Politics

In Focus Looks at Texas Water Rustling; NM Tea Party Scrutiny From IRS

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Attorney General Gary King

NM PBS News:

New Mexico Attorney General Gary King talks about the state’s water battle with Texas on this week’s edition of NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS, airing 7 p.m. Friday, May 17 on New Mexico PBS/KNME 5.1.

With both states mired in historic droughts, every drop of water has the potential to be contentious. The A.G. says it amounts to “water rustling” but is there anything the state can do to prevent a Texan water grab?

Also on the program, open government issues still swirl around King and the Martinez administration as the two prepare to do battle in 2014.

The Line opinion panel Read More

Republicans Meet at 7 p.m. Thursday

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GOP News:

All members of the Republican Party are invited to attend the Party Central Committee Meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 16 in Room 220 at UNM-Los Alamos.

Guest speaker will be State Party Chairman John Billingsley. Accompanying him will be Bernadette Granger, one of the state headquarters staffers.

Billingsley was the campaign chairman of Steve Pearce in his bid for the U.S. Senate. Read More

Udall Addresses DOJ’s Collection of AP Records, IRS Targeting and Mineral Royalties Bill

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U.S. SENATE NEWS:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On his weekly radio press conference call Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Tom Udall discussed legislation he’s introducing with Wyoming’s senators to protect New Mexico’s mineral royalties from sequestration cuts.
 
He also expressed strong concern over the Department of Justice’s collection of Associated Press phone records and reacted to reports that the IRS targeted groups based on political ideology.
 
 
 
Below are highlights from
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Udall Initiative Would Increase Graduation Rate, Help Underperforming Schools

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Sen. Tom Udall
 
U.S. SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With graduation season underway, U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., introduced a bill today that would increase the graduation rate in New Mexico and across the nation.
 
Nationwide, approximately one-fifth of high school students drop out of school each year. According to the New Mexico Public Education Department, the state’s graduation rate was 70.3 percent in 2012, with a 67.7 percent rate for Hispanic students and 64.9 percent for Native Americans. In addition, New Mexico’s state’s high school dropouts
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Luján Cosponsors Bill to Protect New Mexico Royalty Payments from Sequester Cuts

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Rep. Ben Ray Luján

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District joined with a number of Representatives from Western states to introduce legislation that protects state mineral royalty payments from cuts due to the sequester.

The States Mineral Protection Act allows states the option of directly collecting their share of federal mineral royalties under the Mineral Leasing Act. This would prohibit the federal government from sequestering mineral royalties owed to the states and eliminate a 2 percent fee that the federal government charges for collection Read More

Regional Coalition Pleased with DOE Reprogramming Request for LANL Clean Up Funding

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RCLC News:

SANTA FE—The Regional Coalition of LANL Communities is pleased to announce that New Mexico is one step closer to receiving critical federal funding needed to maintain ongoing environmental management efforts at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

 

Last week, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) and the White House sent a reprogramming request to Congress in the amount of $19 million. Reprogramming will allow the DOE to move necessary funds between their accounts during the current fiscal year but Read More

Democrats Meet Thursday May 16

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LADP News:

The Los Alamos Democratic Party will hold its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 16 at the UNM-Los Alamos Student Center, Building Two.

The group will watch a short video by Bill Moyers, “United States of ALEC,” a report on the most influential corporate-funded political force most of America has never heard of — ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. A national consortium of state politicians and powerful corporations, ALEC presents itself as a “nonpartisan public-private partnership.”

According to Moyers, behind that mantra lies a vast network of corporate lobbying Read More

Udall, Heinrich, Luján Make Progress Restoring LANL Cleanup Funding

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NM DELEGATION News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján announced that the Department of Energy and the White House have responded to their calls for critical funding needed to maintain ongoing environmental management efforts at Los Alamos National Laboratory by sending a reprogramming request to Congress in the amount of $19 million.

They are now urging the necessary Congressional Committees to approve the without delay and advocating for an additional $21 million from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Read More

Udall, Hirono, Polis Introduce Bill to Support Pregnant and Parenting Students

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U.S. SENATE News:
  • Measure Would Help Teen Parents Graduate and Become College or Career Ready
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – To mark National Teen Pregnancy Month, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) have joined with U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) to introduce a bill that would help states and local school districts support pregnant and parenting youth who face unique challenges staying in school and graduating ready for college or a career.
 
Each year in the U.S., approximately 750,000 teens get pregnant and almost one-fifth of students across the country drop
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Governor Views Progress of 3706 TRU Waste Campaign at LANL

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Gov. Susana Martinez speaking today at TA-55 during her visit to Los Alamos National Laboratory to receive an update of the 3706 TRU Waste Campaign. Photo by Richard Robinson/LANL

Jeff Mousseau, LANL Environmental Programs Directorate leader speaking during today’s press briefing at TA-54 with Gov. Susana Martinez. Photo by Richard Robinson/LANL

  Read More