Latest news with #PamelyaHerndon
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New law giving bicyclists more freedom through intersections begins soon in New Mexico
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – There's a new law in New Mexico that gives bicyclists more freedom when it comes to navigating intersections. Under current law, when a bicyclist comes to a stop sign, they must completely stop, but starting soon, they will be able to ride through as long as no cars are in sight. Story continues below Investigation: DWI cases Albuquerque officers and paralegal made disappear Crime: Santa Fe Police identify man who was killed in hit-and-run Don't Miss: Rio Rancho to review plans to redevelop old country club golf course SB 73 will change current New Mexico law for bicyclists. It allows bicyclists to essentially treat stop signs like yield signs without a full stop. They will also be able to treat red lights like stop signs, stopping first and then proceeding if it's safe. The changes legalize what many cyclists are already doing. 'Those are the two things that it does, and we are preventing them from getting any type of citation if indeed they do decide to proceed in that way safely,' said Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Albuquerque), a sponsor of this bill. The bill was initiated by bicycle advocacy groups who said it helps them move through intersections more safely, and other states like Idaho show it works. 'Statistics have shown, is that bicyclist incidents have been decreased because bicyclists were able to move out of traffic, move earlier, and move faster out of the way,' said Rep. Herndon. She said the next steps are to get the message out to bicyclists and work with the New Mexico Department of Transportation on the best way to do that. 'We don't want people to say, okay, you can just run a stop sign or run a red light because you want. You do still have to have some safety precautions before you proceed,' said Rep. Herndon. Rep. Herndon said she wants to do more for the safety of bicyclists by working on adding bike protected pathways for turns on busy intersections like Tramway and Montgomery, an area she oversees. 'Those types of intersections are at places throughout the state, and we want to address them and fix them,' said Herndon. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the bill into law last week. It goes into effect July 1. KRQE News 13 reached out to the New Mexico Department of Transportation, and they say since it was just signed into law, they haven't made any decisions yet about a public information campaign. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Legislation requesting more research on Alzheimer's disease in New Mexico passes
Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Albuquerque) sponsored legislation to request further research on Alzheimer's disease. (Photo by Leah Romero / Source NM) New Mexico will be the state with the fourth highest proportion of seniors in its population by 2030, according to an estimation by the Aging and Long-Term Services Department. And of the state's current population, the New Mexico Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association reports more than 46,000 people live with a dementia-related illness. In response to these statistics and in an effort to expand awareness of dementia-related illnesses, Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Albuquerque) sponsored House Memorial 53, which unanimously passed the House on Wednesday. HM53 asks the Department of Health and the Aging and Long-Term Services Department to encourage further research on the subject and to work together to distribute updated information to New Mexicans and health providers. It also requests the departments create a report on these actions for the Legislative Council Service and the governor. The Aging and Long-Term Services Department recently launched its 'Take Action. Talk' campaign to increase awareness of warning signs of Alzheimer's disease, treatments and resources for caregivers. The department also operates the New MexiCare program, which provides financial assistance to people who narrowly miss the requirements for qualifying for Medicaid. Emily Kaltenbach, secretary of the Aging and Long-Term Services Department, told Source NM in an emailed statement that her department is committed to supporting people living with a dementia-related illness and caregivers. 'ALTSD is actively addressing this critical issue through initiatives like the federal Lifespan Respite grant, which provides outreach, education, and respite for caregivers,' she said. Herndon also noted that the memorial encourages further research at the New Mexico Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the University of New Mexico's Health Sciences Center, including clinical trials and PET scans for amyloid plaques in the brain, which have been shown to develop in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, according to the National Institute on Aging. 'The University of New Mexico is one of the few places that [these scans] can actually be done in this state,' Herndon said. She told Source that she will look into how Medicaid might take part in expanding access to Alzheimer's disease drugs next session, after the departments complete their report. Herndon told Source NM she had limited knowledge of Alzheimer's disease until a close friend received a diagnosis. And neither she nor her friend were aware of the two drugs approved in recent years by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shown to delay cognitive decline in patients with cases of early or mild dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease. 'How would her life have changed if she had known about it,' Herndon said. 'How do we get more information out to the community about the disease, about how you can protect yourselves and your family and what you need to do to make sure you're living a long and happy life as you can. And New Mexico can take a giant place in this.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill on voting rights for felons in New Mexico moves forward
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A bill on voting rights for convicted felons is advancing in the roundhouse. House Joint Resolution 10 would remove a felony conviction as a voting disqualification from the state constitution. New Mexico passed a law in 2023 restoring voting rights to felons once they are released from prison but the bill's sponsors say some former inmates have been denied access to the polls. However, a legislative report suggested the change could give the right to vote to inmates still serving prison time which is still banned. New bill would allow independent voters to vote in primaries One lawmaker even expressed concerns that political disagreements among inmates could turn violent. Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Albuquerque): 'I'm not sure I understand your question. You're saying voting is going to cause a riot? Is that your concern?Rep Zamora (R-Clovis): 'Madam chair, if there are two prisoners and they are passionate about the two different candidates that ran for President of the United States this time, and they get to arguing about it and it starts a fight or a riot, that can happen.' The sponsors were quick to push back against that Herndon: 'What you are describing now in terms of people not agreeing is happening inside the prison and outside the prison, so it doesn't make a difference.' The bill cleared its first committee Wednesday morning by a 5-3 vote. If the bill cleared the legislature, it would go to voters for their approval. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Fertility preservation bill continues to second committee
Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Albuquerque) is co-sponsoring a bill to expand insurance coverage for fertility preservation treatment. (Photo by Danielle Prokop / Source NM) A bill requiring insurance companies to provide coverage of fertility preservation services to those with a disease or undergoing treatment that could lead to infertility passed its first committee Friday. Co-sponsor Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Albuquerque) presented House Bill 95 to the House Health and Human Services Committee Friday where it passed by a party-line vote of 6-3. It now heads to the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee. HB 95 would make changes to the Health Care Purchasing Act and the New Mexico Insurance Code to ensure health insurance extends to cover egg or sperm retrieval and preservation until the person is ready to start a family. If passed, the bill would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026. Representatives from advocacy organizations Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, Bold Futures, New Mexico Women's Agenda and NMVC Action Fund spoke in support of the bill. Charles Goodmacher, lobbyist for NMVC Action Fund, pointed out to committee members that fertility preservation services are already available in New Mexico, but only for those who have 'the wealth to pay the enormous fees involved. So it really is an issue about equity at its core.' Rep. Nicole Chavez (R-Albuquerque) questioned why the bill is not specific to cancer treatment, to which the sponsor and experts explained that other medical conditions and their treatment, such as sickle cell disease and advanced cases of lupus, can also impact fertility. 'Those are high-risk treatments that really pose a grave threat to future fertility,' Joyce Reinecke, executive director of the Alliance for Fertility Preservation, said to the committee. 'As a matter of equity, we would just not like to have those patients, who are essentially standing in the shoes of a cancer patient, kept away from these treatments and from future parenthood. But the bulk of the patients who would need these interventions are cancer patients.' Chavez ultimately voted against passing the bill through the committee. She said she understood the need for such insurance coverage, but worried that insurance premiums for state employees in particular would increase. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Two competing anti-hazing bills pending before Legislature
Two pending bills — Senate Bills 10 and 148 — are vying to curb hazing in New Mexico schools. The bills, which come amid high-profile incidents in both K-12 schools and higher education institutions in New Mexico, would create different criminal penalties for hazing. Under Senate Bill 10, sponsored by Sen. Harold Pope and Rep. Pamelya Herndon, both D-Albuquerque, hazing and failing to report incidents of it would be misdemeanors. Under Senate Bill 148, sponsored by Sen. Moe Maestas, D-Albuquerque, the level of the crime would escalate based on the harm done, starting with a misdemeanor charge and ending with a second-degree felony if the hazing results in death. SB 10 is scheduled to go before the Senate Education Committee Wednesday morning. SB 148 is in the Senate Judiciary Committee but had not yet been scheduled for a hearing as of Tuesday afternoon.
