New Mexico in Focus (A Production of NMPBS)

For the seventh year in a row, the state budget has grown. NMiF Podcast Host Lou DiVizio sits down with a panel of experts to discuss the $11.1 billion spending plan. Then, Lou asks the table to consider which high-profile bills passed, what didn't pass and what that means for the legacy of the termed-out Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Politics correspondent Gwyneth Doland stops by the Roundhouse to talk to Democratic and Republican House leaders about the state of partisan politics in New Mexico. 

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

Correspondent: Gwyneth Doland

Guests:

Dede Feldman, Democratic Former State Senator

Dr. Eric Griego, Ph.D., Former NM State Senator, UNM Adjunct Professor

Michael Bird, Former President, American Public Health Association

NM Rep. Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque; House Speaker

NM Rep. Gail Armstrong, R-Magdalena; House Minority Floor Leader 

Podcast host Lou DiVizio updates you on several big-ticket bills moving through the legislature as we approach the final gavel Thursday at noon.

Then, Senate Finance Chair George Muñoz, a Gallup Democrat, talks to host Nash Jones about several contentious line items in the state's budget, including copays for universal childcare and billions set aside for public and higher education.  

And, Politics correspondent Gwyneth Doland checks in with Sen. Steve Lanier, the second-ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee and a candidate for governor, to learn where the state GOP stands on the budget. 

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

NMiF Show Host: Nash Jones

Correspondent: Gwyneth Doland

Guests:

NM Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup; Senate Finance Chair

NM Sen. Steve Lanier, R-San Juan County

For More Information:

Universal Childcare

Healthcare Funding

Clear Horizons Act

SB 17 Gun Control

State Budget - HB 2

Last month, Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman made waves when he penned a letter to federal immigration authorities, threatening to prosecute ICE agents who detain people without legal justification in his jurisdiction. Alex Uballez, a former U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico, sat down with Executive Producer Jeff Proctor to discuss whether Bregman's threat holds any legal weight.

Plus, Politics Correspondent Gwyneth Doland asks Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham about the tangible impacts of the recently passed Immigrant Safety Act.

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

Executive Producer: Jeff Proctor

Correspondent: Gwyneth Doland

Guests:

Alexander Uballez, Former U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, (D) New Mexico

A new "structured literacy" program has made its way into many classrooms across the state and, according to Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, is already producing success. Stewart tells Gwyneth why she is pushing a bill that would lean more heavily on the program to teach children to read. 

Some teachers in the state are already using a "structured literacy" approach, thanks in large part to Project ECHO — a tele-mentoring program based at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Soraya Gollop leads its education division. She recently chatted with Senior Producer Lou DiVizio about how the teaching program works. 

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

Correspondent: Gwyneth Doland

Guests:

NM Sen. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque

Dr. Soraya Gollop, Ph.D., Education Team Director, ECHO Institute 

This episode, we wade into the debate over changing the state's medical malpractice laws. House Bill 99 would restrict how much money some people could collect in malpractice lawsuits. The highest-profile supporter of this bill is Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. In an interview with politics correspondent Gwyneth Doland, the governor makes her case for the bill and tells us what she meant when she told the Albuquerque Journal that she's not leaving office without the change.

Karen Bateman's daughter Kelsey died in 2018 as a result of medical malpractice, leaving two young children behind. Hers is one of many voices opposing malpractice reform. NMiF Show Host Nash Jones spoke with Bateman about her concerns: that the proposed changes would lead to less deterrence and accountability for negligent doctors and hospitals.

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

NMiF Show Host: Nash Jones

Correspondent: Gwyneth Doland

Guests: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, (D), New Mexico

Dr. G. Michael Lopez, Internal Medicine Doctor, Las Vegas, NM

Karen Bateman, Mother of Medical Malpractice Victim 

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course on decades of institutional knowledge and changed its vaccine recommendations for children. The shift has puzzled medical experts, and it leaves the CDC at odds with a longtime partner: the American Academy of Pediatrics. Senior Producer Lou DiVizio sat down with the state's top doctor, Miranda Durham, to try and unravel the confusion and break down what this all means for families in New Mexico.

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

Guest: Dr. Miranda Durham, Chief Medical Officer, NM Health Department 

Democratic state Sen. Mimi Stewart has been trying for years to codify climate goals set by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham back in 2017. Stewart tells correspondent Gwyneth Doland why this year's bill, the Clear Horizons Act, might finally make its way to the governor's desk.

Among the changes in this year's Clear Horizons bill is a requirement for the Environment Department to consult with potentially effected tribal governments before enacting new policies. Ahtza Dawn Chavez, executive director of NM Native Vote, spoke with Gwyneth about that addition, how it protects tribal sovereignty while still moving the state forward toward reducing emissions.

Capital and Main reporter Jerry Redfern returns to the studio to talk with Executive Producer Jeff Proctor about a seismology equipment funding bill that has more to do with the oil and gas industry than meets the eye. 

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

Correspondents: Gwyneth Doland & Jeff Proctor

Guests:

NM Sen. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque Ahtza Dawn Chavez, Executive Director, NM Native Vote Jerry Redfern, Oil and Gas Reporter, Capital and Main 

The Immigrant Safety Act, introduced by Democratic state Reps. Eleanor Chávez and Angelica Rubio, would ban public entities from contracting with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to lock up immigrants. NMiF Show Host Nash Jones spoke with both representatives about the bill, as the legislation that's already passed the House. Later, Nash speaks with Cibola County Manager Kate Fletcher, who offered a nuanced perspective on her government's relationship with ICE and the role prisons play where she lives.

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

NMiF Show Host: Nash Jones

Guests:

NM Rep. Eleanor Chávez, D-Albuquerque

NM Rep. Angelica Rubio, D-Las Cruces

Kate Fletcher, Cibola County Manager 

Republican Sen. Nicole Tobiassen sat on a bipartisan working group that prepared medical compact legislation for the session and is a co-sponsor of a Senate proposal to join the compacts. Tobiassen spoke with Nash about that push, New Mexico's doctor shortage and her first-hand experience failing to find medical treatment for her husband.

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

NMiF Show Host: Nash Jones

Guest: Nicole Tobiassen, (R) NM State Senator - District 21 - Albuquerque

Capital and Main reporter Jerry Redfern speaks with Missi Currier, president and CEO of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association. Currier tells Jerry which bills she’s keeping an eye on this year. Also, following years of ill-fated bills that sought tougher regulations on her industry, Jerry asks why during last year's session she said the oil and gas industry was "out of favor" in New Mexico.

Podcast Host: Lou DiVizio

Correspondent: Jerry Redfern, Capital & Main

Guest: Missi Currier, President & CEO, NM Oil & Gas Association