeting, but it might be a good way of learning about what all the interim committees are planning this year and what legislation might be introduced in the 2023 Session. PLEASE NOTE: Legislative Council does not allow public comment, but you can watch via Webcast at this link or in person at the Roundhouse. You’ll find the full Legislative Council meeting agenda at this link.

The Legislative Finance Committee will meet in Silver City beginning Tues., July 19, at 3 p.m. and again on Weds., July 20, 8:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Thurs., July 21, 8: 30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Fri., July 22, 8 to 11:30 a.m. On Tuesday afternoon the LFC Emergency Response Subcommittee will get an update on forest fires, recovery efforts and long-term impacts. On Wednesday morning LFC will hear a review of our state’s tax policy issues, followed by a report on the general revenues and expenditures, including the state’s oil and gas outlook. That afternoon is a report on crime in our state and reducing violent crime. Thursday includes a report on workforce development, followed by a copper mining update and tour. Friday is devoted mostly to developing the tourism industry in our state. You will find the full LFC agenda at this link.

Again, we have no info on whether this meeting will be accessible via Zoom, but you can watch it via Webcast. Or, if you live in the vicinity, you can attend the meeting in person at Western New Mexico University, 1000 W. College Ave., Silver City, NM.

FYI: If you miss one of our Alerts, you can find them all at this link.

That’s all for now. Thank you for participating in democracy in our state. The more of us who participate, the stronger our democracy will be. And democracy in this country needs all the help it can get right now!

In Solidarity and Hope,

Roxanne & Paul