1-23-21 ALERT: Hearings Mon/Tues – Civil Rights, Repeal Abortion Ban, Discl. of Personal Info, Local Choice Energy, Environmental Database

Hello New Mexico Activists,
 
The 2021 Legislative Session is off and running! Five bills that we support are coming up for hearings on Monday and Tuesday. The process for public participation is very different this year, and the Senate committee process is different from House committees, so please read the following information carefully if you plan to offer comment at a hearing or call/email legislators about these bills.
 
It’s clear that Roundhouse staff are still figuring out how to make this “Session by Zoom” work. It appears that House committees will publish Zoom links directly on their committee hearing schedules. Senate committee are asking you to email them with your name, bill number, and other info before they send you the Zoom link. We’ve been told that committee hearings will be webcast, so you don’t need to join the Zoom unless you want to make a public comment. How they will webcast hearings that are on Zoom instead of in hearing rooms is still unknown. You can find Roundhouse webcasts at the nmlegis.gov website in the top menu bar under Webcast. We apologize if this is confusing, but they are figuring this out as they go along, so it may take a few days before they work out the kinks.

Whether you participate in hearings or not, we encourage you to contact committee members to urge them to support the bill. Use the contact info in each section below to email today and call on Monday. They are still updating contact info, so if any phone numbers below don’t work, use email.

1. Monday, Jan. 25, 8:30 a.m., House State Government, Elections & Indian Affairs Committee (HSEIC) will hear HB 4 NM Civil Rights Act. We don’t have a full summary, but basically, HB 4 would permit an individual to bring a claim against a public agency or a person acting on behalf of a public agency for a violation of the individual’s rights, privileges, or immunities included in the NM Constitution, prohibiting the use of “qualified immunity.”

How they will handle public comment appears to be up to each committee chair. If you want to comment, you’ll find out how when you join the webinar. Link to join the Zoom: 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.
 
House State Government, Elections & Indian Affairs Committee (HSEIC)
Georgene Louis (D), Chair, 505-986-4346, georgene.louis@nmlegis.gov
D. Wonda Johnson (D), Vice Chair, 505-986-4433, dwonda.johnson@nmlegis.gov
Gail Chasey (D), 505-986-4411, gail@gailchasey.com
Daymon Ely (D), 505-986-4432, daymon.ely@nmlegis.gov
Doreen Y. Gallegos (D), 505-986-4780, doreen.gallegos@nmlegis.gov
Greg Nibert (R), 505-986-4211, greg.nibert@nmlegis.gov
Kristina Ortez (D), (no phone posted yet), kristina.ortez@nmlegis.gov
Bill R. Rehm (R), 505-986-4214, bill.rehm@nmlegis.gov
Martin R. Zamora (R), 505-986-4211, martin.zamora@nmlegis.gov

2. Monday, Jan. 25, 1 p.m., Senate Health & Public Affairs Committee (SPAC) will hear SB 10 Repeal Abortion Ban and SB 75 State Agency Disclosure of Sensitive Info. Click the SB 10 link above to get speaking points. We don’t have a full-page summary of SB75, but this bill prohibits state agencies from disclosing sensitive personal information such as a person’s status as a recipient of public assistance or as a crime victim, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability, medical condition, immigration status, national origin or religion, and social security number or tax ID number.

Instructions from SPAC to participate: Email SPAC@nmlegis.gov with your Name, Organization/ Affiliation, Bill Number, For or Against, and indicate if you wish to speak on a specific bill. Deadline to respond is Mon., Jan. 25, 8 a.m. You will be contacted by our Zoom operator with virtual meeting instructions.
 
Senate Health & Public Affairs Committee (SPAC)
Jerry Ortiz Y Pino (D), Chair, 505-986-4481, jortizyp@msn.com
Bill Tallman (D), Vice Chair, 505-397-8854, bill.tallman@nmlegis.gov
Gregg Schmedes (R), Ranking Member, (no phone posted yet), gregg.schmedes@nmlegis.gov
David M. Gallegos (R), (no phone posted yet) david.rsi@hotmail.com
Stuart Ingle (R), (no phone posted yet), stuart.ingle@nmlegis.gov
Brenda G. McKenna (D), 505-397-8834, brenda.mckenna@nmlegis.gov
Antoinette Sedillo Lopez (D), 505-397-8847, a.sedillolopez@nmlegis.gov
Liz Stefanics (D), 505-397-8851, lstefanics@msn.com

3. Tuesday, Jan. 26, 9 a.m., House Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Committee (HENRC) will hear HB51 Environmental Database Act. We don’t have a full summary, but HB 51 would establish a public, web-based database with access to state environmental data from these agencies: Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources; Dept. of Environment; State Land Office, Dept. of Health, Dept. of Game & Fish; Public Regulation Commission, and the Historic Preservation Division of the Cultural Affairs Dept. Data would include, for example, locations of active oil and gas wells, locations of permits for major sources of air pollution, ground water quality data, state trust land leases, child asthma rates, critical habitats for threatened and endangered species, locations of oil and gas pipes, and much more.

It’s unclear how they will handle public comment, but it appears to be up to each committee chair. If you want to comment, you’ll find out how when you join the webinar. Link to join the Zoom: 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.
 
House Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Committee (HENRC)
Matthew McQueen (D), Chair, 505-986-4423, matthew.mcqueen@nmlegis.gov
Melanie A. Stansbury (D), Vice Chair, 505-986-4336, melanie.stansbury@nmlegis.gov
Christine Chandler (D), 505-986-4226, christine.chandler@nmlegis.gov
Meredith A. Dixon (D), (no phone posted yet), meredith.dixon@nmlegis.gov
Joanne J. Ferrary (D), 505-986-4438, joanne.ferrary@nmlegis.gov
Rod Montoya (R), 505-986-4758, roddmontoya@gmail.com
Kristina Ortez (D), (no phone posted yet), kristina.ortez@nmlegis.gov
Debra M. Sariñana, (D), 505-986-4227, debbie.sarinana@nmlegis.gov
Larry R. Scott (R), 505-986-4450, larry.scott@nmlegis.gov 
James R.J. Strickler (R), 505-986-4220, jamesstrickler@msn.com
James G. Townsend (R), 505-986-4758, townsend@pvtn.net

4. Tuesday, Jan. 26, 9 a.m., Senate Conservation Committee (SCONC) will hear SB 83 Local Choice Energy Act –  find talking points at this link.

Instructions from SCONC: For public participation send an email to SCONC@nmlegis.gov with your Name, Organization/Affiliation, Bill #, For or Against and an email address by Mon., Jan. 25, 3 p.m. You will be contacted by our Zoom Operator with virtual meeting instructions. NOTE: Agenda items might be rolled over to the next meeting.
 
Senate Conservation Committee (SCONC)
Liz Stefanics (D), Chair, 505-397-8851, lstefanics@msn.com
Antoinette Sedillo Lopez (D), Vice Chair, 505-397-8847, a.sedillolopez@nmlegis.gov
David M. Gallegos (R), Ranking Member, (no phone posted yet) david.rsi@hotmail.com
Joseph Cervantes (D), 505-397-8820, joseph@cervanteslawnm.com
Carrie Hamblen (D), 505-397-8827, carrie.hamblen@nmlegis.gov
Steven P. Neville (R), (no phone posted yet), steven.neville@nmlegis.gov
Harold Pope, Jr. (D), 505-397-8843, harold.popejr@nmlegis.gov
Gregg Schmedes (R), (no phone posted yet), gregg.schmedes@nmlegis.gov
William P. Soules (D), 505-397-8850, bill.soules@nmlegis.gov
 
Look for another Alert on Monday with info about hearings later next week! Thank you all for your commitment to promoting social, economic and environmental justice in New Mexico! We’ll be in touch again soon.
 
In hope and solidarity,
Roxanne and Paul