Good Afternoon New Mexico Activists:

We’d like to remind you about tomorrow’s interim hearing on Gun Violence Prevention: Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee meeting, Tues., July 26, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., in the Senate Chamber at the Roundhouse. New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence urges you to attend the meeting, in person if you can or via Zoom, and offer public comment. Public comment is scheduled 11:30 to Noon and 1 to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

You’ll find instructions to participate in the Zoom and offer public comment at the committee webpage at this link. Instructions are not crystal clear, but it appears you can register to comment via Zoom once the meeting starts. If you are going in person, you typically will find a sign-up sheet to offer public comment inside the meeting room. Please note: the public comment periods are before the 1:30 session organized by New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, so please be prepared to comment at 11:30 or 1 p.m. You can also just watch the Webcast at this link.

You can learn about the proposed legislation at this link, which may help you form your speaking points. The meeting is three days long (July 25-27), but most of the gun violence discussion is on Tuesday. You’ll find the full agenda at this link.

If you want to watch a recording of our July 13 Zoominar on Gun Violence Prevention, or read a transcript of the public comment Paul intends to give at the meeting, scroll down to the second half of last Saturday’s blog post at this link.

We also want to remind you about our upcoming Zoominar on Modernizing Our Legislature: Paid Staff, Longer Session, Paid Legislators: Weds., July 27, 6 -7:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Would you work hundreds of hours a year without pay? Why should our legislators work for free? New Mexico is the only state in the U.S. that doesn’t pay legislators. If we pay our legislators, working-class people can represent us instead of only retired folks, attorneys, realtors, bankers, and others who can afford to work for free. And with paid staff and longer sessions, our legislature can get more done, pass more bills.

We will be joined by two of the 10 Democratic women Reps. who plan to introduce legislation in 2023 to reform our legislature, Representatives Angelica Rubio (Las Cruces) and Kristina Ortez (Taos), in addition to activist Ricann Bock of Indivisible Santa Fe, and Cara Lynch, co-founder of Legislative Momentum. Please join us and learn how you can help our legislature become more efficient, more effective, and more equitable. Use this link to register.

A final brief note to tell you about one more interim committee hearing coming up on Friday in Albuquerque to discuss statewide housing issues:

Mortgage Finance Authority Act (NMMFA) Oversight Committee, Fri., July 29, 10 to Noon, NMMFA Office, 344 Fourth St., SW, Albuquerque. You will find the agenda at this link. No public comment period on the agenda, so you may only be able to observe. You can do so in person or via webcast at this link.

If you’ve missed any of our Alerts, you can find all of them at this link on our website.

We know it’s easy to get discouraged these days, so we want you to know we’re grateful that you’re not giving up, that you’re staying engaged. It’s going to take all of us giving it all we’ve got to fix what’s wrong in this state and in this country.

In hope & gratitude,

Roxanne and Paul