in the news
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A federal law meant to help return stolen Native American artifacts to their rightful owners has cleared its final hurdle after unanimous approval in the U.S. Senate. The Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act, also known as the STOP Act, passed the Senate on Tuesday and was sent to President Joe Biden with the expectation it soon will be...
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The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill this week to make it illegal to export Native American cultural items and other artifacts that were illegally obtained, and increases related criminal penalties. The bill cleared the chamber after Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., took to the floor and said the bill would have helped in the yearslong effort by...
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This summer, a political miracle occurred. Against powerful opposition and long odds, despite being written off by pundits, and by the narrowest of margins, we passed the biggest American climate action ever. The Inflation Reduction Act is predicted to push us from 25 percent to 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the end...
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SANTA FE – The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Wednesday announced the award of funding for five New Mexico school districts to buy 12 electric school buses. According to a news release from New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich, founder and co-chair of the Electrification Caucus said, “I am thrilled to welcome this first...
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U.S. senators from California and Massachusetts have joined New Mexico Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján in calling for the closure of a Torrance County immigration detention center. The lawmakers — including California’s Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla and Massachusetts’ Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, all Democrats...
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Mold, water leaks and clogged sinks and toilets were some of the conditions found at the Torrance County Detention Facility during a surprise inspection earlier this year, which is why a group of senators is asking that immigrants being detained there be sent elsewhere. New Mexico Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján this week...
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U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich is leading a call for immediate action by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to remedy the ongoing unsafe, inhumane conditions at its privately contracted Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia. In a letter to ICE Acting Director Tae Johnson, Heinrich and his fellow signatories cite ICE’s...
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The push away from fossil fuels and towards electric vehicles and home appliances is a challenge for rural New Mexico, which lacks the basic infrastructure and cash for these innovations. Though, attempts are being made by U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich and President Biden's administration through recent legislation signed into law that offers rebates....
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When New Mexico voters go to the polls on Nov. 8, they will consider a proposed state constitutional amendment — in the works for years — that would authorize significant funding increases for public schools and early childhood education. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, who is shepherding an amendment to the state's federal enabling...
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Pueblo of Santa Ana, NM, Oct. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This morning, it became official: Soon NM residents will be able to purchase a Tesla, have their vehicles serviced, or have a vehicle delivered to the new facility that will be located on the homelands of the Tamayme (Pueblo of Santa Ana). “This is an exciting start to the next...
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Since 1978, the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail has provided those willing to traverse its more than 3,000 miles of scenic terrain with views from the Canadian border all the way to New Mexico. However, despite its 44-year existence, there are still sections of the trail that are not fully completed. With help of legislators in...
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New Mexico’s senior United States Senator said he expects the $2.5 billion in compensation for victims of the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire will go a long way toward revitalizing a 500-square-mile section of northern New Mexico and life for those in it. The United States Senate on Thursday voted to approve a short-term spending bill...
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A bill cosponsored by New Mexico’s United States senators aims to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency better help victims of wildfires. Such blazes are growing in number and intensity across the West. U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) said Wednesday on the Senate floor that FEMA has gotten “pretty...
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Today is National Public Lands Day, a great time to visit one of New Mexico’s incredible national parks, monuments, forests, and wilderness areas—most have waived their entrance fees to mark the occasion. The outdoors has always been at the center of my life. When other kids were playing baseball, I was catching snapping...
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I’m a notorious cheapskate. I run my pickup tires so bald that I dread early season snowstorms. I eat leftovers at my desk rather than meet buddies for a burger, not because I’m anti-social, but because that Tupperware container full of elk stew represents a free meal. I apply much the same philosophy to public policy. I am a fiscal...
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A $38 million infusion of federal funds was granted to New Mexico to build a network of electrical vehicle charges along the state’s interstate highways over the next five years. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration announced it approved of the State’s plans to build the chargers Sept. 14 after it...
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I’m a notorious cheapskate. I run my pickup tires so bald that I dread early season snowstorms. I eat leftovers at my desk rather than meet buddies for a burger, not because I’m anti-social, but because that Tupperware container full of elk stew represents a free meal. I apply much the same philosophy to public policy. I am a fiscal...
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U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich announced Friday that New Mexico’s electric vehicle infrastructure plan has been approved by the Biden administration, and the state is expected to receive $38 million over five years to support the expansion of its electric vehicle charging network. The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program,...
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US Senator Martin Heinrich paid a visit to the Randall Davey Audubon Center and Sanctuary in Santa Fe on Friday to tout the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. Heinrich toured the sanctuary and heard about the Audubon Center’s efforts to protect the Pinyon Jay, a bird that has seen significant population decline due to drought, climate...
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NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – An important bird, crucial to New Mexico’s Pinon Pine is at risk for extinction. Now, lawmakers in Washington, including Senator Martin Heinrich, are fighting to keep them and so many other endangered species from dying off. Senator Martin Heinrich, a hunter himself, knows how important our public lands and...
