Latest news with #HouseBill137
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lujan Grisham signs bills for water quality, PFAS restrictions into law
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed four bills into law Tuesday, April 8, relating to water and PFAS. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM) Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday signed into law four bills she said better prepares New Mexico to address: water shortages from climate change; contamination from so-called 'forever chemicals;' and pollution in the state's waters. At a press conference at the Roundhouse joined by sponsors, advocates and several cabinet secretaries, the governor signed: House Bill 137, which will explore treatment of salty water from deep aquifers for future use. House Bill 212, which tasks state environment officials to create rules phasing out consumer products containing a class of toxic so-called 'forever chemicals,' called per-and-polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS. House Bill 140 to expand New Mexico Environment Department's authority to require the cleanup of firefighting foams containing PFAS in response to litigation from the U.S. military over cleanup at military bases in New Mexico. Senate Bill 21, a bill to expand New Mexico's powers to address stream pollution and take over pollution permitting in surface waters from the federal government. 'When you talk about water to anyone, it's typically not a dialogue, it's a debate, because water is life,' Lujan Grisham said during the bill signing, adding that the Legislature and her office 'did about three decades worth of work' on the issue over the session. New Mexico Environment Secretary James Kenney called the four bills 'a big, bold package,' for the environment. 'This is a real turning point, I think, for taking back control of our water, of what consumer products are coming into our homes, of teaching people how to treat New Mexico and its environment,' Kenney said. Lujan Grisham also celebrated the passage of HB137, the much pared down Strategic Water Supply, crediting state Rep. Susan Herrera (D-Embudo) for sponsoring the bill. HB137 addresses aquifer mapping and treatment of brackish water in deep aquifers, and funding for mapping the state's groundwater supplies. Previous and more controversial versions of the bill included efforts to treat oil and gas wastewater, which environmental, Indigenous and conservation nonprofits opposed due to potential health and logistical risks. A previous version of the bill also installed fees for oil and gas producers per barrel of oil and gas wastewater to help pay for the program, but those also were stripped from the bill. 'This is a monumental stake in identifying water and keeping our fresh water fresh and clean and making sure that we can do both economic development and create assurances for any number of industries, including ag in the future,' Lujan Grisham said of the bill, and noted she plans to push for developing treatment for oil and gas wastewater in next year's 30-day session. 'I think we should clean up every bit of contaminated water, wherever it exists, from uranium mill tailings to produced water, all of it,' Lujan Grisham said, adding that the costs should be paid for by the oil and gas industry. The governor also applauded the Legislature's work in passing SB21, a bill to enshrine the state's right to regulate pollution in surface waters like streams and rivers and continue the yearslong process to develop a state program for permits. New Mexico was one of only three states that allowed the federal government to handle all pollution permitting in surface waters. SB21 allows the state to reinstate protections for more than 90% of New Mexico's waters which were stripped by the Supreme Court decision in Sackett v. EPA. Paula Garcia, the executive director of the New Mexico Acequia Association, told Source NM the laws will reinstall meaningful protections for the tributary waters on which irrigators rely, but that the organization will ensure there's follow-through in the yearslong process for the state to take over permitting. 'We have to stay vigilant to ensure the state's environment department has the resources that the need to stand up this program,' Garcia said. It was a much warmer mood on the fourth floor, compared to the somber end of the legislative session, which occurred in the aftermath of the Las Cruces mass shooting on March 21 and prompted criticism from the governor on legislative inaction regarding juvenile crime reform. Lujan Grisham said on Tuesday a special session on juvenile crime is still under discussion, but a specific date has not been set. She said perhaps later this year after interim committee meetings begin. 'I'm still feeling like that's really necessary,' she said. In the upcoming 30-day session, the governor said she'd fight for a law codifying greenhouse gas emission reductions by 2050, which she issued as an executive order in 2019. This year's version, Senate Bill 4, sponsored by Senate Pro Tem Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque), failed to advance beyond Senate Finance this year. She emphasized that her administration is running out of time. 'It's the last chance, and people should expect me to have a little bit better than a scalpel approach, a little bit less than a sledgehammer about where we're going in climate change,' Lujan Grisham said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
CBS News
06-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Maryland's $3 billion deficit on lawmakers' minds as legislative session nears end
Maryland lawmakers are continuing to negotiate ways to eliminate a $3 billion deficit with the legislative session set to end on Monday, April 7. Last month, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and leaders in the General Assembly agreed on the framework for the state's budget . The 90 days of the legislative session have been contentious, with the state navigating budget cuts and how to generate revenue. The approved budget framework introduces new taxes and significant reductions in state spending. The plan includes $2.3 billion in cuts, which is about $500 million more than the governor initially proposed. General Assembly sources told WJZ these cuts will impact every agency in the state's government. The Developmental Disability Administration will see one of the largest single-agency cuts at more than $150 million, according to disability advocates. According to lawmakers, the budget framework maintains the governor's proposed tax code changes by creating two new tax brackets for the state's highest earners. Those who make $500,000 per year will be taxed at 6.25%, while those making $1 million will be taxed at 6.5%. Currently, Marylanders who make over $250,000 are taxed at 5.75%. Other fees and taxes will round out the $1.6 billion in revenue, including increasing the cannabis and sports betting taxes, according to The Baltimore Banner. There will also be a 3% tax on IT and data services, other vehicle fees, and a tax on vending machines. "There was a lot of upset and angst about the decisions and those increases in fees and such," said Sen. Guy Guzzone, the chair of the Budget and Taxation Committee. "Well, guess what? The transportation trust fund wouldn't have the money necessary to do these things. Guess what? There were things that we didn't like, and we made changes. We didn't do that delivery fee that everybody seemed worked up about." "You know, if this board had a couple of tax increases that were going up and said, 'Hey, look, we're plugging a couple of hundred million dollars, because we just couldn't get all the way there, that might be one thing. Honestly, this is a 1.5 $1.6 billion it's a huge tax increase combined. We cannot continue to go back to the taxpayers, again and again; it's going to cost us in this state"> Other bills we are keeping an eye on include changes to the Child Victims Act and legislation to help federal workers who have lost their jobs in Maryland . In 2023, the Child Victims Act , which removed the statute of limitations and allowed victims to receive up to $890,000 per occurrence of abuse, was made a law. Since then, 4,500 victims have filed claims, potentially putting the state on the hook for billions of dollars. Maryland lawmakers are debating ways to strike a balance between properly compensating victims of alleged childhood sexual abuse in the Maryland Juvenile Justice System without bankrupting the state. Democratic Delegate CT Wilson, a victim of childhood sexual abuse, introduced amendments to House Bill 1378, which would lower the payout cap for each claimant to $400,000. It would also require an alternative dispute resolution process to promise transparency in these payouts. "I wanted to make sure that whatever we do today, we don't so irreparably damage our state, that we must go to bankruptcy," Wilson said. "Because while the victims do need an opportunity to speak and they do need to come up in financial support, billions and billions of dollars is not what we can afford to do."
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NM Legislative Recap March 17: What's shaking out, or not, at the Roundhouse
With a week left in the session, here's where things stand. Scroll down lower in our recap to find a more detailed version of this chart. (Chart made with Fluorish) With five days remaining in New Mexico's 2025 legislative session, some bills that we thought would be important at the starting line have become law, while others have made little to no progress. For example, several high-profile bills like paid family leave and a tax on alcohol are most likely not going to move forward before the final gavel at noon Saturday. After an acrimonious special session in 2024, legislators and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham vowed to prioritize behavioral health and crime bills, passing a package of bills within the first half of the session for her approval. Lawmakers had sent 11 Senate bills and nine pieces of House legislation to the governor's office for her approval, as of Monday. Source NM previewed some of the big bills in public safety, water and climate and housing — here's what's moving, or not, since the session started. The day before the session, the state's attorney general and a senator announced a push to combat two forms of harm that affect young people: hazing and cyberbullying. To become laws, both the hazing bill and the cyberbullying one still need to pass two committees in the Senate and go through the entire process in the House of Representatives. Another lawmaker last week indicated that transparency legislation at a similar point in the process was 'out of time.' Legislative leaders made public safety and behavioral health the priorities for the session's first 30 days. They sent Lujan Grisham three bills that together aim to get more people into mental health treatment rather than dismissing their cases because they're unable to stand trial, while stiffening penalties for crimes related to guns and fentanyl trafficking, and she signed them on Feb. 27. A senator and a representative are carrying a proposal to make comprehensive sexual education available to every student in New Mexico, as a way of preventing teen pregnancies, sexually transmitted disease, sexual violence, bullying and sexual harassment. Two Senate committees have passed the bill, and it awaits a vote on the Senate floor. To become law, it would still need to go through the committee process and a floor vote in the House of Representatives. One of Lujan Grisham's signature proposals from last session is moving forward, although it's been radically reshaped this session. House Bill 137, the Strategic Water Supply, is limited to developing projects and grants for treating brackish, or salty waters in deep aquifers, stripping proposals dealing with oil and gas wastewater entirely. HB137 has an outstanding Senate Finance hearing and a Senate vote to clear. A bill to empower New Mexico to regulate pollution in surface waters such as streams and rivers, and continue the yearslong process to develop a state program for permits, is on the cusp of passage. Senate Bill 21 cleared all assigned committees and a Senate vote, and now awaits a hearing before the full House. Several bills to reform the oil and gas industry and enshrine greenhouse gas reduction goals into state law failed to clear committees this session. Rep. Kristina Ortez (D-Taos) told Source NM in a text message that two bills to beef up climate and public health tracking are not going to make it across the finish line this session, but that she will bring back the bills 'in full force, next year.' Those are House Bill 108, which proposed a $1.1 million program to track health impacts from extreme heat wildfire and more at the New Mexico Department of Health; and House Bill 109, which proposed a $12 million Climate Resilience Fund to offer up to $1 million grants to local and tribal governments for climate preparation and response. Two housing-related bills are making it farther this session than they have in previous years. One of them, which bans so-called 'source of income' discrimination, was introduced in at least two prior sessions but never made it out of committee. House Bill 339, which Reps. Angelica Rubio (D-Las Cruces) and Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe), sponsored, has passed the House and one Senate committee. It would prohibit landlords from turning away prospective tenants who carry housing subsidies like Section 8 vouchers. A similar bill, sponsored by Rep. Kathleen Cates (D-Rio Rancho), would require landlords to calculate prospective tenants' rent-to-income ratios only after subsidies like child support or Section 8 are accounted for. That bill has not yet gotten a hearing, so it's likely dead. A new state Office of Housing is also on its way toward clearing both chambers. Lawmakers last session voted against the bill, which would create an executive housing office tasked with collecting data and establishing a statewide strategy to deal with housing shortages. This year, it's cleared the House and is slated for a hearing soon on the Senate Floor. Advocates also hope Senate and House leadership will move forward on bills that would expunge eviction records after a certain number of years, prohibit the use of artificial intelligence algorithms to recommend maximum rent prices and crack down on excess rental application fees. The House's state budget proposal includes $110 million for housing development, including transitional housing, primarily in Bernalillo and Doña Ana counties, where lawmakers say the need is greatest. It would include almost $46 million to housing providers to focus on addressing homelessness. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The Senate passed Senate Bill 305, which would create a task force to improve recruitment and retention of foster parents; and Senate Bill 481, which would create a new State Fairgrounds District, which could issue up to $1 billion in bonds to redevelop or relocate the State Fair. The Senate rolled the remainder of its calendar to an evening session scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday. The House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 175, which would allow the Child Care Revolving Loan Fund to be used by more providers and to expand existing buildings; House Bill 244, which would lower the minimum age of magistrate judges from 30 to 28 years old; House Bill 348, which would raise civil penalties for water violations for the first time since 1907; House Bill 456, which would allow state agencies to use a price agreement for architectural or engineering services up to $2 million, not exceeding $15 million over four years; and House Bill 586, a zombie bill resurrecting Senate Bill 14, which would allow the Health Care Authority to review proposed mergers or acquisitions of health care facilities for potential negative health care impacts. At press time on Monday, the House was debating House Bill 426, which would require mobile home park owners to notify each resident and the Mortgage Finance Authority (MFA) of any offer for purchase the owner intends to accept. A similar proposal in 2023 didn't make it so far. On Monday morning, the House Health and Human Services Committee passed Senate Bill 219, the Medical Psilocybin Act, and it will now head to the House floor for a vote. That is the last action needed for the bill to be sent to the governor's desk to be signed into law. Rep. Elaine Sena Cortez (R-Hobbs) cast the only vote in opposition. The bill would allow providers to prescribe medicinal psilocybin to treat patients for post-traumatic stress disorder, major treatment-resistant depression, substance use disorders, end-of-life care and other conditions approved by the Department of Health. 'I'm supportive, you don't have to convince me of how beneficial this could be for a lot of people,' Rep. Jenifer Jones (R-Deming) told the bill sponsors during the meeting. House Health also voted to table Senate Bill 166, which would have redefined 'harm to self' and 'harm to others' in state law to allow for more people to be civilly committed into a locked facility. The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee passed House Memorial 57, which would call for a study of recruitment and retention of police instructors; Senate Bill 42, which would require healthcare providers to screen for substance-exposed newborns at birthing facilities and have plans for safe care before these babies are discharged; and Senate Bill 52, which would align mileage reimbursements for lawmakers and their staff with the U.S. General Service Administration rate. The Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee passed Senate Bill 426, which would repeal an obsolete law related to the New Mexico School for the Blind and visually Impaired; Senate Bill 433, which would allow dentists and dental hygienists licensed in other states to practice in New Mexico, and vice versa; House Bill 77, which would require the state's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to develop an annual outreach plan; House Bill 117, which would allow physicians' assistants or nurse practitioners to sign a death certificate when a doctor isn't around; House Bill 129, which would shorten the state worker probationary period from one year to six months; House Bill 448, which would create the Office of Housing Planning and Production; and House Bill 453, which would create a creditworthiness assistance program that would provide property managers with assistance for unpaid rent or rental property damages. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senate Bill 146, which would fix language in the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children; House Bill 101, which would allow 'commissioned' police officers to carry firearms in polling places; House Bill 178, which makes several changes to the Nursing Practice Changes Act to clarify the scope of practice for various categories of licensed nurses and expand the Board of Nursing board's powers, among other changes; House Bill 182, which would increase retirement benefits for district, Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, appellate and state Supreme Court judges, and reduce the number of years a judge must serve before qualifying for a benefit; House Bill 183, which would do the same for magistrate judges; and House Bill 281, which would exempt hair braiding from licensure requirements under the Barbers and Cosmetologists Act (read more about that from our friends at KUNM). The Senate Education Committee passed House Bill 195, which would create a salary tier system for school nurses; and House Bill 433, which would direct three state agencies and the Legislative Education Study Committee to study the availability of career and technical education courses and instructors. The Senate Rules Committee passed House Bill 298, which would clarify procedures for mayoral vacancies, appointments and the roles of local governing bodies. The Senate Finance Committee passed Senate Bill 495, which would make university radio stations eligible for an equipment replacement fund that currently only applies to university television stations; House Bill 240, which would allow the New Mexico Finance Authority (NMFA) to make grants and loans from the drinking water state revolving loan fund for local water projects; and House Bill 449, which would create a statutory framework for funding big university projects, including student housing. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Strategic Water Supply slides over to Senate
Reverse osmosis membranes at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant as seen Sept. 26, 2022 in El Paso. The plant can treat up to 27 million gallons per day of brackish water for much of Eastern El Paso and Fort Bliss residents. (Danielle Prokop / Source New Mexico) A formerly controversial bill aimed at addressing a future in which New Mexico's limited water supplies become even more strained will soon have its first Senate committee hearing following House passage last week. That passage came with no debate, following a significant overhaul in the face of considerable environmental opposition to the so-called Strategic Water Supply. In a nutshell, the bill proposes a a $40 million program for removing the salt from less drinkable aquifers and $19 million to map how much water is available beneath the ground. Rep. Susan Herrera (D-Embudo), who sponsored House Bill 137, said on the House Floor Friday that the bill is crucial for New Mexico as climate change shrinks the rivers and puts pressure on freshwater aquifers. New Mexico, she said, needs to develop additional sources of water to preserve fresh supplies for drinking and agriculture. 'There is no snow on the mountains,' Herrera said. 'I continue to remind members of the House this is one of the greatest dangers confronting our state.' In a 57-4 vote, the House passed HB137, which now moves to the Senate Conservation and Finance committees before heading to the Senate floor. Senate Conservation scheduled the first hearing for Saturday. Lawmakers have overhauled the legislation since it was first introduced in the session's opening days. The Strategic Water Supply previously described a program to develop projects to treat not only brackish water, the salty water in deep aquifers belowground, but also oil and gas wastewater, often called produced water. A similar $500 million measure introduced in the 2024 session failed. A coalition of indigenous, water and environmental nonprofit groups opposed to the project said the bill failed to address logistics of treating oil and gas wastewater and ignored the potential health and environmental risks. Advocates shrunk down this session's proposal, initially seeking $75 million for developing treatment projects and technologies for oil and gas wastewater and a five-cent-tax per-barrel to generate revenue for the program. Legislators stripped all references to oil and gas wastewater in committees, along with a proposed per barrel fee for oil and gas companies to pay to generate program revenue. The bill now limits development to brackish water, including $40 million for a fund for grants to local communities or contracts to develop brackish water treatment facilities. The fast vote reflects the efforts to change the bill, according to Rebecca Roose, the infrastructure advisor for Gov. Michlle Lujan Grisham's office, who has championed the project. 'We are running a bill that people really want to get behind, and we feel really encouraged by that,' Roose told Source NM. Lingering objections to the bill remain. Mariel Nanasi, the executive director of Santa Fe-based New Energy Economy, said the bill should require plants to use 100% renewable energy, given desalination plants' high-energy use. 'Desalination plants funded by the state should not exacerbate climate change, they should help us address water scarcity without exacerbating that scarcity with polluting energy sources,' Nanasi said in a written statement. Nanasi said additional concerns with the current bill include the prospect for disposing of the concentrated brine from removing salt from the water. HB137 pulls resources away from other initiatives to address water issues, said Norm Gaume, a former water engineer and member of Water Advocates. 'My major objection is the House Budget shortchanged the Office of the State Engineer and Interstate Stream Commission,' Gaume said in a statement. 'For example, HB2 includes $40 million for these brackish water initiatives and nothing to prevent the pending compact violation due to Middle Rio Grande water overuse.' The bill also includes $4 million appropriation for New Mexico State University to develop additional treatment technology, and boosts the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources' budget by $19 million to study and monitor aquifers, which have never been fully characterized by the state, meaning New Mexico's exact water supplies are unknown. 'In the past, [the Bureau's] recurring funding was $600,000 per year,' Herrera said on the floor Friday. 'This sets a new stage for understanding water resources in our state, which I think is imperative to our future.' All three appropriations made it into the state's budget in House Bill 2. On the floor, Rep. Jack Chatfield (R-Mosquero) introduced an amendment, which the House unanimously approved, to increase public input options during the process. Roose said with 12 days left in the session, this bill stands front and center for the administration. 'We hope that based on the amount of changes that we made to the bill in the House that we will not see a lot more changes or maybe not any changes in the Senate, but it's one step at a time,' Roose said. 'We're just needing to let the process play out and we're definitely keeping a sense of urgency to make sure that we use the time left effectively.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gabe Torres Act moves forward, would expand benefits for families of fallen responders
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Members of a North Carolina House committee approved to move a proposed bill forward that would support family members of fallen first responders. The Gabe Torres Act honors the life of Raleigh Police Officer Torres, one of five people killed in a mass shooting in October 2022 in the Hedingham neighborhood. Torres was shot in his vehicle while preparing to head to work. The House Bill would ultimately expand eligibility under the Public Safety Employees' Death Benefits Act to include individuals killed on their way to or from work. Rep. Sarah Crawford (D-Wake) said she first introduced a similar bill two years ago when she learned about the officer's death. 'I made a comment to another police officer about Officer Torres, and they informed me that because he was on his way to work, he would not be considered fallen in the line of duty. I just couldn't believe that,' said Crawford. According to state law, families are currently unable to receive death benefits of responders killed on their way to or from duty. After a long process, Crawford said Torres' family was eventually able to receive compensation. 'Jasmin, his wife, was just so grateful. She had been fighting to get him honored in that way … going through multiple petitions and appeals, and every time she made it to the next round, she had to relive the trauma of that day,' Crawford said. PREVIOUSLY: Widow of Raleigh officer killed in Hedingham shooting to receive worker's compensation While there was success, Crawford said their goal still hadn't been met. 'Between the House and the Senate, we were able to get that done for Officer Torres. Unfortunately, as the legislation got negotiated and a much large package of the budget, we were only able to get that done really to honor Officer Torres and not all of our law enforcement officers who make really challenging sacrifices every day,' said Crawford. It's part of the reason the representative said she stood in front of members of a State House committee Wednesday morning, hoping to broaden the scope of the law and clarify its language. Tim Bradley, the Executive Director for the North Carolina State Fire Association, was also there to share his support for House Bill 137. 'In the past, the law covered 'to and from training' — it never covered 'to and from duty,'' Bradley said. 'Officer Torres' loss of life brought forward a significant issue, and that is emergency first responders are often called back during storms, hurricanes, riots … and it's those times that are dangerous.' Matt Cooper, the president for the Raleigh Police Protective Association, said the proposed bill adds a layer of comfort. Whether off or on duty, going to or from work, Cooper said when an incident arises, those first responders have a reassurance for the protection of their family. The Gabe Torres Act will now head to an appropriations committee, but Crawford is optimistic it will pass to the House Floor for a full vote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
