The best news for years in New Mexico for sure!!!!!
House Speaker Egolf will not run for reelection
Governor Lujan Grisham ends mask mandate
FGGAM NEWS just received these reports:
House GOP statement on end of 2022 Legislative Session
Santa Fe – The 2022 Legislative Session concluded, Sine Die, today at noon. The New Mexico House of Representatives wrapped up over 24-hours of nearly nonstop debate on many important issues. With New Mexicans facing fallout from the Governor’s nearly two-year long COVID restrictions, hyper-inflation, eco-price gouging and out-of-control crime, many expected bipartisan support to correct the course. Despite initial good faith efforts from many lawmakers and key stakeholders to come together on crime, election security, and energy policy, these efforts crashed and burned as the clock ran down.
“The broad agenda that Lujan Grisham and progressives attempted to pass was dead on arrival- for three years New Mexicans have seen the broken promises of a so-called progressive utopia,” said House Republican Leader Jim Townsend (Artesia). “Working families are seeing less of their paycheck due to higher gas prices, increased utility rates, and hyper-inflation. I think the results of this session speak volumes to the dissatisfaction of so many New Mexicans and how they are struggling to trust in a government so focused on making their lives harder.”
The session was not without victories for New Mexicans. House Republicans were effective in stopping many bad policies that the House Democrats aimed to use to double down on the previous three-years of their progressive agenda. The increase on New Mexico’s gas tax, the clean future act, an attack on New Mexico’s elections, and a hydrogen proposals that excluded many communities were effectively blocked in rare bipartisan votes.
“For three years the progressives have rammed through their agenda with promises of transformative change, unfortunately New Mexicans are learning that their future has transformed into a dystopia,” said House Republican Whip Rod Montoya (Farmington). “Our Republican caucus can go home knowing that we were effective in pushing back against what has amounted to destructive and failed policies. New Mexicans are waking up to the broken promises of the Governor and progressives out-of-touch agenda, and we are hearing them loud and clear.”
As the state enters 2022, New Mexicans have serious concerns about the direction the state is going. Despite the state’s largest budget in history, many working families continue to feel the effects of a drastically higher cost of living, expected power blackouts this summer, and policies that simply make their lives harder.
“Not all hope is lost,” said House Republican Caucus Chair Rebecca Dow (T or C). “I think many New Mexicans are still hopeful for our future, there is tremendous support to change the direction of our state. This session revealed that New Mexicans can count on Republicans, despite being few in numbers, to be effective in shutting down the radical agenda of Lujan Grisham and her progressive allies in the legislature. Just imagine what we can accomplish in the majority.”
From NM State Rep. Jim Townsend:
It is time to address the electrical issues before us, we must make a decision. Power outages appear imminent in the greater Albuquerque service area. Renewables although very useful and helpful can not meet the demand all the time especially when the sun is set and wind is not blowing. We must have a strong always available economically viable electrical generation alternative now. Waiting any longer, putting our largest population in peril would be irresponsible and willfully negligent of the Legislature, Governor and PRC. We have no excuses.
Albuquerque, February 17—Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate have succeeded in blocking a major Election Overhaul bill that would have endangered the integrity of New Mexico elections and opened the door to potential fraud.
Republicans used procedural moves and convincing arguments to ensure Senate Bill 144 did not pass in the legislature.
Progressive Democrats had tried to push SB 144 in an effort to “expand voter access” but it was, in fact, a calculated push that would have seriously weakened election laws and enabled people to cheat and commit fraud.
Throughout the legislative session, Democrats had promoted several bills that would have:
- allowed 16 year-olds to vote
- established a permanent absentee voting list
- required unsolicited backend voter registration
- distributed your personal information to third parties without your permission
- allowed felons voting rights before they paid their debts to society
- required drop boxes in all counties—inviting ballot harvesting
- allowed ballots to be mailed out without an application request
Republicans worked hard during the session and were successful in making sure these election bill provisions didn’t pass. GOP lawmakers stood firm in their efforts to ensure election security.
“The fact that these dangerous election bills were prevented from passing is a testament to the dedication, hard work and integrity of our Republican Representatives and Senators in the Roundhouse,” said Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman Steve Pearce. “The Democrats will do anything to move the goalposts and give them a political edge in elections. Their election legislation would have weakened ballot security, opened the door to ballot harvesting, promoted fraudulent ballots and hurt the integrity of our elections. Our GOP lawmakers should be commended.”
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Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver Responds release this to FGGAM:
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver Responds to Partisan Filibuster that Blocked Critical Voting Rights Legislation
SANTA FE – Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver released the following statement today as Senate Republicans in the New Mexico Legislature prevented debate on and then killed a critical election security and voting rights bill:
“I’m extremely disappointed in today’s partisan filibuster by Senate Republicans that killed a critical bill for New Mexico’s voters and election administrators. Senate Bill 144 included important provisions to streamline election administration procedures that had buy-in from across the political spectrum. This bill would have protected election administrators from threats and intimidation, provided automatic address updates from the MVD, training for poll challengers, and allowed for the submission of electronic nominating petitions, among much more. Many of these provisions were specifically asked for, and needed by, election administrators across the state. The bill also included a number of popular voter access provisions like protections for Native voters, a voluntary permanent absentee ballot list, and the restoration of voting rights for the formerly incarcerated. Now, instead of a comprehensive bill that would have advanced voting rights and election security in the state, voters and election administrators get nothing. Though New Mexico’s voting and elections are already considered some of the best and most secure in the nation, there’s always more work to do and I will work tirelessly to pass these policies in a future legislative session.”
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