New Mexico
Older couple found dead in New Mexico wildfire
The stays of a New Mexico couple had been discovered close to their burned residence as a wind-driven wildfire charred greater than 200 residences on the sting of a mountain group within the southern a part of the state. Fireplace crews on Thursday pointed to a break in what has been a gentle stream of relentless gusts as their probability to make headway towards the lethal wildfire, which is believed to have killed the 2 folks, Ruidoso spokesperson Kerry Gladden mentioned Thursday. Police investigators and firefighters discovered the older couple’s stays Wednesday afternoon after members of the family notified Ruidoso police that the 2 had tried to evacuate however had been unaccounted for. The stays had been discovered close to the house however not in it, and no further info was instantly obtainable, Gladden mentioned. Authorities had been working to substantiate the identities of the 2 folks. The hearth moved right into a extra densely populated space on Ruidoso’s northeastern facet Wednesday afternoon, prompting extra evacuations. Laura Rabon, a spokesperson for the Lincoln Nationwide Forest, interrupted a hearth briefing and informed folks to get of their vehicles and depart after the flames jumped a highway the place crews had been making an attempt to carry the road.
New Mexico
Bill incentivizing New Mexico schools to lock up student cell phones moves forward
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Some lawmakers say it’s time to get New Mexico school kids to lock up their cell phones during class. Now, a bill to help school districts do that is already winning approval in the Roundhouse. The bill is being called the “Anti-Distraction Policy” and it would make millions of dollars available for schools to start up programs to lock and store cell phones during teaching hours.
“Our students are spending well over five hours a day on social media apps and we have to come in and really break that cell phone addiction,” said Senator Crystal Brantley, (R-Elephant Butte).
Sen. Brantley said educators have told her cell phones are now among the biggest distractions in New Mexico schools. She’s sponsoring Senate Bill 11, which would define an “Anti-Distraction Policy.” The bill would force PED to encourage schools to make policies locking up cell phones, while also offering 10 million to pay for equipment to do it.
“What the policy looks like is completely up to individual districts. As we know a school district in Quemado may need to adopt a different policy than the Albuquerque school district,” said Sen. Brantley.
In a first committee debate Wednesday night, some think it would help improve student proficiency.
“This bill will help teachers perform one of their main duties which is to help students focus academically and socially,” said J.D. Bullington, Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce.
“This isn’t about limiting access to technology it’s about ensuring technology supports rather than hinders the learning environment,” said Whitney Holland, President of American Federation of Teachers New Mexico.
However, some are worried about what happens to the funding.
“What is the maximum a school can spend, it doesn’t say, it says they’ll get reimbursed. That’s a pretty open checkbook it sounds like,” said Senator William P. Soules (D- oña Ana County).
Brantley sees this ultimately as a bipartisan issue. “This is something that is bringing together major teachers that have asked for this. 97-percent of teachers say this is their number one distractor is cell phones. We’re meeting the needs of the teachers and the needs of students,” said Sen. Brantley.
Some parents have also raised concerns about cell phones being locked up during emergencies. However, Senator Brantley said there are some options for products on the market that allow for easy, emergency access. The bill passed a first committee last night and now heads to the senate finance committee.
New Mexico
New Mexico lawmakers monitor federal funding freeze fallout
The New Mexico legislature can only watch and wait for a formal resolution of the issues caused by a temporary federal funding freeze.
SANTA FE, N.M. — By the time the New Mexico legislative finance committee director was able to update lawmakers today, the federal funding freeze was essentially over. But that doesn’t mean New Mexico was spared from the temporary consequences.
Charles Sallee, the LFC director, confirmed to lawmakers that New Mexico’s Medicaid funding portal was shut down Tuesday — like many other states — but he said no services were interrupted.
However, he did reveal that the health care authority is still missing $40 million worth of federal funding it was expecting to receive on Monday, but it’s not exactly clear what that money is earmarked for. Other than that, it seems things are back to normal.
But the big question is whether or not state lawmakers need to prepare a contingency plan.
New Mexico receives billions of dollars in federal funding every year, and the LFC director revealed those payments are often reimbursements, meaning the state fronts the cost for things like Medicaid and the feds pay them back. And there’s only so much money in New Mexico’s bank account.
“If it were a two-week period, then we’d have to work around that reimbursement process to make sure services don’t stop,” Sallee said. “But we know that we’re going to be able to have enough money in the treasury that would be longer than that would be problematic.”
That’s where state lawmakers left it today. They do have a lot of other stuff to think about, after all, and New Mexico’s federal delegation is working on this as well.
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich joined fellow senate democrats to speak out against the funding freeze this morning, saying federal money earmarked for drug enforcement operations, sexual assault victims’ resources and even natural disaster aid was all in jeopardy.
“So, you’re going to tell people who are the victim of these fires, one of which was actually the result of actions of the federal government that impacted these communities, that that we’re going to hold up your disaster assistance funding until we figure out whether giving you that funding is somehow woke,” Heinrich said. “I mean, this is just ridiculous, folks.”
A spokesperson with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office said she’s working with attorney general Raul Torrez, lawmakers and her cabinet secretaries to determine the implications in New Mexico.
“Our initial assessment indicates serious constitutional concerns that require immediate attention,” the spokesperson said.
The governor’s office is expected to provide a more detailed response to this in the coming days. And legislative leaders said they’ll be keeping a close eye on the developments, but it does not seem there’s plans for an alternate state budget right now.
New Mexico
NM Legislature Recap Jan. 29: Blizzards of of snow and white coats • Source New Mexico
Snow blanketed the New Mexico Capitol on Wednesday, but inside was a sea of cherry red and silver honoring the University of New Mexico, which also released a scrum of white-coated medical school physicians to roam the halls.
The state Senate unanimously confirmed one of its former colleagues, Greg Nibert, to a six-year term on the utility regulating body, the Public Regulation Committee. Nibert, a former legislator in both chambers, was ousted in the June primary by Sen. Pat Boone (R-Elida). Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Nibert earlier this month, selecting him from a pool of 32 applicants, according to a press release from the PRC.
A bundle of behavioral health bills will face further consideration after a three-hour Senate Health and Public Affairs committee meeting. While members approved Senate Bill 1, which creates a $1 billion fund for behavioral health 10-0, the committee ran out of time to consider related bills, and wanted to further evaluate and potentially amend them.
The committee will evaluate Senate Bill 2, an appropriations bill for an additional $140 million for seven agencies and grants for communities, and Senate Bill 3, which directs the courts to develop behavioral health regions, coordinate meetings and develop regional plans on Monday.
The Senate Education Committee passed three bills through in the morning and bumped another three to Friday after the committee ran out of time before lawmakers were expected on the Senate Floor at 11 a.m. The bills they advanced:
- Senate Bill 60 to establish a high school water management pilot project from Sen. Michael Padilla (D-Albuquerque) passed unanimously and heads to the Senate Conservation committee.
- Sen. Pat Woods (R-Clovis) sponsored Senate Bill 8, which puts aside $5 million for a school loan repayment program for veterinarians, passed 9-0, and now heads to Senate Judiciary.
- Senate Bill 11, from Sen. Crystal Brantley (R-Elephant Butte) requests districts adopt policies to store cell phones during the school day and offers $10 million in funding for reimbursement. It passed 7-2 and heads to Senate Finance.
Lawmakers rolled Senate Bill 10, the Anti-Hazing Act proposed by Sen. Harold Pope (D-Albuquerque), to Friday’s Senate Education Committee meeting, following a request from committee members to consider amending the bill to take out provisions related to primary school students. Another anti-hazing bill is in the works, as well.
The committee also pushed to Friday: Senate Bill 13, the State-Tribal Education Compact Act, proposed by Sen. Benny Shendo (D-Jemez Pueblo) (read more about that bill here) and
Senate Bill 19 from Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D-Las Cruces), which would require the Higher Education Department to develop a 10-hour training for new university regents and those who have more than one year left in their term as of June 20, 2025.
To keep track of all these bills and the ones below, make sure to check Source New Mexico’s bill tracker. And please reach out to us if there’s any information you’d like us to include on it: [email protected]
Bill watch
The Senate Judiciary Committee heard three public safety bills on Wednesday afternoon: Senate Bill 18, which would create the crime of SWATing, Senate Bill 32, which would raise the penalty for possessing a stolen firearm, and Senate Bill 70, which would add 11 new crimes to the definition of racketeering.
The committee did not vote on any of the bills because Chair Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces) said any crime-related legislation that passes through his committee will likely be “rolled” together into an omnibus bill.
Water protection bills will be heard by the Senate Conservation Committee at 8:30 a.m. Thursday. Read more about them here.
The House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee will hear another batch of public safety bills Thursday afternoon, including elevated sentences for shooting threats, possessions of weapon conversion devices, penalties for vehicle thefts and use of juvenile records in firearm background checks. Lawmakers will also discuss the Artificial Intelligence Act.
Word on the street is there will be a special address to both chambers tomorrow. We’ll keep you posted.
Source NM reporters Patrick Lohmann and Austin Fisher contributed to the writing and reporting of this article.
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