SANTA FE – Members of the New Mexico Senate Democratic Caucus met Jan. 15 to select the senate majority whip.

The Senate Democrats chose Sen. Mimi Stewart, D-17-Bernalillo, as their new majority whip. Stewart served as a representative in the House from 1995-2014 and has served in the Senate since 2015.

“I appreciate the confidence my fellow Senators have placed in me,” Stewart said. “I stand ready to work with the Caucus and look forward to continuing the work we do for the families of New Mexico.”

Stewart started her tenure as majority whip effective immediately. The legislative session began Jan. 16.

Former State Representative and former State Senate candidate Sandra Jeff can now add one more “former” before her name: former Democrat.

Jeff updated her voter registration to the Libertarian Party Thursday afternoon at the Bernalillo County Clerk’s Office with the intention of running for Secretary of State.

“I want to stop corruption, and I feel that I have every right to work with the constituents within the state of New Mexico to bring forth a new horizon because that is what is needed in this state in order for us to move forward,” Jeff told NM Political Report.

Jeff represented House District 5, which includes a large portion of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico, for...

Gov. Susana Martinez saw ten bills she vetoed instead become law this year. Not because of any legislative action, but instead because a court ruled she failed to follow the state constitution when vetoing the bills.

During the legislative session, Martinez vetoed many bills, but Democrats in the Legislature felt ten were improperly vetoed. The Legislature voted to sue Martinez over those ten, saying she failed to explain why she vetoed the bills, violating the state constitution.

A judge agreed.

“It’s telling how some in the legislature love running to the courts when they know they don’t have the support to override a veto,” Martinez spokesman Joseph Cueto said in an...

A worker’s rights coalition and New Mexico’s Department of Workforce Solutions (DWS) settled a year-old lawsuit alleging the state agency failed to adequately investigate or take action on wage theft claims.

The settlement agreement outlines policy and procedural changes the state department will make. Wage theft claims against employers, for example, will now be investigated regardless of the dollar amount involved. The coalition accused DWS of avoiding  action on claims worth more than $10,000 and advising employees to instead file a lawsuit against their employer.

DWS also agreed to implement a more comprehensive process for workers to file claims against employers who fail to...