Wednesday, February 5, 2020

The Red Flag bill SB5 will be the hot item on the legislative agenda this afternoon. The gun confiscation bill will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee at 2:30 in Room 321 in the Roundhouse. This legislation is a blatant infringement on our 2nd Amendment rights and violates search and seizure protocol. SB5 would allow authorities to take away homeowners’ firearms if they believe they might be a threat to hurt someone or themselves.This is simply a gun grab!

CALL TO ACTION: New Mexico–make your voices heard! Show up at the Roundhouse tomorrow and oppose this legislation.

If you can’t make it there, CALL or EMAIL members of the Judiciary Committee or your lawmakers and tell them we will not stand for this unconstitutional legislation. The sponsors of the bill are Joseph Cervantes (505) 986-4861, Daymon Ely (505) 986-4432 and Joy Garratt (505) 986-4249. Tell them NO on Red Flag!

Let’s show up in large numbers tomorrow when the Red Flag bill is in committee.

2. BUDGET BILL WITH MASSIVE SPENDING INCREASES HEADS TO FULL HOUSE
TODAY

The House is expected to debate and vote on HB2, the $7.6 billion budget plan that hikes spending by $530 million. The progressive Democrats continue their wasteful spending ways, relying on future oil and gas revenues to bail them out. Republicans say this legislation is irresponsible and unsustainable.

Today at 10am Republican leadership will live stream a press conference on its Facebook Page to introduce its People’s Budget, an alternative to HB2. It will address spending growth and the need for fiscal restraint in the Legislature.

3. REPUBLICAN-SPONSORED “TAXPAYER BILL OF RIGHTS” LEGISLATION KILLED

An effort to stop tax-happy progressive Democrats from their wild spending has died in committee. House Minority Whip Rod Montotya (R)-Farmington had proposed a “Taxpayer Bill of Rights” that would have created a constitutional amendment to require a three-fifths majority in both chambers to raise taxes. It also would have offered taxpayers annual rebates when there’s a budget surplus beyond state spending levels. Why won’t the Left in the legislature understand that there must be restraint to this out-of-control spending?

4.  PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS DENY HOUSE REPUBLICANS’ EFFORT FOR
INCREASED TRANSPARENCY

Left-leaning Democrats have shut down two Republican-sponsored resolutions aimed at making government more open to constituents. HR 2 and HR 3 were both tabled by the House Rules & Order of Business Committee yesterday on a party-line vote of 11-5. House Minority Leader Jim Townsend (R)-Artesia) presented the resolutions.

House Resolutions 2 and 3 are part of the House Republicans’ initiative to bring more transparency and public participation in the New Mexico legislature. HR2 would have repealed the so-called “rocket docket” change that was made in 2019 to fast-track legislation. HR3 is a resolution that would require 24-hour’s notice to the public for legislation scheduled to be heard in the House.

“Leader Townsend’s rule changes would have increased transparency and constituent participation. Those are not just ‘buzz words,” said House Minority Whip Rod Montoya. “We need to make sure that we are properly vetting legislation. We owe it to all New Mexicans that we are getting things done right, not just that we are getting it done quick.”

Townsend’s HR1, a measure to make public any tabled votes, is still pending debate by the full House.

5. ELECTION LAWS CLEANUP ACT TO BE HEARD TODAY

HB229 will be heard today in the House State Government, Elections & Indian Affairs Committee. That’s the legislation that slyly crosses out language deep into the bill that calls for three mandatory items for voter identification for absentee ballots. By law you must have your name, address and year of birth on the ballot. Should this bill become law, it will lead to absentee voting chaos and fraud. No ID requirements.

This bill seems to be aimed at a pending Republican Party of New Mexico lawsuit against the State and the Dona Ana County Clerk for deliberately allowing voters to turn in ballots without the proper ID qualifications. It appears to be a subtle way to void the Party’s lawsuit, which demands that the law be followed.

Tell everyone to stop this bill! Call your lawmaker and say NO to HB229.

Committees: Finance
Email: [email protected]