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Blake Thornberry/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0New Mexico’s top environment official says the federal government is going to move forward with addressing high levels of ozone in parts of the Permian Basin by the end of this year, ramping up air quality regulations in the highly productive and profitable oil and gas region. The state is ill-equipped to take on the additional work, according to State Environment Secretary James Kenney, which could mean losing its permitting power to the U.S. government. -
TONY WEBSTER VIA FLICKR / CREATIVE COMMONS/Let’s Talk New Mexico 2/9 8am: Albuquerque has continued to set new homicide records, while legislative reports also show other violent and property crimes around the state are well above the national average. On the next episode of “Let’s Talk New Mexico” we’ll discuss public safety and what law enforcement and city and state government can do right now to curtail crime.
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A resolution that would ask voters whether to change New Mexico’s constitution so that state lawmakers no longer draw their own voting districts is moving forward in the legislature with bipartisan support. But the proposal to create an independent redistricting commission also has detractors in both parties. -
Legislation to reduce “pyramiding” in New Mexico’s tax code will likely be proposed this legislative session. While the move could provide relief for small businesses and consumers, it’ll also reduce the recurring revenue of the state’s gross receipts tax.
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As some states push to roll back voting rights and election deniers work to overturn election results, democracy itself is at stake in statehouses around the country. On the next Let's Talk New Mexico, we'll discuss how legislators could reshape democracy in our state.
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Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham was joined by a group of bipartisan legislators at the Roundhouse Wednesday who emphasized the importance of bills curbing gun violence in this session.
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Significant tax reforms are expected to move through the Roundhouse this year with bipartisan support. Bill Jordan with New Mexico Voices for Children is calling for lawmakers to create a more equitable tax code — not only with an eye towards income levels, but race and gender as well.
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New Mexico Supreme Court Chief Justice C. Shannon Bacon touted accessibility initiatives and called on lawmakers to weigh the fiscal and human impact of criminal justice reforms in her State of the Judiciary address to a joint session of the New Mexico legislature Tuesday. She also urged legislators to better fund the coequal branch of government.
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Legislation would require insurance plans to cover diagnostic and supplemental breast examinations – and waive cost sharing by patients – passed its first committee this week in the legislature.
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Oil and gas money is all over the New Mexico Roundhouse. It accounts for 35% of the state budget proposal this year, according to the Legislative Finance Committee. It’s also in the campaign coffers of politicians on both sides of the aisle. It’s within this landscape that debates around expanding or restricting fossil fuel production take place.
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The 2023 legislative session is in full swing; with representatives and senators settling in and discussing bills. KUNM spoke with Gwyneth Doland, a political correspondent for New Mexico PBS, who was in Santa Fe this week talking to lawmakers about their priorities for this 60-day session and how it feels to be back in person.
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The 60-day state legislative session has just begun and already there are surprises. As the Speaker’s gavel changes hands, the longtime chair of an influential budgeting committee is out in the House of Representatives, replaced by a more progressive Democrat. Dan Boyd, capitol bureau chief for the Albuquerque Journal, reported on the day-one shake-up and spoke with KUNM about what it could mean.
