[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6631975,"mediaKeyId","2676173-a75f0af787748b94fe33ad2e4a1fd4ac","parentId",2676173,"title","Senate committee rejects memorial seeking federal withdrawal of 164,810 acres around Pecos River headwaters","audioSeconds",247,"startMs",4956530,"endMs",5203870,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2676173-a75f0af787748b94fe33ad2e4a1fd4ac&start=4956&end=5203","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2676173-a75f0af787748b94fe33ad2e4a1fd4ac/thumbnail_4956530.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6631975/New-Mexico/Senate-committee-rejects-memorial-seeking-federal-withdrawal-of-164810-acres-around-Pecos-River-headwaters","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6631975-ebadddf723f958c00e35e80451a35cf0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771158290&Signature=UaPcdISXWtonQuid4skqsxwnh0hPTaXswepRguiv2lFYpiW1q5XnAP79crnvfQE6ZdgW0SOPk5UhhKKltTRJ6Plb7ZCjR7t5pWk3hRuHJar4-IIZLmVxLvfaHZrhzlOftPzvatxy-ktyHMnXtOvyTJmh0YfbwQPp5TyPB6Wv41yKVAIUvpCBHB59luFsABqPOxDPdqiIyTe9UKBQ88Y0kj~HaZv4HUKFgZ7BXPrrLYTUw2XGqwsUKo48YFxb4MA4-ALDpbnAEAHr2~fHzrgLEkRFcJwUNiXE~BweX~uxcX7yIbK0DEfGpC9j2L7UgijnIOj-acLQMYmsF3CEf6xC-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Mexico Legislature","date","2025-03-17T00:00:00Z","article","The Senate Rules Committee voted down House Joint Memorial 5 on Monday, a proposal urging federal administrative action to withdraw 164,810 acres in the Pecos headwaters from mining. The committee recorded three votes in favor and four opposed, and the memorial did not pass the committee.

Supporters of the memorial, including local residents and elected officials, said the Upper Pecos watershed supplies critical water resources and outdoor recreation opportunities and that past mining-related contamination had harmed the river. \"This area is the headwaters of the Pecos River,\" said Ralph Vigil, an eight-generation local resident and witness. He described historical mining and a reclamation-era runoff that previously killed tens of thousands of fish and warned that more extractive activity could worsen water-quality risks.

San Miguel County Commissioner Max Trujillo, testifying by Zoom, described the Pecos as the state’s only native river and said the headwaters have historic, agricultural and recreational value. \"This waterway is so important, not only to outdoors and outdoor recreation, agriculture, culture, historic value,\" Trujillo said, urging lawmakers to protect the watershed.

Supporters noted recent local and state-level steps, including a moratorium on 2,000 acres announced by the state land commissioner, and argued the memorial would reinforce efforts to preserve water quality. Opponents who voted against the memorial were not recorded in the supplied transcript; the committee announced the final tally as 3 in favor and 4 opposed.

A roll call conducted during committee business produced the result; a motion for a due pass earlier in the meeting failed to reach the required support. Committee members who opposed the memorial did not state their reasons on the record portion of the transcript provided. The memorial’s defeat means no committee recommendation will go forward to urge federal withdrawal at this time.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate - Rules Mar 17, 2025 9:02 AM - 10:41 AM","oneSentenceSummary","House Joint Memorial 5, which sought federal administrative action to withdraw 164,810 acres from mining to protect the Pecos River headwaters, failed in committee on a 3-4 vote after testimony from local residents and officials urging protection of the watershed.","taxTitle","Senate, Legislative, New Mexico","taxId",78419,"location","New Mexico","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6631979,"Senate committee reviews cleanup bill to update municipal code sections left unchanged since 1978",345,4488880,4834260,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2676173-a75f0af787748b94fe33ad2e4a1fd4ac&start=4488&end=4834","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2676173-a75f0af787748b94fe33ad2e4a1fd4ac/thumbnail_4488880.jpg","/articles/6631979/New-Mexico/Senate-committee-reviews-cleanup-bill-to-update-municipal-code-sections-left-unchanged-since-1978","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6631979-110f45e3b79d668d6dc099629aa1aeb0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771158290&Signature=N6gOXlCpqeK9-0tNCs1vivwClQRgDEWDEE~vwuziN-vpfvqMJFyUJ56PsWusOyOsK9-NQvxQl~ath6syhR0etLzM1I4wfSBnJO2AKIrMggf-ey2fSrvo4NtuE-Xnrr9M4j1GezQJZNCIfZGbdzRCwsztS~0HD0MUV4fxhEuW0dUPSy8LxWtCPRa0nr3v3U3qTZumFz4SpstrIFVwlhCWT7uwscRqamtawLrPVsxYfm6EA1vv8bySm2NYIPrqO~-l~Yvw04PVWwAhiZJ-z3Nt24RI~Cke5CayggEGjDzKdp45Ncbbjm8~EbjwhvxrM57B3y12NweA4A8SUy7p6ZmwQg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lawmakers on the Senate Rules Committee heard testimony on HB 298, a bill to modernize portions of Chapter 3 of the New Mexico statutes that govern municipal organization and operations. Supporters said the chapter has had minimal updates since 1978 and that changes would provide clearer operational guidance for clerks and newly elected bodies.

The bill’s presenter said the revisions focus on mayor-council governments and would not affect home-rule municipalities. Leanne Melonson, city clerk and finance director for Clovis and chair of the clerks’ legislation committee, told the panel the updates would help newly elected officials and clerks by clarifying organizational meetings, vacancy filling, quorum calculations and the recusal process for greater transparency and consistency.

Rebecca Martinez of the New Mexico Municipal League, a former municipal clerk, said the league fields frequent inquiries about Chapter 3 and that HB 298 represents a routine cleanup to align statutory language with judicial clarifications and current practice. \"This is nothing more than a cleanup,\" Martinez said.

Senators expressed support for the measure and its practical benefits to municipal clerks. Senator Harmio moved a due-pass recommendation in committee; the transcript does not include a roll-call tally for the motion in the hearing record provided.

Committee members said the changes are intended to provide municipalities—especially those with frequent turnover of clerks and elected officials—with clearer, more accessible guidance so local bodies can ensure continuity and transparency.

The bill was set for further committee action; sponsors and municipal clerks urged prompt legislative approval to reduce confusion during municipal transitions.","Lawmakers and municipal clerks supported HB 298, a statutory cleanup to Chapter 3 of state law that updates municipal organizational procedures, quorum calculations and vacancy rules; committee motion made for a due pass.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6631984,"Senate committee advances three nominees to Western New Mexico University Board of Regents amid calls for audit and presidential search",4413,37761,4451210,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2676173-a75f0af787748b94fe33ad2e4a1fd4ac&start=37&end=4451","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2676173-a75f0af787748b94fe33ad2e4a1fd4ac/thumbnail_37761.jpg","/articles/6631984/New-Mexico/Senate-committee-advances-three-nominees-to-Western-New-Mexico-University-Board-of-Regents-amid-calls-for-audit-and-presidential-search","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6631984-b6a036e543724536b7d34ac9eb1f2042/orig.mp4?Expires=1771158290&Signature=bCVbSEEK9jqnp8D6knTjsws1mniXIOVmXG4J~FhqTFkWmQ-eLi8N0P~UIOQA~3YRxwK8kHHgude5DsVMqXjLahvgpkFysOwEb2LsvV1oOUzoVwtxa1w29nWET1TtH-CeejEupywjMpIZ-rIp7M4OPWReCkGJ6tCXAjuO8RuUMRb4csS-t~zyF9-e-X3S3GBL6JxnmVloPnevWzBh5U5OwalXZvPjbOmEvn05nDC1MRDwDpi7hBJwfnOCS2UYW-YVYp11-hxxVHVfMbr~jDt2X1eElzykjWH2icv-hQMsPqgmjGnO7QD0ju2QYW2kJzfcC-jCInTd1o6sRrCG7vutng__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Rules Committee on Monday advanced three nominees to the Western New Mexico University Board of Regents, moving John Wertheim, Joseph Dean Reed and student regent Kiana Rachel Huerta to the full Senate for confirmation amid repeated calls for an independent financial review and a rapid presidential search.

Committee members, nominees and supporters stressed the need to rebuild trust with students, the Legislature and state oversight officials after recent headlines about the university’s finances and leadership. Several senators and witnesses said the board should pursue a forensic-style audit, prioritize a presidential search and restore relationships with the state auditor and attorney general.

John Wertheim, a Santa Fe attorney and former special assistant attorney general who was nominated by the governor, told the committee his first priority would be fact-finding and listening to stakeholders. \"My goal is to listen to people, and to hear their stories and to get to the bottom of the facts and then move forward with progress for the university,\" Wertheim said during his remarks.

Wertheim acknowledged litigation pending by the office of the attorney general that could affect disputed payments at the university and said the board may need an independent investigation. Supporters who spoke on his behalf emphasized his volunteer work with students. Dr. Sarah Koplick, director of the Jewish Student Center at the University of New Mexico, said Wertheim \"never turned away, not once\" when students sought help during the pandemic.

Joseph Dean Reed, a two-time Western New Mexico University graduate and retired health-care executive, told the committee he intends to focus on the university’s future rather than its past. \"I can do nothing about its past. We can impact its future,\" Reed said, describing plans to visit Silver City, meet community stakeholders and help stabilize operations.

Senator Ramos, who introduced Reed, said the university has already spent more than $2,700,000 defending itself and that the new regents will face budgetary challenges. Supporters on Zoom and in the room, including Logan White (a longtime WMU alumnus who said he now works in Major League Baseball front offices), emphasized Reed’s alumni ties and local connections.

Kiana Rachel Huerta, the nominated student regent and a nursing student at Western, said the campus currently faces low morale and uncertainty among student groups and organizations. \"A lot of the clubs and a lot of the organizations we appreciate on campus are unsure themselves, with funding especially,\" Huerta said. She described herself as a liaison between students, the administration and the board and said she would push for transparency and accountability.

Committee members pressed nominees on accountability, the board’s role versus administration, and whether a regent should take positions in pending litigation. Wertheim said the board’s job is policy oversight and that remedies should come from independent investigation and clearer policy on procurement and open meetings. Reed and Huerta emphasized in-person engagement with the Silver City campus.

The committee recorded motions to advance each nominee to the full Senate. A show-of-hands early in the hearing recorded 10 committee members in favor of advancing Wertheim and one online; the chair then called a roll call vote before advancing him. Joseph Dean Reed and Kiana Huerta each advanced to the full Senate on recorded votes of 7 in favor, according to the committee. The committee did not adopt any formal findings or an audit directive during the hearing; nominees and senators said additional steps, including an independent review, would be considered by the full board or by future committee action.

The committee hearing included multiple public supporters for the nominees and extended questioning from several senators on how the regents will rebuild credibility, work with state oversight bodies and handle recruitment for a new university president. Several senators said a primary near-term task for the new regents is to begin a presidential search process that emphasizes experience and community fit while also advancing a probe into recent financial and governance problems.

The committee moved to the next agenda items after the three confirmations were advanced. Full Senate confirmation votes were scheduled later in the morning.","The Senate Rules Committee voted to advance three nominees for confirmation to the Western New Mexico University Board of Regents while senators and witnesses urged an independent financial review and a quick presidential search after recent controversy at the university.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate committee rejects memorial seeking federal withdrawal of 164,810 acres around Pecos River headwaters

Senate committee reviews cleanup bill to update municipal code sections left unchanged since 1978

Senate committee advances three nominees to Western New Mexico University Board of Regents amid calls for audit and presidential search