Page 29 - Greg Baca News Today

Legislative Roundup: 9 Days Remain In 2021 Session SFNM Bad for box office: Thanks to the pandemic, 2020 was not a good year for movie theaters. Most shut down completely nearly a year ago, and the few that have found a way to keep operating have had to contend with small, socially distanced audiences; a fraction of the usual crowd. The National Association of Theater Owners has estimated up to 70 percent of small or midsize cinemas won’t survive long enough to reopen after health order rest...

A piece of state legislation intended to get the Valencia County hospital project back on track has cleared its first major hurdle of the 2021 legislative session. House Bill 240, which clarifies the definition of “contracting hospital” in the state Hospital Funding Act, passed the state House of Representatives on a 67-0 vote on Thursday, Feb. 25. The bill will now go on to the Senate for consideration. Sponsored by Reps. Kelly Fajardo (R-District 7), Alonzo Baldonado (R-District 8) ...

In politics, good fences make unhappy neighbors. Republicans in the Legislature, contending “the threat has not materialized” against the Roundhouse in the seven weeks since protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol, asked the Legislative Council on Tuesday to remove the layers of protective barriers around the facility. The council, an interim committee made up of legislators […]

By Dillon Mullan, Santa Fe New Mexican | February 21, 2021 Leaders of Black communities and organizations in New Mexico are asking for public apologies and stronger condemnation of recent remarks and actions by Republican lawmakers that dozens of African Americans say represent long-standing systemic racism in the Roundhouse. Earlier this month during a confirmation hearing, Senate Minority Leader Greg Baca, R-Belen, questioned Cabinet nominee Sonya Smith’s ability to represent New Mexicans ...

Feb. 20—Leaders of Black communities and organizations in New Mexico are asking for public apologies and stronger condemnation of recent remarks and actions by Republican lawmakers that they say represent systemic racism in the Roundhouse. Earlier this month, Senate Minority Leader Greg Baca, R-Belen, questioned Cabinet nominee Sonya Smith's ability to represent New Mexicans while leading the ...

SANTA FE, N.M. — Lujan Grisham said measures would limit her ability to respond

New Mexico Senate Unanimously Confirms Sonya L. Smith As Department of Veterans’ Services Secretary DVS News: SANTA FE – Sonya L. Smith was unanimously confirmed by the New Mexico Senate today as secretary of the New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS). The vote was 38-0, officially naming her as the fifth DVS secretary—and first African-American to serve as head of the agency. She had been serving on an interim basis since her nomination for the position by Governor Michelle ...

Feb. 18—Days remaining in session: 30 Honoring a "true gentleman": Senators paid tribute Wednesday to a former state lawmaker who died in January. Jim White, a retired military pilot and airport executive from Albuquerque, served in the state House from 2009-14 and in the state Senate from 2016-20. "Jim was one of those guys that was a true gentleman in every sense of the word," said Sen. Mark ...

New Mexico State Senate Majority Leadership Team Responds To Minority Leader Greg Baca’s Comments NMDVS News: SANTA FE — The New Mexico State Senate Majority leadership team on Saturday issued the following statement in response to comments made by Sen. Greg Baca during the Senate Rules Committee meeting Friday, Feb. 12: “Secretary-Designate Sonya Smith is incredibly qualified to lead the Department of Veteran Services. Yesterday she stood before the Rules Committee and demonstrated to us...

Senate Minority Leader Greg Baca asked Veteran Services designee Sonya Smith if being Black would prevent her from being able to do the job.