New Mexico governor signs bill expanding voter access — Associated Press
New Mexico's governor Thursday signed a Democratic-sponsored voting rights bill aimed at expanding access to the ballot and two other related measures.
New Mexico was one of several Democratic-controlled states where lawmakers advocated for sweeping voter protections this year, drawing praise from advocates concerned about court rulings potentially undermining federal voting rights.
Under New Mexico's legislation, automatic voter registration will be provided for U.S. citizens during transactions at state motor vehicle offices and voting rights will be restored to felons immediately after incarceration. It also will streamline the distribution of absentee ballots that can be returned by mail and make absentee ballot voting easier for Native Americans living in remote stretches of tribal land.
Austin Weahkee, the Indigenous justice policy advocate with the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, said the legislation will create a more equitable voting system by addressing many of the barriers that have historically disenfranchised rural, Indigenous and formerly incarcerated voters.
"Our elected leaders recognized that voting is an absolute right and not a privilege," Weahkee said in a statement.
Voters in remote tribal areas sometimes don't have formal street addresses or receive mail at home. The bill will allow remote voters to designate a tribal government building as a home mailing address for election purposes — including community chapter houses on the Navajo Nation.
New Mexico is home to 23 federally recognized Native American communities, including a large portion of the Navajo Nation. Native Americans account for about 12% of the state's population.
Under the bill, Native American communities also would have greater flexibility in designating voting locations, including ballot drop boxes. Some tribal residents were cut off from polling locations by local emergency lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Statewide, county clerks will distribute absentee ballots automatically in every election to people who sign up for the service. Before now, voters had to request an absentee ballot with each election in a voting process that can involve three or four mail deliveries.
The law also will require that each of New Mexico's 33 counties maintain at least two monitored ballot drop boxes. County clerks can request an exemption.
The governor also signed a bill that makes permanent the secretary of state's election security program and increases compensation for election workers.
The other measure signed Thursday is aimed at addressing the safety of election workers and officials. Under the legislation, the crime of intimidation will now include acts against employees and agents of the secretary of state's office, county clerk offices, municipal clerks and election officials themselves.
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, said she believes the three bills balance voter access protections with maintaining election security.
Republican leaders seek federal inquiry of New Mexico claims — Associated Press
Republican legislative leaders in New Mexico are asking the federal government to investigate two divisions in the state Health Department amid allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation of developmentally disabled people.
The GOP House leaders sent a letter Wednesday to the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, saying an independent investigation would ensure transparency and might prompt the state to take necessary steps to prevent such cases in the future.
"Unfortunately, the state of New Mexico has a rather dismal record of protecting vulnerable populations who are under the care of state agencies and who receive needed services through state administered programs," the letter states. "These recently discovered cases of alleged abuse, neglect and exploitation create a new round of questions and concerns."
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has called the allegations horrific, issuing a warning last week that caregivers who mistreat and abuse developmentally disabled or otherwise vulnerable people will be held accountable by the state.
The governor and top health officials confirmed there was an ongoing investigation into an alleged abuse and neglect case involving a developmentally disabled person that was brought to the state's attention March 1.
That case resulted in the state terminating contracts with four providers in the Albuquerque area. It also prompted what the governor described as a forensic review of the entire developmentally disabled waiver system, which is meant to offer an alternative to institutional care.
Five more cases — including three in which individuals being cared for died — are also under investigation. Officials have said they haven't determined if those deaths are tied to abuse or neglect.
State officials also were looking at several other potential cases following visits by health workers to clients who participate in the federally funded waiver program. More than 6,600 people receive services from one of the state's five developmental disabilities programs.
The GOP lawmakers said the incidents of neglect and abuse seem to be related to system failures of various home and community based programs that fall under the purview of the Developmental Disabilities Supports Division and Division of Health Improvement, which report to the Health Department.
Jodi McGinnis Porter, a department spokeswoman, wrote in an email to the Santa Fe New Mexican that the department shared the legislators' concerns.
"It's exactly why we initiated our own comprehensive internal review of the system and processes to improve quality management of provider agencies, Medicaid oversight, and monitoring of services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are supported by our Developmental Disabilities Waiver programs," she wrote.
The department has contracted with a law firm to investigate processes and recommend improvements.
McGinnis Porter said the department will cooperate with the federal inspector general should that office choose to investigate as well.
"Put simply, we want to use every resource available to ensure that disabled clients in DD Waiver programs are well cared for and that every allegation of abuse, neglect, and Medicaid fraud is fully investigated," she wrote.
Northern NM watershed group receives multi-million dollar federal grant for wildfire prevention — Source NM
Trying to protect a northern New Mexico watershed from disasters, a small nonprofit in Colfax County recently got a nearly $10 million grant from the federal government for thinning projects that’ll help reduce the risk of wildfires.
Source New Mexico’s Megan Gleason reports the Inflation Reduction Act provided the dollars necessary to make the Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program possible. With a total of 100 projects, there are 22 states and seven Native American tribes that will cumulatively receive $197 million.
There were 25 applicants from New Mexico, five of which got funding. Communities in low-income areas, recently impacted by disasters or in locations at high risk for wildfires were prioritized, said U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Wade Muehlhof.
The Cimarron Watershed Alliance got most of the funding allocated to New Mexico, snagging grants totaling $9.8 million. The money will be used for forest restoration projects in private communities northeast of Taos.
Neighbors turned out to protest as an Albuquerque housing project for homeless veterans broke ground — The Albuquerque Journal
A non-profit organization dedicated to getting unhoused veterans off the street broke ground on a new transitional living center yesterday–but not everyone is happy about the project.
The Albuquerque Journal reports residents of the surrounding neighborhood came out to the groundbreaking ceremony to protest, concerned the complex will lead to more crime, and bring down property values.
The housing complex on Mulberry, near interstate-25 and Gibson SE, comes from the New Mexico Veterans Integration centers, which says the project should be complete and housing vets by May 2024.
The 20,000 square foot housing complex is just the first phase of a much larger campus planned by the VIC, which will include affordable long-term housing, a food pantry, a gym and wellness center along with a thrift shop and other services.
Officials warn of wildfire risk as Southwest US dries out – Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
Snowcapped mountains in the Southwestern U.S. signal a possible delayed start to the wildfire season for some higher elevations, but officials in New Mexico and Arizona warned Wednesday that dry, windy conditions in other areas are increasing wildfire risks and prompting red flag warnings.
With leaves crunching under her feet and the wind starting to kick up, New Mexico's governor warned that if the state wants to avoid a historic wildfire season like last year's when more than 1 million acres burned, she said everyone will have to be prepared.
“You can start to think about the landscape in New Mexico and the extreme drought here,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham told those gathered at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park. “We are at extreme risk.”
New Mexico is coming off a devastating wildfire season that included the largest blaze in the state's recorded history — a conflagration sparked last spring by the U.S. government as forest managers were trying to clear out dead and overgrown vegetation in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
A pair of prescribed burn operations went awry and fierce spring winds fueled the flames, displacing thousands of people and resulting in Congress approving nearly $4 billion in recovery funds. New Mexico lawmakers also recently passed legislation creating a low-interest loan program to help communities repair or replace public infrastructure damaged by wildfires or subsequent flooding.
The governor noted that Alaska was the only state to have more acres burn in 2022 than New Mexico.
New Mexico already has seen more than 100 fires this year, and officials in neighboring Arizona have reported responding to dozens of starts over the last month, all human-caused.
“We hope that’s not an indication of what’s to come, but with the heavy grass crop down there, we are staying vigilant and on alert,” Tiffany Davila with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management said of the southern part of the state.
New Mexico State Forester Laura McCarthy didn't want to predict the kind of season the Southwest might see.
“If we’re learning anything from last year, it’s that the past is not really a good indicator of what’s coming in the future,” she said. “And I think that if we get two, three or four weeks of really hot, dry weather with winds, we’re right back in it."
Aside from preparing firefighters and homeowners, McCarthy said state and federal land managers have a growing challenge to cut and remove overgrown brush and trees “on a scale we’ve never done before” that will include more prescribed burns and thinning projects.
The U.S. Forest Service, following a review last year, is implementing new policies and procedures for its prescribed fire operations. The planning process now includes a new template that calls for plans to be validated and updated to ensure that the information is current and the most recent science and modeling is incorporated.
For areas with a healthy snowpack, any fire activity in the high country may be delayed until late May into mid-June, which means the window for wildland fires could be shortened, Davila said.
Still, Davila joined New Mexico officials in urging caution, especially in those areas still mired in drought.
“Even with all of the snow and rain the state received, it is a temporary fix to a long-term drought issue,” she said.
New Mexico's new film training academy finds a home – Associated Press
New Mexico’s special academy for training workers in the film and television industry is a step closer to fruition, with top state officials announcing Wednesday that it will be headquartered in Albuquerque.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and others gathered at the Albuquerque Rail Yards to announce that the location will serve as the primary hub for the New Mexico Media Academy. There also will be a satellite campus in Las Cruces to serve the southern part of the state.
Lawmakers in 2022 approved $40 million for the effort, and numerous post-secondary institutions that offer film and media programs have agreed on the core curriculum for students.
State officials said the goal is to meet the increasing need for trained professionals for an industry that generated $1.5 billion in direct film production spending over the past two fiscal years. They say the industry supports an estimated 8,000 jobs statewide and that a record 109 productions were filmed in New Mexico last year.
Those productions included AMC’s “Better Call Saul” and Netflix’s “Stranger Things.”
Filmmaker Chad Burris has been named as the academy’s executive director. An attorney and member of the Chickasaw Nation, Burris’ production credits include “Four Sheets to the Wind” by Sterlin Harjo, Michael Winterbottom’s “Killer Inside Me,” and most recently Billy Luther’s feature “Frybread Face and Me," which premiered at South by Southwest.
Burris said in a statement that the academy represents an opportunity for New Mexico to produce talent and content “on a scale never imagined.”
“I look forward making this a hub for all local talent and a launch pad for new ideas,” he said.
Once completed, the academy will offer hands-on and craft-specific training. Virtual and extended reality production will be among the focuses.
Central New Mexico Community College will co-locate at the Rail Yards with the academy. Local voters approved $7 million for the college to expand its film training program, and funding will go toward designing and constructing the program at the Rail Yards.
New Mexico State University and Doña Ana Community College are partners in the southern New Mexico campus.
The goal is to admit 1,000 students annually, with Netflix, NBCUniversal and 828 Productions working with the academy and offering paid apprenticeships to students.
Special prosecutors appointed in Baldwin set shooting case – Associated Press
Santa Fe's district attorney has appointed two veteran New Mexico lawyers to serve as the new special prosecutors in the manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin and a weapons supervisor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer during a 2021 movie rehearsal.
The appointment of Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis to the positions will allow District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies to focus on New Mexico's “broader public safety needs,” her spokesperson Heather Brewer said in a statement Wednesday.
The original special prosecutor, Andrea Reeb, resigned earlier in the wake of missteps in the filing of initial charges against Baldwin and objections that Reeb’s role as a state legislator created conflicting responsibilities.
Carmack-Altwies subsequently had been preparing to appoint a new special prosecutor and also guide the complex case as co-counsel.
But Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said on Monday the district attorney should either lead the case on her own or turn it over entirely to another prosecutor.
Baldwin and movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed have pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison and fines.
Hutchins died shortly after being wounded Oct. 21, 2021, during rehearsals for the Western film “Rust” at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe. Baldwin was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when the gun went off, killing her and wounding the director, Joel Souza.
A defense attorney for Gutierrez-Reed objected to Carmack-Altwies' earlier plans to serve as co-counsel, arguing it would be illegal under New Mexico law and fundamentally unfair to a 25-year-old defendant with limited financial resources.
Brewer said the appointment of Morrisey and Lewis, with their “extensive experience and trial expertise, will allow the state to pursue justice for Halyna Hutchins and ensure that in New Mexico everyone is held accountable under the law.”
A weekslong preliminary hearing in May will decide whether evidence against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed is sufficient to proceed to trial.