Gallup Sun

Dear Editor,

This week starts with positive news for three pieces of legislation and not-so-positive news for another bill.

House Bills 127, 236, and 403 moved forward since our last update, and unfortunately, House Bill 417 remained in committee due to a tied vote during its hearing. (More on these bills below.)

Additionally, we expect the Senate version of House Bill 2 (the FY ’24 budget) to be unveiled soon, and as part of that process, we wanted to highlight a “generic bill” that's been filed and is scheduled to be heard March 8, specifically Senate Bill 521, which would increase the current proposed pay raises from an average of 5% to an average of 6% for public employees...

Dear Editor,

We have two weeks to go, and AFT NM-supported legislation continues to move forward in the Legislature.

This update contains legislative action on two bills, plus another three bills which are slated for tomorrow and Monday.

Finally, we have added an additional category of bills we have been watching this session which are on their final step in this legislative process. Specifically, legislation that is on its final hearing by either the House of Representatives or State Senate before being sent to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for her signature or veto. (We will add one more category soon that will list bills that have fully cleared the Legislature and are on the...

When an individual purchases an annuity, they name one or more beneficiaries who will receive the benefits if something happens to them before the contract ends. This could be due to death, disability, or another event that would cause the individual to no longer need their income from the annuity.

The ultimate beneficiary of an annuity is the individual receiving the payments; however, there can also be additional beneficiaries. These can be named by the owner or automatically assigned through the contract. It’s essential to understand who these beneficiaries are and how they will be affected by the annuity payments to best plan for retirement income needs.

Primary Beneficiary: The...

In the Ghostbusters movies, the eponymous heroes blast ghosts and otherworldly beings with their proton packs, and the ghosts explode into a mess of slimy green ghost goo. This goo is called ectoplasm. I first encountered ectoplasm through Hi-C’s companion drink, Ecto Cooler, in elementary school whenever I brought my lunch. Ultimately, Ecto Cooler couldn’t hold a candle to the greatness of Kool-Aid Blasts and Capri Suns.

The late ’80s and early ‘90s were a wild time for brown-bagging it. Of course, my kids refer to anyone born before 2000 as people “born in the 1900s.”

On the theme of “words that end in ‘-asm,’” I’d like to discuss neoplasms. While...