Latest news with #JavierMartínez
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
With eye on Congress, top NM lawmakers create new panel to study federal funding
Apr. 30—SANTA FE — With New Mexico and other states facing the possibility of federal cuts to early childhood and safety net programs, top state lawmakers have created a new legislative panel to study the implications. The new 10-member interim committee will meet this summer and present its findings to other legislative panels by the end of this year, said House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque. He described the new committee's formation as a way to proactively analyze different federal programs that provide services in New Mexico, along with how they're funded. "To me, this isn't about what Trump might or might not do," Martinez told the Journal, referring to the Republican president who took office in January. "We just have to be ready." While the lifespan of the new committee is only envisioned to be this year, it could be extended into 2026 if necessary, said Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque. Specifically, the panel could gather data on proposals to eliminate funding for Head Start, which currently provides early education for 5,688 children in New Mexico at a cost of about $90 million. Other areas that could be studied include expanded work requirements for food assistance recipients and changes to the way infrastructure funds are distributed. "We don't have a good handle on what's happening in Washington, D.C.," Stewart said in a Wednesday interview. "We just needed a committee that could focus solely on that." The interim committee will be led by two veteran lawmakers — Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, D-Gallup, and Sen. Bill Soules, D-Las Cruces. Lundstrom, the former chairwoman of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, said the new panel could help ensure New Mexicans retain access to critical services and resources. "This committee will focus on making sure that no matter what happens at the federal level, New Mexico is ready," Lundstrom said in a statement. "We will conduct an inventory of existing federal funding streams that our state relies on for infrastructure and local government operations, so that we can begin to proactively prepare for any potential federal funding cuts." Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham warned in February that possible federal budget cuts to Medicaid and other programs could prompt her to call lawmakers back to Santa Fe later this year for a special session. But it remains unclear whether there's an appetite in the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress for such cuts, as some GOP members have expressed an unwillingness to vote for Medicaid funding reductions. Federal cuts could have an outsized impact in New Mexico, as nearly 840,000 state residents were enrolled in Medicaid as of March — about 40% of the state's population. Meanwhile, a congressional plan to expand work requirements for food assistance recipients could lead to 52,000 New Mexico residents with school-aged children losing their benefits, according to a report by the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Roughly 22% of New Mexico residents were receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits as of February, according to state Health Care Authority data. The new interim committee, officially called the Federal Funding Stabilization Subcommittee, was approved without dissent at a Monday meeting of the Legislative Council, a bipartisan group of top-ranking lawmakers. It's expected to hold its first meeting sometime in May, though an exact date has not yet been set.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrats say session brought meaningful change, but more work to be done
The tone in the House chamber noticeably shifted around 12:45 p.m. Saturday. Both houses of the New Mexico Legislature adjourned at noon Saturday after 60 days in session. And after celebrating the adjournment with hugs, selfies and many rounds of applause, a cadre of about two dozen Democratic lawmakers from the House and Senate filed to the front of the House chamber. These party leaders emphasized their efforts this session to improve public safety, behavioral health options and the beleaguered Children, Youth and Families Department, in addition to making some important policy changes in education and housing. But, they noted, more must be done to make New Mexico a safer and more prosperous place, a reality made particularly clear after a mass shooting Friday night in a Las Cruces park. 'This tragedy reminds us that it's going to take all of us to continue to come together to address these senseless acts of violence,' said House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque. 032225_MS_Legislature_007.JPG Skye Devore, right, takes a selfie with Rep. Catherine Cullen, R-Rio Rancho, after the end of the session Saturday at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe. He added, 'We are here to acknowledge all the good work we've done and to recommit ourselves to continuing this work in the weeks, months and years to come.' Public safety, behavioral health This year's session got off to a faster start than most, with lawmakers arriving in Santa Fe 'ready to move quickly,' Martínez said. The result of that movement: A wide-ranging public safety bill plus a plan to rebuild New Mexico's behavioral health system. House Bill 8 combined six public safety bills into one, reforming criminal competency laws; prohibiting devices to transform semiautomatic firearms to fully automatic; and cracking down on shooting threats, fentanyl trafficking and drunken driving. Lawmakers also passed House Bill 12 to expand the 'extreme risk firearm protection order' — or 'red flag' law — to allow police to immediately seize guns in cases of imminent harm and file the so-called red flag petitions themselves. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed it into law Friday. 032225_MS_Legislature_011.JPG Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe, holds her head as she wraps up the legislative session at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe. One gun bill that didn't pass was Senate Bill 279, which would have mostly banned gas-powered semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity magazines. Shortly after the Legislature adjourned, Everytown for Gun Safety put out a statement blasting lawmakers for failing to pass the bill, singling out by name Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, Senate Judiciary chair Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, and Senate Finance chair George Muñoz, D-Gallup. 'I grew up in Las Cruces — I know the park, the neighborhood and some of the victims that were there — this shooting is personal,' said Leighanne Muñoz, a New Mexico Students Demand Action volunteer. 'My senator, Joseph Cervantes, blocked legislation to ban assault weapons and, after last night, it's time he asked himself if he plans to turn a blind eye while his constituents die or if he'll actually do what he was elected to do and vote for gun safety.' Senate Bills 1 and 3 offer 'monumental behavioral health reform,' Wirth said. SB 1 establishes a trust fund for annual spending on behavioral health initiatives while SB 3 creates an organizational framework for the state's revamped behavioral health system, requiring region-specific plans to address local behavioral health needs. Funding for those changes is now in the state's budget bill, House Bill 2. 'We had laid the foundation in the interim to do that work, and I was super proud of this team — in both chambers, the members — to bring those bills across the line in that first 30 days,' Wirth said. He added, 'I think we're all extra exhausted because we literally started right out of the gate, and it was critical that we did that.' CYFD reforms The 2025 legislative session brought about 100 bills aimed at reforming the perennially challenged CYFD, with lawmakers from both parties clamoring for reforms, said Sen. Michael Padilla, D-Albuquerque. 'I will tell you that everybody standing behind me and everybody in this Legislature absolutely had a hand in crafting a great piece of legislation called Senate Bill 42,' said Padilla, who grew up in foster homes. SB 42 overhauls the state's law governing treatment plans for children born with drugs in their systems and requires New Mexico to comply with federal law calling for prevention services for at-risk families, among other changes. 'I encourage the governor to sign that bill,' Padilla said. 'It is a big piece of legislation that's going to truly reform CYFD.' Lawmakers also heralded the signing of House Bill 5, which creates an Office of Child Advocate within the state Department of Justice to monitor CYFD. 032225_MS_Legislature_006.JPG Rep. John Block R-Alamogordo, hugs House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, after the session closed Saturday at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe. 'This office will provide the independent oversight needed to ensure the agency is acting in our kids' best interest and giving kids in CYFD a trusted advocate who will not only listen to their concerns, but help resolve them,' said House Majority Leader Reena Szczepanski, D-Santa Fe. Despite pressure from the governor and Republicans, lawmakers stopped short of acting on juvenile crime. However, Martínez argued reforming CYFD is part of addressing juvenile crime. 'You cannot talk about juvenile crime without ensuring that this state steps up and shows up for those children who are in situations where they are struggling, right?' he said. Climate, education and everything else Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, said this session brought a change in the Legislature: 'We are starting to talk about climate change. A lot of people don't want to talk about that,' she said. In the past 60 days, Stewart said lawmakers in both houses did good things for the climate, including creating two funds to adapt to and mitigate climate change as well as taking control of regulating New Mexico's surface waters. Stewart also lauded lawmakers' progress on a few key education bills, including a major update to the state's per-pupil funding formula and salary increases for teachers. 032225_MS_Legislature_005.JPG A woman walks through the quiet Rotunda on Saturday at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Conservation groups expressed mixed feelings about the session, lauding the passage of some climate bills and the Game Commission overhaul in Senate Bill 5 while expressing disappointment that an oil and gas tax hike didn't pass. 'We are grateful for the legislative investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in climate solutions driven by community and workforce development initiatives,' Camilla Feibelman, director of the Sierra Club's Rio Grande chapter, said in a statement. 'The innovative programs that this money funds will help the state avoid the worst impacts of global warming.' However, she lamented that the oil and gas industry 'spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to stop commonsense safeguards against the very emissions harming our state all while fighting modest taxation on their multibillion dollar profits that would support working families.' The final hours of the session almost brought an education policy upset. The House voted unanimously to override a gubernatorial veto of House Bill 65, which would have specified the power of local school boards and charter school governing bodies to determine 'the total number of instructional days per year.' The bill was a direct legislative response to the Public Education Department's so-called 180-day rule. The Senate stopped short of voting to override the governor's veto on House Bill 65, inaction Stewart attributed to a lack of time. 'And now we're all very tired [from] getting two hours of sleep a night,' Stewart said.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NM House passes public safety package
New Mexico House Leader Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque) and other House leaders previewed public safety and behavioral health proposals for the 2025 legislative session during a Jan. 10 news conference in Albuquerque. (Photo courtesy NM House Democrats) On Saturday, the New Mexico House of Representatives passed a six-bill package of public safety legislation on a 48-20 vote, sending the bills to the Senate. House Bill 8 includes several components, including: enhanced penalties for fentanyl trafficking; increased fourth-degree felony charge for making a shooting threat; criminalization for possession of a weapon conversion device; increased penalties for vehicle thefts; legislation to make it easier for police to conduct blood tests in DWI cases; and a controversial criminal competency bill that prompted criticism last week from a coalition of community organizations, which described said the package of legislation 'focuses on new crimes, increased punishments, and forced hospitalization.' Following the House passage, its co-sponsors and House leaders released statements lauding their work. 'We are taking a thoughtful, holistic approach to make New Mexicans safer,' Rep. Joy Garratt (D-Albuquerque), co-sponsor of the competency legislation, said. 'This public safety package will help us address the pressing issues facing our communities today, and our investments in behavioral healthcare, housing, prevention, and treatment will help us to tackle the root causes of crime.' Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who traveled the state in advance of the session building support for her public safety agenda, also released a statement following the House package, which she described as 'a first step towards ensuring accountability for criminals and updating our criminal competency and civil commitment procedures. While it is an important step forward, our work isn't finished. I urge the Legislature to advance the remaining public safety bills. Each day that passes without action means more people get hurt and neighborhoods suffer. Get these public safety bills to my desk now—our communities deserve real protection, not more excuses. I will not stop until New Mexicans feel safe.' Other crime bills still making their way through the legislative process include House Bill 12, which makes changes to the state's extreme firearm protection law, as well as bills related to human trafficking, behavioral health and crime victims, among others. Prior to the session, House Democrats previewed their public safety agenda, which also includes a a $200 million toward expanding the state's behavioral healthcare infrastructure, which the Senate passed on Friday and will now proceed through the House committee process. 'We promised to work closely with our colleagues in the Senate to develop well-vetted solutions to the public safety and behavioral health challenges facing our state and we are delivering on that promise,' Speaker of the House Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque) said in a statement over the weekend. 'By working together to pass good legislation, rather than trying to score political points, we can make our communities safer and ensure that New Mexicans who are struggling can get the help they need.'
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House tax chair wants to renew tax relief on medical costs
New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martínez speaks during a news conference on Feb. 10, 2025, as House Majority Floor Leader Reena Szczepanski, left, and House Taxation and Revenue Committee Chair Derrick Lente, right, listen. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source NM) The leader of the tax policy panel in the New Mexico House of Representatives says he wants to renew a tax deduction for out-of-pocket medical expenses that is set to expire before the next tax filing season. Tax deductions allow people to subtract a portion of their income from what they have to pay the state government. Hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans have used this part of the tax code to pay less in taxes on out-of-pocket medical expenses, and they will still be able to use it for the ongoing tax filing season, which ends April 15. During a news conference on Monday morning, House Taxation and Revenue Committee Chair Rep. Derrick Lente (D-Sandia Pueblo) said the tax deduction is 'a very important piece of legislation that we would hate to lose.' 'I think it serves New Mexicans very well, and so we're looking forward to having that back in our tax package,' Lente said. 'We have yet to hear it in our committee.' More than 28% of the more than 1 million New Mexicans who filed a tax return in 2023 claimed out-of-pocket medical expenses to lower their taxes. The nearly 298,000 people who used this part of the law that year deducted a total of about $5.2 million from their taxable incomes, according to Taxation and Revenue Department data. More people made these deductions than in the previous two years, and the total amount removed from their taxable incomes has increased, the data show. During a special session in 2015, the Legislature amended the tax code to make this change for medical expenses not covered by health insurance plans. Lawmakers gave the deduction a 10-year end date, which expired on Jan. 1. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Lente commented on the tax cut during a news conference in Santa Fe organized by the Democratic majority in the House, during which they laid out their vision for keeping life affordable for working class New Mexicans amid President Donald Trump's proposed sweeping policy and funding changes. Lente and House Speaker Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque) are carrying House Bill 14 which would expand the Working Families Tax Credit 'to fully offset state income tax' for households without children earning up to $22,000 per year and households with children earning up to $50,000. 'This un-ties New Mexico from what the federal government is or isn't doing for New Mexicans,' Lente said. Martínez said as taxpayers in New Mexico prepare to file their taxes, they will save about $2,000 on their income taxes because of the Working Families Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit and the Low-Income Comprehensive Tax Rebate. 'The system that we've built over the last few years here in this Legislature is built to protect and work for New Mexico's working families, not just the uber wealthy, not just out-of-state-corporations, but for the people who work for a living day in and day out,' Martínez said. Martínez said President Donald Trump's announced tariffs on steel is part of a 'lack of consistency and chaos' that's 'driving up prices for everyday people across the country and here in New Mexico.' House Majority Whip Reena Szczepanski (D-Santa Fe) said despite months of lip service about the cost of groceries and reducing inflation, Trump's administration 'has no plan to address these issues.' 'We are doubling down on the tax cuts and the efforts to reduce health care and child care costs that the Speaker mentioned,' Szczepanski said. 'We're also pushing forward a slate of legislation that will address the rising cost of living by raising pay and strengthening benefits for working people, protecting consumers from corporate greed and lowering the cost of essentials from housing, to health care, to groceries.' She pointed to bills that would raise minimum pay for school staff and workers on publicly funded projects, stop bosses from taking credit card fees out of their tipped workers' wages, prevent junk fees and eliminate unfair pricing by ticket resellers. Szczepanski said lawmakers also will develop a new commission 'to study how to reduce grocery prices for consumers;' prohibit grocery and retail stores from using so-called 'dynamic pricing' to gouge consumers; and make it easier for people with imperfect credit to get car insurance. She said they will protect tenants from discrimination and artificial rent increases, and improve health care price transparency. 'We may not know all that the next four years have in store for us, but we know that New Mexico is ready to stand up for our families and for our communities,' she said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
