Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, July 18, appointed Shannon Pinto to the senate seat left vacant after the May death of her grandfather, Navajo Code Talker and New Mexico icon, Sen. John Pinto.

Sen. Pinto will serve the remainder of her grandfather’s term in Senate District 3. She was nominated to fill the vacancy by the San Juan County Commission.

Pinto, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, is an educator, having worked as both a middle school and high school math teacher in Tohatchi. She earned an associate’s degree in business administration from the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute and a bachelor’s in financial management from the University of New Mexico.

“John...

Landmark education bill heads for Senate

SANTA FE - The House of Representatives has passed House Bill 5 Public Education Changes sponsored by House Floor Majority Leader Representative Sheryl Williams Stapleton (D-Albuquerque), House Education Committee Chair Representative Andres Romero (D-Albuquerque), House Appropriations & Finance Chairwoman Patricia Lundstrom (D-Gallup), Representative Christine Trujillo (D-Albuquerque), and Representative Bobby Gonzalez (D-Taos).

Described as the “moonshot bill” by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, HB 5 calls for a $449 million dollar increase for public education funding, while raising teacher minimum salaries, expanding K-5 Plus, and...

SANTA FE - New Mexico’s newly minted Women’s Legislative Caucus has selected its first round of nine key pieces of legislation supporting the state’s women, children and families.

The New Mexico Women’s Legislative Caucus has endorsed the following pieces of legislation with a minimum three-fourths vote in support.

HB 71 – School-Based Health Center Funding. Brings funding levels to school based health centers back to pre-recession levels. These health centers are throughout the state.

HB 135 – Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights. Lays out rights for persons who have been sexually assaulted, including having their rape kit tested in a reasonable time, notification...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -  U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced bipartisan legislation March 6 to repeal a provision in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) known as the ‘Cadillac tax,’ which taxes high-cost health insurance plans and impacts middle-class health benefits.

In the 115th Congress, more than 300 members of Congress from both parties cosponsored legislation to repeal the 40 percent tax. Although the tax was originally a provision in the Affordable Care Act, implementation has been delayed numerous times by bipartisan coalitions in Congress, most recently to 2022.

“Eliminating this onerous tax on employees’ health coverage will protect...