Latest news with #NewMexicoSenate
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Heinrich re-introduces gun safety legislation in Congress
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, greets members of the New Mexico Senate after delivering an address to a joint session of the House and Senate, Monday, Feb.17, 2025. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) As firearm-related deaths of young people in New Mexico increase, the state's senior senator in Congress introduced two pieces of legislation on Wednesday intended to address gun violence. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) is co-sponsoring the first bill, called the GOSAFE Act, which would regulate the sale, transfer and manufacture of gas-operated semi-automatic firearms. He introduced the same legislation in 2023. Heinrich is also co-sponsoring another bill, called the BUMP Act, which would ban the sale of 'bump stocks' and other devices or modifications that convert semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic ones. 'For too long, Congress has failed to stem the onslaught of mass shootings,' Heinrich said in a statement. 'As a sportsman and gun owner, I'm committed to upholding the laws that protect responsible gun ownership, but we must do more to prevent deadly weapons from reaching those who are all too ready to turn them against our communities.' Heinrich introduced the legislation less than three weeks after a mass shooting in Las Cruces, New Mexico's second-largest city, which left three dead and 15 others injured. Four people have been arrested so far in connection to the shooting, including a 20-year-old and three teenagers, according to local police. Firearm-related deaths among children and teenagers in the U.S. increased by 50% between 2019 and 2023, Stateline reports. In 2023, firearms remained the leading cause of death among young people in the U.S. for the fourth year in a row, according to the latest mortality data released by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In New Mexico, 33 firearm-related deaths occurred among people under 18 in 2023, a 24% increase from 2019, the data show. The state experienced a slight decrease in 2021, but the number of deaths increased in 2022 and 2023, the data show. Youth gun deaths in the US have surged 50% since 2019 Miranda Viscoli, co-president of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, applauded Heinrich for introducing the bills in a statement on Tuesday, saying he is 'leading the charge for gun violence prevention in New Mexico and across the country.' 'The GOSAFE Act will help make our communities safer from gun violence,' Viscoli said in a statement. 'These highly lethal firearms have no place in civilian hands.' The BUMP Act, Viscoli added, will 'bolster our legal framework that makes it possible for law enforcement to address the epidemic of violence that New Mexicans have experienced through guns modified to be fully automatic.' A single legislative committee approved a similar proposal to change New Mexico state law in the most recent legislative session, but the bill never received a vote in either chamber of the New Mexico Legislature. Heinrich said the bills represent a continuation of the work Congress did by passing the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which enabled licensed firearms dealers to check FBI records to see if a gun offered for sale was stolen, mandated checks of juvenile criminal history and mental health records of people under 21 trying to buy a gun, and created new crimes for 'straw purchases' of guns on behalf of someone who isn't allowed to have one, among other reforms. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
While you were sleeping: into the final Friday
Sen. Harold Pope (D-Albuquerque) carried House Bill 128, which would create the local solar access fund to provide grants for solar energy systems, one of a slew of bills passed in the evening session Thursday. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM) Thursday veered into Friday with the New Mexico Senate remaining on the floor until nearly 1 a.m. The House, after a long night and a nine-hour floor session, tapped out just before 10 p.m. In the evening session, the Senate passed House Bill 128, which would create the local solar access fund to provide grants for solar energy systems; House Bill 296, which would make it easier for out-of-state public accountants to practice in New Mexico; House Bill 101, which would permit law enforcement to carry firearms at polling places; House Bill 93, which would allow utilities to apply for grid improvement projects to the Public Regulation Commission; House Bill 439 which would require emergency dispatcher training for Telecommuter CPR training; House Bill 140, which would update the definition of Hazardous Waste to include PFAS from firefighting foams, and allows the New Mexico Environment Department the authority to mandate cleanup; and House Bill 178, which would make a series of changes to state laws related to nursing, such as clarifying the scope of practices and expanding the Board of Nursing powers. One bill that did not clear the floor, House Bill 255, would have allowed 14 to 18-year-olds to be prosecuted as adults for voluntary manslaughter, in an amendment by the House Judiciary committee, and increased sentences for children in secure facilities. The debate on the bill, which stretched towards 1 a.m. followed a March 19 news release from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham imploring the Legislature for failing to pass 'any substantive legislation to deal with juvenile crime.' Her message followed and cited the high profile arrests of teenagers accused or murder in the hit-and-run death of a cyclist last year. Earlier in the day, Sen. Linda López (D-Albuquerque) removed herself from sponsoring the bill on the floor. She introduced an amendment to strike voluntary manslaughter from the bill, which failed. HB255 failed in a 13-24 vote. The House, after hitting the three-hour debate limit, passed Senate Bill 83, a bill which would employ $10 million dollars —split across seven state agencies — to address climate change; and Senate Bill 23, which would raise royalty rates for oil and gas for the first time in nearly five decades. 'New Mexico is home to some of the most sought-after natural resources in the world, yet we're currently charging well below even the standard market rates,' sponsor Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-Galisteo) said on the floor. 'By simply charging what our state's prime mineral interests are actually worth, we can increase payments to our schools, hospitals, and universities by hundreds of millions of dollars.' The bill would raise an additional estimated $50 to $75 million each year. If signed, the increases would only apply to new oil and gas leases on certain tracts of land in July 2025. The House also passed Senate Bill 37, which would create a separate fund to allow the state to purchase water rights or leasing, without those funds expiring for the Strategic Water Reserve. The Strategic Water Reserve, established in 2005 is a program that allows the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission to buy, lease or accept donated water to keep flows in New Mexico's rivers for two purposes: to send downstream and comply with interstate stream compacts; or to benefit endangered species. SB37 would allow a third purpose: to ensure that water can help recharge aquifers; and would allow the state to prioritize water that could have supplementary benefits, such as recreation or cultural uses, if it meets one of the three primary purposes. Advocates celebrated the bill's passage and urged the governor to sign the bill. 'New Mexico's waters are becoming increasingly difficult to manage under the impacts of climate change,' Conservation Voters New Mexico Conservation Director Zoe Barker said in a statement.'This modernized Strategic Water Reserve will help keep streams flowing for the benefit of wildlife, recreation, cultural resources and downstream deliveries.' BTW, the Strategic Water Reserve should not be confused with the Strategic Water Supply, House Bill 137, the once contentious bill that now addresses brackish water development. The bill is still awaiting a full hearing in the Senate. Strategic Water Supply slides over to Senate SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bill that would lower cap for medical malpractice cases fails in legislature
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A bill aimed at lowering the cap for medical malpractice failed to move through the Roundhouse. In 2020, lawmakers raised the state's medical malpractice cap to $5 million for hospitals, and $750,000 for doctors. Some believe the high caps led to such high insurance rates that doctors left New Mexico in droves. New Mexico Senate passes bill aimed at bringing more oversight to CYFD Senate Bill 176 aimed to lower those caps in an effort to keep doctors in the state. In the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee, people debated the issue with supporters noting the diverse and broad support of the 23 sponsors. 'Even with a balanced bill, it's still hard for us to protect our doctors. I think we'll feel this for years to come,' said Sen. David Gallegos (R-Eddy & Lea Counties).'I agree that we need to ensure that we are recruiting and retaining medical professionals…But I just do not agree with the way the bill is written and I want to ensure the voices of patients are at the table when these things are being crafted,' said Sen. Cindy Nava (D-Bernalillo & Sandoval Counties.) The bill failed in a 5-4 vote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
