Legislative Update from NM Rep. John Block:

My friend,

A previous incorrect version of this newsletter inaccurately wrote that HB 163 would be an “increase” in taxes. It actually is a proposed 25% DECREASE.

This second week of the 56th Legislative Session was another busy one.

Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) and I worked hard on Tuesday in House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee (HCPAC) to expose how the anti-Second Amendment H.B. 9 was a bad policy. The bill would force lawful gun owners to lock up their guns or face misdemeanor and felony charges. Unfortunately, the anti-gun bill passed the Committee by 4-2.

However, on Thursday in HCPAC, a bill I co-sponsored, H.B. 131, which would give greater access for disabled people to orthotic and prosthetic devices, passed unanimously through the committee — a huge win!

This week, national outlets, including USA Today, and Fox News, and New Mexico outlets including KRQE 13 and the Santa Fe New Mexican, all covered H.B. 128, that I co-sponsored with Rep. Lord, requiring the chemical castration of pedophiles as a condition of parole. Watch Rep. Lord’s interview with Tucker Carlson here:

I introduced multiple new pieces of legislation this week:

H.B. 162: Banning New Mexico localities from refusing to work with federal immigration authorities. This is scheduled for House Government, Elections, and Indian Affairs Committee on Wednesday, February 1, 2023. Rep. Jimmy Mason (R-Artesia) is a co-sponsor.
H.B. 163: Giving a 25% decrease in Gross Receipts Taxes to small businesses with five employees or fewer. Rep. Tanya Mirabal Moya (R-Los Lunas) is a co-sponsor.
H.B. 164: Creating Constitutional Carry (Permitless Carry) in the state of New Mexico. Reps. Lord, Mirabal Moya, Mason, and Mark Duncan (R-Farmington) are co-sponsors.
H.B. 211: An amendment to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) to mandate the Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD) recruit, support, and retain Indian foster families. This is co-sponsored by Rep. D. Wonda Johnson (D-Church Rock).
H.J.R. 7: A proposed state constitutional amendment to dismantle the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) and return local control to school boards, with the state Public Education Commission being restored power to oversee public schools.
Co-sponsored: H.J.R. 5 by Rep. Eliseo Alcon (D-Milan) to extend property tax exemptions to veterans.
Co-sponsored: H.J.R. 6 by Rep. Alcon to increase the veteran property tax exemption.

More of my legislation is set to be introduced next week. I will keep you posted.

During the House floor session on Wednesday, I voted FOR H.M. 3 to honor our nurses on January 27, 2022, for “New Mexico Nurses Day.”

On Friday in House Government, Elections, and Indian Affairs Committee (HGEIC), I voted against H.B. 103 by Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-El Dorado), which would further burden candidates for office by mandating they complete an additional campaign report directly following primary elections. This bill has a $90,000 fiscal impact, which is an unnecessary and costly expense to the taxpayers.

In HGEIC, I also voted against H.B. 54, which would create open primaries in New Mexico elections. This bill would dilute voters in the major political parties while allowing the opportunity for Democrats to sabotage GOP elections by choosing the weakest candidates on the ballot. It would also force candidates to incur greater costs that would discourage working-class New Mexicans like myself from running for office.

Thank you for the remarkable opportunity to serve as your state representative. It is the honor of my life, and I will continue to fight to protect your Constitutional rights — always.

There are now less than 50 days left in the 2023 Legislative Session.

God bless you and your family,

Rep. John Block
NM House District 51,

Republican, Otero County