Democracy for New Mexico

Repeal of NM Death Penalty to Senate Public Affairs Today

From the NM Coalition to Repeal the Death Penalty:
Our repeal legislation (HB 190) will be heard in Senate Public Affairs on Friday, March 2, after the Senate floor session. It's almost impossible to predict what time the committee hearing will begin or what time HB 190 will be heard. But we suspect it will be late afternoon or evening. On Tuesday, the committee began hearing bills at about 5:30 and ended at 9:00 PM. Below is a list of Senate Public Affairs members with their office phone numbers.

The two most important legislators to contact are Sen. Gay Kernan (R-Hobbs) and Sen. Steve Komadina (R-Corrales). Everyone should contact these two legislators, but if you know anyone in Hobbs or Corrales please have them contact them too!

Members of Senate Public Affairs Committee

• Senator Gay Kernan (R); 986-4274; ggkern@valornet.com
• Senator Steve Komadina (R); 986-4377; komadina@stevekomadina.com
• Senator Dede Feldman, Chair (D); 986-4482
• Senator Mary Jane Garcia, Vice Chair (D); 986-4726
• Senator Stuart Ingle (R); 986-4702
• Senator Steve Neville (R); 986-4266
• Senator Gerry Ortiz y Pino (D); 986-4380
• Senator Mary Kay Papen (D); 986-4270
• Senator David Ulibarri (D); 986-4265

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Kathleen MacRae, Director
NM Coalition to Repeal the Death Penalty
PO Box 8552, Santa Fe, NM 87504
505-986-9536 or 505-681-3920
kmacrae@nmrepeal.org

Editor's Note: This bill was already passed in the NM House by a margin of 41-28. It's been assigned to two commitees in the Senate -- Public Affairs and Judiciary.

(Updated) Hearing Saturday 3/3 on NM Impeachment Resolution

UPDATE 3/2/07: We have learned the bill may bypass the Senate Judicary Committee and go straight to the Senate Floor, probably to be heard there on Saturday morning. Please read this update post. Things can change quickly at this stage of the Legislative Session!
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Here's the latest on the NM Impeachment resolution, SJR 5, which has so far passed both the NM Senate Rules Committee and the Senate Public Affairs Committee. Next up: Senate Judiciary sometime Saturday, March 3. We need to show up en masse for the hearing and contact Judicary members NOW. This email is from a volunteer aide to Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, who sponsored the bill with Sen. John Grubesic:

From: Desi Brown:
Hello to all! (Please forward to others interested in this issue.) I am sorry I was unable to be present for the exciting success of the Public Affairs Committee Hearing last Sunday. On behalf of Senator Ortiz y Pino and the rest of his volunteer staff, I would like to personally thank all of you who could attend, speak up, or help out in the many ways that you have.

We would like to acknowledge that everyone at these hearings really seems to understand the power of the citizenry to affect change within our government and at the same time, you have all honored the wishes of both Senator Ortiz y Pino and Senator Grubesic to stay focused on the language of the Impeachment Resolution. Thank you!

Just a quick update - there will be more to come later this week:

- SJR5 is tentatively scheduled to be heard in the Senate Judiciary committee late Saturday afternoon this weekend. The committee will start meeting after the Senate floor session is done and there will probably be a few bills heard before this one is. This makes the timing a little bit uncertain for all of you who may wish to attend.

- Right now we cannot say whether the bill will be heard at 3 PM or 8 PM, or any time in between. If you do plan to be present on Saturday just be prepared for a potentially long wait as of now. (Note: You can also call the office of Senator Cisco McSorley for updated time information: 505-986-4485.)

- We hope to be able to narrow down the time frame in the next day or two.

- There will be a taped video conference call from former US Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman run during this committee hearing.

- There will probably be a limited amount of public debate again - similar to last time - but the more people packed into the room and in the hallways the better! It really helps to create an air of excitement.

- We will try to have both a pre- and post-committee hearing gathering in the Rotunda to share what information we may have with you.

Keep up with your calls, e-mails, radio show call-ins, letters to the editor (I have only seen a couple so far - keep writing!), personal visits with the Senators and Representatives (and their assistants), and just plain old getting the word out to the general public!

Contact Other Senators Too
Please note that if SJR5 passes through Judiciary, it could hit the Senate Floor fairly quickly, so don't ignore other members of the Senate who haven't heard this in committee yet.

Strategy Note: We are currently trying to reinforce the concept to other Senators that this Resolution is mostly focused on encouraging Congress to open congressional investigations into the improper (yes, illegal) actions that have been taken by our leaders. If these investigations pan out (and how couldn?t they?!), then Congress can pursue the avenue of Impeachment.

- So basically, try to put more of an emphasis on the congressional investigations than the impeachment when dealing with any legislators who may be sitting on the fence regarding SJR5.

That's all for now. Thanks again for all of your wonderful support!

Desi Brown, (505)256-0668, desibrown@comcast.net
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Editor's Note: Contact info for Senate Judiciary Committee can be found here. Especially important to contact are:

• Sen. Lidio Rainaldi (D-Gallup), 505-986-4310
• Sen. Michael Sanchez (D-Belen), 505-986-4727
• Richard Martinez (D-Espanola), 505-986-4389

They are most likely the swing votes on the committee. Also, Senator Sanchez is the Senate Floor Leader and has much power in determining what gets heard and when on the Senate Floor should this resolution be passed by Judiciary and be awaiting scheduling for a vote by the full Senate. In other words, he can make sure it gets to the floor, or that delays stop it. He also has significant leverage with House members, so he'll be instrumental in the determination of which House committees will hear the resolution IF it passes the Senate.

**Please speak to the Senator or his staff directly if you can. Be polite, be clear, and stress that we want to convince the U.S. House to open important investigations into the conduct of Bush and Cheney related to the Iraq war.**

Listen: Public radio KUNM's website has an item on last Saturday's Public Affairs Committee hearing of the resolution with short audio clips of Sen. Ortiz y Pino and Albuquerque activist Dallas Timmons. Click here.

Also be sure to check our impeachment post archive for previous posts on this topic plus links to video, audio and media stories about this effort.

Dem-Sponsored DOMA Bill Gains Passage in NM Senate Public Affairs

From Equality New Mexico:
By a vote of 5-4, Senate Bill 816, Senator Lidio Rainaldi’s Definition of Marriage Act received a “Do Pass” recommendation out of the Senate Public Affairs Committee. After a very muddled, confusing and often offensive presentation from Senator Rainaldi (D-Gallup), the Committee heard testimony from the audience.

Once again, those in opposition to the DOMA far outnumbered those in support. The testimony was moving and heartfelt and helped to swing the vote of Sen. Mary Kay Papen (D-Las Cruces) to our side. In a vote that she clearly struggled with, Sen. Papen voted to table the Bill and when that motion was defeated, voted “Do Not Pass.” Two years ago, Sen. Papen supported the DOMA. We are making progress! (Editor's Note: You might want to contact Sen. Papen and thank her for her support.)

For a brief moment it seemed as if we might have a chance at tabling the DOMA. However, Sen. David Ulibarri (D-Cibola, Socorro & Valencia), the swing vote on the committee, ended up voting to support the DOMA. Sen. Ulibarri seemed to struggle with his vote and explained that he thought it needed more scrutiny in Senate Judiciary. Sen. Ulibarri is a freshman Senator who may very well be swayable on these issues, but clearly needs more education.

SB 816 is now on its way to the Senate Judiciary Committee. It will be very difficult to defeat this legislation in the Senate, but we must continue to try.

THERE ARE ONLY 17 DAYS LEFT IN THE SESSION - CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO EQNM’S LOBBYING EFFORTS

HB603: Domestic Partner Rights And Responsibilities Act Passes Full Vote of House

From Equality New Mexico:
In what can only be described as the fastest vote in the West, HB 603, the Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act passed a full vote of the House by a vote of 33-24.

Many of us gathered to fill the gallery and await the hearing of the Bill. HB 603 was number 25 on the agenda, so we settled in for a long day and an even longer hearing. The hearing began, and was over in less than 2 minutes. Rep. Mimi Stewart (right), who sponsored the bill for us, stepped up to the microphone and introduced the Bill. No one in the room hit their button to speak, and the Speaker closed the debate. Rep. Stewart closed and asked that the House “Do Now Pass.” The vote began.  Before we knew it, the 30 second timer began counting down and the voting started. It was chaos on the floor as the vote was called and many of the legislators who had stepped out of the room scrambled to cast their votes. The last 5 seconds on the timer seemed to pass very slowly as the votes came pouring in. In the end, the vote was 33-24 in favor, which included a few “yes” votes from some surprising allies.

Take a look at the list of “yes” votes below and please give them a call to thank them for their vote. (Click on their names to get contact information.)

A special thank you should go out to Representative Mimi Stewart for all of her hard work. We could not have asked for a better sponsor.

• Rep. Elias Barela (D-Valencia)
• Rep. Jose Campos (D-Curry, DeBaca, Guadalupe & Roosevelt)
• Rep. Joseph Cervantes (D-Dona Ana)
• Rep. Gail Chasey (D-Bernalillio)
• Rep. Ernest Chavez (D-Bernalillo)
• Rep. Nathan Cote (D-Dona Ana & Otero)
• Rep. Justine Fox-Young (R-Bernalillo)
• Rep. Mary Helen Garcia (D-Dona Ana)
• Rep. Thomas Garcia (D-Colfax, Guadalupe, Mora, San Miguel & Taos)
• Rep. Roberto Gonzales (D-Taos)
• Rep. Joni Gutierrez (D-Dona Ana)
• Rep. George Hanosh (D-Cibola & McKinley)
• Rep. Irvin Harrison (D-McKinley & San Juan)
• Rep. Dona Irwin (D-Luna)
• Rep. Ben Lujan (D-Santa Fe)
• Rep. Antonio Maestas (D-Bernalillo)
• Rep. Kathy McCoy (R-Bernalillo, Sandoval & Santa Fe)
• Rep. Rick Miera (D-Bernalillo)
• Rep. Al Park (D-Bernalillo)
• Rep. Danice Picraux (D-Bernalillo)
• Rep. Henry Saavedra (D-Bernalillo & Valencia)
• Rep. Edward Sandoval (D-Bernalillo)
• Rep. Dan Silva (D-Bernalillo)
• Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton (D-Bernalillo)
• Rep. Jeff Steinborn (D-Dona Ana)
• Rep. Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo)
• Rep. Thomas Swisstack (D-Sandoval)
• Rep. Jim Trujillo (D-Santa Fe)
• Rep. Lucky Varela (D-Santa Fe)
• Rep. Richard Vigil (D-San Miguel & Torrance)
• Rep. Jeannette Wallace (R-Los Alamos, Sandoval & Santa Fe)
• Rep. W.C. Williams (R-Lincoln & Otero)
• Rep. Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe)

HB603 was introduced in the Senate late yesterday afternoon and has been assigned to Senate Public Affairs Commitee and Senate Judiciary Committee. 

Passing this legislation through the Senate will be an uphill battle, and we will need all of your help.  Keep participating in our online campaigns (our last targeted campaign generated over 12,000 letters to the legislators), tell your friends and neighbors, and keep calling and visiting your legislators to educate them on these issues. EQNM will issue notification as soon as further hearings are scheduled.

(Updated) ALERT: Health Security Act Hearings in Both Senate and House

From the Health Security for New Mexicans Campaign:
We have a busy week ahead of us! The Health Security Act will be heard in committee in both the Senate and the House this week, after some delays this past weekend.

House Bill 1222 Scheduled for Thursday!
House Bill 1222 (the House bill for the Health Security Act) is scheduled to be heard in the House Health and Government Affairs Committee this Thursday, March 1. The committee will meet at 8:00 AM in Room 309 at the State Capitol. Please come if you can!

CANCELLED: Senate Bill 720 Scheduled for Wednesday!
Sente Bill 720 (the Senate bill for the Health Security Act) is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Finance Committee this Wednesday, February 28.

We need a large turnout at this hearing! We know it's hard to fit a trip to the Capitol into a busy schedule, especially when the Senate is late getting off the floor and delays the committees. However, a big show of support is absolutely vital. So if there's any way you can, please make plans to come to Wednesday's hearing on the Health Security Act.

The Senate Finance Committee meets in Room 322 at the State Capitol. The committee will meet Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 PM or half an hour after the floor session ends. Because the floor session often runs late, please don't hesitate to call the Senate Finance Committee secretary at 986-4365 to find out if the Senate is still on the floor and when the committee will start meeting.

Keep Up the Calls to Finance Committee Senators!

Senate Finance Committee Members

• Sen. Timothy Z. Jennings, Co-Chair (D) – Senate District 32 (Chaves, Eddy, Lincoln, and Otero counties): 986-4362
• Sen. John Arthur Smith, Co-Chair (D) – Senate District 35 (Hidalgo, Luna, and Sierra counties): 986-4363
• Sen. Carlos R. Cisneros, Vice Chair (D) – Senate District 6 (Taos): 986-4863
• Sen. Joseph J. Carraro (R) – Senate District 23 (Bernalillo and Sandoval counties): 986-4387
• Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort (R) – Senate District 19 (Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance, and Santa Fe counties): 986-4395
• Sen. Pete Campos (D) – Senate District 8 (Guadalupe, Mora, San Miguel, Santa Fe, and Torrance counties): 986-4311
• Sen. Carroll H. Leavell (R) – Senate District 41 (Eddy and Lea counties): 986-4278
• Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson (R) – Senate District 37 (Doña Ana and Sierra counties): 986-4703
• Sen. Nancy Rodriguez (D) – Senate District 24 (Santa Fe): 986-4264
• Sen. Bernadette Sanchez (D) – Senate District 26 (Albuquerque): 986-4267

Now Is the Time to Call Health and Government Affairs Representatives!

We have until Thursday morning to influence House Health and Government Affairs Committee members. Keep the calls coming!

House Health and Government Affairs Committee Members

• Rep. Mimi Stewart, Chair (D) – House District 21 (Albuquerque): 986-4840
• Rep. Nick L. Salazar, Vice Chair (D) – House District 40 (Mora, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Santa Fe, and Taos counties): 986-4433
• Rep. Paul C. Bandy (R) – House District 3 (San Juan County): 986-4214
• Rep. Justine Fox-Young (R) – House District 30 (Albuquerque): 986-4450
• Rep. John A. Heaton (D) – House District 55 (Eddy County): 986-4432
• Rep. Jeff Steinborn (D) – House District 37 (Doña Ana County): 986-4248
• Rep. Luciano "Lucky" Varela (D) – House District 48 (Santa Fe): 986-4318
• Rep. Jeannette O. Wallace (R) – House District 43 (Los Alamos, Sandoval, and Santa Fe counties): 986-4452

Calls to the Governor
Some of you have been asking for the governor's telephone number. Governor Richardson can be reached at 827-3000, and it's not too late to call him and urge him to support the Health Security Act!

If you have any questions, contact Josette at 771-8763 or jhaddad@cableone.net.

To Find Your Legislator

• Go to the legislature’s website: www.legis.state.nm.us
• Click on “Find Your Legislator”
• Choose “Senate” or "House" and click on “Search by Name, District or Zip Code”
• Enter your zip code (in some areas—like Albuquerque—you may need to input the extra four digits after your zip code)
• You can also call your county clerk.

If your representative is on the Health and Government Affairs Committee (see list above), please call and ask him or her to support House Bill 1222, the Health Security Act.

If you have relatives or friends in any of these representatives’ districts, please ask them to call their representative to urge him or her to support House Bill 1222, the Health Security Act.
These phone calls are key to passage of House Bill 1222! Thank you for calling!

If you haven't already done so, please take a moment to call your senator if he or she is on the Senate Finance Committee (see list above). Identify yourself as a constituent and ask your senator to support Senate Bill 720, the Health Security Act.

If you know people in any of these senators’ districts, please ask them to call their senator to urge him or her to support Senate Bill 720, the Health Security Act.

Constituents' phone calls really do influence our senators. Please call and encourage others to call today! Thank you for all the calls that have already been made!

URGENT: Action Needed on NM DOMA Bill NOW

Two so-called defense of marriage act bills introduced by Republicans have so far been tabled and stopped in the New Mexico legislature this year. Now a Democrat, Sen. Lidio Rainaldi of Gallup, has introduced another that will be heard today. Please use Equality New Mexico's easy to use tool to contact members of the NM Senate Public Affairs Committee NOW:

From Equality New Mexico:
We're sorry for the late notice, but at the last minute EQNM was informed that Senate Bill 816 the "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA) that was introduced by Senator Lidio Rainaldi (D-Gallup) has been scheduled to be heard in the Senate Public Affairs Committe TODAY at 2:30 PM!

We need your help! In order to defeat this anti-gay legislation we need as many people as possible in the committee room to show the members that a yes vote will harm our families.

With just a few clicks you can send a message to each committee member via email (or FAX if the member doesn't have a published email). Please help protect ALL New Mexico Families ... CLICK TO TAKE ACTION NOW

Latest on Fight Against Polluting Desert Rock Power Plant Tax Break Bills

DDR's Elouise Brown, Roundhouse rally 2/5/07

The latest call for action was reported at the desert-rock-blog.com on Friday. The blog is an excellent place to stay current on the quickly changing maneuvers some legislators, including some Democrats, are using to try and pass an $85 million tax break for what will be a massively polluting coal-fired power plant on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico:

DDR CONTINUES TO BATTLE SB 431 & HB 178 AT THE  ROUNDHOUSE !

Dooda Desert Rock (DDR) had such a chaotic but fearless time for the last two days, unfortunately the bill was moved forward in the Senate, but still temporarily stalled in the House.

The NM Senate Conservation passed SB 431 to Finance but, no date is set for that hearing.

HB 178 was momentarily tabled again. The sponsor volunteered a new amendment and Rep. Wirth has his amendments. The Chair of the NM House Energy Committee asked both sides to compose a substitute bill which may be heard on Wednesday, February 28, 2007.

Please continue to write letters to [and call] the following - Need your help:

2/5/07 rally photos

House Energy and Natural Resources Members:

• Rep. James Madalena (D) Chair (SD 65, Jemez Pueblo)
• Rep. Jim Trujillo (D) Vice Chair (SD 45, Santa Fe)
• Rep. Thomas Anderson (R-SD 29, Albuquerque)
• Rep. Paul Bandy (R-SD 3, Aztec)
• Rep. Donald Bratton (R-SD 62, Hobbs)
• Rep. Candy Spence Ezzell (R-SD 58, Roswell)
• Rep. Miguel Garcia (D-SD 14, Albuquerque)
• Rep. Thomas Garcia (D-SD 68, Ocate)
• Rep. William Gray (R-SD 54, Artesia)
• Rep. Joni Gutierrez (D-SD 33, Mesilla)
• Rep. Antonio Lujan (D-SD 35, Las Cruces)
• Rep. Jeff Steinborn (D-SD 37, Las Cruces)
• Rep. James Strickler (R-SD 2, Farmington)
• Rep. Peter Wirth (D-SD 47, Santa Fe)

Senate Finance Committee Members:

• Sen. Tim Jennings (D) Co-Chair  (SD 32, Roswell)
• Sen. John Arthur Smith (D) Co-Chair (SD 35, Deming)
• Sen. Carlos Cisneros (D-SD 6, Questa)
• Sen. Joseph Carraro (R-SD 23, Westside ABQ)
• Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort (R-SD 19, Sandia Park)
• Sen. Pete Campos (D-SD 8, Mora/SF/Torrance)
• Sen. Carroll Leavell (R-SD 41, Eddy)
• Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson (R-SD 37, Dona Ana)
• Sen. Nancy Rodriguez (R-SD 24, Santa Fe)
• Sen. Bernadette Sanchez (D-SD 26, Westside ABQ)

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Contact for DDR:
Elouise Brown
President, Dooda Desert Rock
505-947-6159
www.desert-rock-blog.com
thebrownmachine@hotmail.com

Editor's Note: Check our previous posts (links below) for more information and tracking of this issue, including Democratic Rep. Joni Gutierrez and her abrupt about face on the tax break, which resulted in the House bill being revived after it was tabled and effectively stopped. Rep. Gutierrez is being heavily criticized for her defection from environmental principles and she has so far refused to explain why she changed her mind and decided to support this horrendous tax break for a coal-fired, greenhouse gas spewing power plant that will be a major polluter of New Mexico's and the nation's air.

• February 21, 2007
• February 17, 2007
• February 13, 2007
• February 5, 2007
• December 15, 2006

Minimum Wage Heads to NM House Floor

From ACORN NM:
The House Business and Industry Committee approved minimum wage legislation that will now move to the floor of the House for approval. Call your representative now to ask that they approve Senate Bill 324 without further amendments (see below).

SB 324 has been amended by the House to resemble the Speaker's proposal, HB 759, which will provide a wage of $7.50 on January 1, an annual cost of living increase, and preservation of munipical control to enact further minimum wage legislation. The only change to the Speaker's proposal was made yesterday in the B & I Committee, which restored the existing state exemptions to the bill. For more information, contact Matthew Henderson at nmacorn@acorn.org.

Editor's Note: If you don't know who your representative is, click here, type in your zip code and then click on the name of the legislator to visit his or her page with contact information. You can also access a listing of legislator office assignments and phone numbers here.

House Floor Vote Tuesday: Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act

From Equality New Mexico:
House Bill 603, the Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act, has a floor vote in the NM House scheduled for this Tuesday, February 27th at 11:00 AM. By a vote of 9-4, HB 603 passed out of the House Judiciary Committee on Friday, February 23rd.

This will be a very close vote and we will need to fill the gallery with our supporters. Between now and Tuesday’s hearing, we will also need to reach out to all of those legislators who are on the fence. Our current online campaign is designed to target those legislators from whom we still don’t have firm commitments. Your letters and phone calls can make a difference.

Click here to send a letter to the undecided representatives and ask them to support House Bill 603.

Along with our online campaign, we need you to make personal contact with the legislators and their staff. Below is a list of targeted legislators that need an additional push to support this important legislation. Please call their offices and visit them at the Roundhouse.

Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones (R, Bernalillo-24), 505.986.4451

Rep. Andrew Barreras (D, Valencia-7), 505.986.4243

Rep. Mary Helen Garcia (D, Dona Ana-34), 505.986.4435

Rep. Thomas Garcia (D, Colfax, Guad, Mora, S.M. & Taos-68), 505.986.4242

Rep. Roberto "Bobby" Gonzales (D, Taos-42), 505.986.4235

Rep. Manuel Herrera (D-Grants-39), 505.986.4233

Rep. Dona Irwin (D-Luna-32), 505.986.4249

Rep. Andy Nunez (D-Dona Ana-36), 505.986.4423

Rep. Jane E. Powdrell-Culbert (R-Sandoval-44), 505.986.4467

Rep. Debbie Rodella (D-Rio Arriba, Sandoval & Taos-41), 505.986.4329

Rep. Dan Silva (D-Bernalillo-13), 505.986.4425

(Updated) Anne Kass: My Take on the Impeachment Resolution Hearing at Senate Public Affairs

UPDATE: Good news! According to Las Cruces blogger Heath Haussamen, Democratic Sen. Mary Kay Papen (D-Doña Ana 38), was allowed to add her yes vote to the tally on the impeachment resolution since she was present for most of the committee hearing Sunday, making the final Do Pass margin 4-2. Another Democratic member of Public Affairs, Sen. Mary Jane Garcia (D-Doña Ana 36) has signed on to the resolution as a cosponsor even though she wasn't able to attend Sunday's hearing. Hurrah for Senators Papen and Garcia!
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A terrific report on today's hearing before the New Mexico Senate Public Affairs Committee on SJR 5, impeachment of Cheney and Bush, from Anne Kass, expanding on my earlier brief post:

The Senate Public Affairs Committee met today to hear Senate Joint Resolution 5--a call to impeach George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.  The Resolution got a "do pass" recommendation from the Committee on a 3 to 2 vote.

A gathering of supporters of the Resolution met at 1:30, where we were joined by a Senate staffer who explained to us that it was generally the view of Legislators that the Committee meeting last week--before Senate Rules--where the 4 Republican Senators were "too busy" to attend, was too "wild."  Someone mentioned the word disrespectful, to which I took offense, as did others.  That hearing was boisterous, passionate and exuberant, but never disrespectful.  In any case, we were cautioned to mind our manners--and we did, or at least I think we did.  Unfortunately, when the Resolution received the 3 to 2 Do Pass recommendation, applause broke out, which may have rendered us, yet again, an unruly bunch in need of yet more manners lectures when this matter comes before Senate Judiciary, hopefully soon.

The Committee meeting began at 2:40. Present were Democrats: the Chair, Dede Feldman, Jerry Ortiz y Pino and, at the beginning Mary Kay Papen (who left after about 45 minutes of public comment and who did not return for the vote).  David Ulibarri came and went, but was there at the end when it counted, and voted "do pass" for the Resolution. Mary Jane Garcia (Las Cruces) for some reason couldn't be bothered to attend any of the hearing. (I wonder how that minding one's manners thing works, exactly.)  Majority Leader Michael Sanchez appeared for part of the hearing, as he did with the Rules Committee Hearing.

The Republicans apparently decided they didn't want any more photos of four empty chairs, so present from that Party were Steven Neville (Aztec), Stuart Ingle (Portales) and Gay Kernan (Hobbs), although Senator Kernan left the meeting just as the Chair was about to call for the vote--hmmmm.  Steve Komadina (Corrales) couldn't be bothered to attend the hearing, as he couldn't be bothered at the Rules Committee Hearing as well.

As with the Rules Committee, the room was packed at least a half hour before the Hearing began and the estimate was that 50 people or more were in the Hall.  I think the Committee Room, which was SRO, holds about 100 citizens.  As with the Rules Committee, more people signed up to speak than there was time to hear.  As with the Rules Committee, the citizens made me proud.

Retired Representative Max Coll appeared to talk in support of the Resolution.  Several teenagers, complete with facial piercings, spoke as compellingly as anyone present--one of them, a young woman, noted that she felt like she was living in a science fiction novel and mentioned that she'd just finished reading 1984 and found current reality more scary than that.  A woman spoke wondering how the absent Senators were going to learn about what the citizens had to say and noted that her son was so upset with the United States that he's become an expatriate.  Several speakers seemed to me to be Republicans, one from the southern part of New Mexico. 

Dallas Timmons said that although she couldn't know for sure what Thomas Jefferson actually had in mind when he wrote the provision that allows a State Legislature to initiate impeachment proceedings, she had a hunch that it was because he knew that State Legislators would be closer to the people than the elected officials in Washington.  She told the Committee they were the last chance we-the-people had and that she hoped they would recognize how sincere and serious we all are and act to send this Resolution to Washington D.C. 

And so they came to the microphone, young, old, middle aged, men, women young people, Democrats, Republicans, one and all expressing their sadness, their outrage, their disappointment, their fear.  It was moving and inspiring, and I'm sorry that any of you reading these words who weren't there missed it.

Chair Feldman asked if there was anyone in the room to talk in opposition.  Not a peep.  She called for comments from the Committee.  Not a peep from the Republicans.  So Chair Feldman thanked Senators Ortiz y Pino and Grubesic and spoke of her own views about the seriousness of the allegations and evidence against Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney, and then she called for the vote. The two Republicans voted no.  The three Democrats voted yes.  If Senator Gay Kernan had not left the hearing and had voted yes, it would have been tied, which I believe would have been a "no recommendation" which is neutral, as opposed to a "do not pass" recommendation which would have killed the Resolution.

So now it's on to Senate Judiciary, chaired by Cisco McSorley.  We were told that it has been arranged to have a live hook-up with Elizabeth Holtzman, a former Congresswoman who wrote The Impeachment of George Bush, who will testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

We need a strong presence at the Senate Judiciary Hearing.  This thing is gathering steam!

Anne Kass

Editor's Note: You can watch Elizabeth Holzman speak about impeachment here.