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News
Impeach George Bush and Dick
Cheney to prevent Wider War in the Middle East and Bring U.S. Forces
Home from Iraq with Professor Francis Boyle
a radio show transcript
Gary King: "We
Are All Constituents"
by Stephen Fox
The Hunting Fallacy
by Cyril Christo
Impeachment Limerick
Richard Arthure
What is a Culture of Peace?
by Louise Diamond
“Powerbrokers” (Legislative
Leadership and Lobbyists) in Control of Conference Committee
by Stephen Fox
NM Senate Joint Memorial
to Begin Process of Prohibiting Production of New Nuclear Weapons in
New Mexico
by Leland Lehrman
Newly Elected Las Cruces
Representative Jeff Steinborn Introduces Irrigation Fund Bill
by Stephen Fox
Native American Education
Act Vital to New Senator Lynda Lovejoy
by Stephen Fox
Legislature is a “Brain
Trust” to Accomplish All We Need in New Mexico
by Stephen Fox
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Native
American Education Act Vital to New Senator Lynda Lovejoy
by Stephen Fox
Senator Lynda Lovejoy is a Crownpoint Democrat representing District
22, Bernalillo, Cibola, McKinley, Rio Arriba, and Sandoval County. She
served ten years in the New Mexico House of Representatives and eight
on the Public Regulatory Commission.
Highest priority for this session, the next, and beyond: “Make
sure that there is implementation and compliance with the Indian Education
Act, and coordination throughout the New Mexico schools, wherever there
are Native American students. Reading and writing improvements in test
scores are vital. It will take more money to accomplish correcting deficiencies,
with federal funds supplementing state funds.”
Second priority: Development of Indian Gaming Compacts to help casinos
operate and “carry on their mission on the Reservations and Pueblos.”
Third Priority: Develop Navajo infrastructure to meet rural needs. Road
improvements are essential, both on and off the Navajo Reservation.
Navajos go to border towns like Gallup, Farmington, and Albuquerque,
and struggle to travel over really bad roads. This is not a new idea.
They have more choices as consumers in these cities.”
Fourth priority: Navajo health, particularly diabetes. “The Federal
monies are inadequate, and diabetes is beginning to strike youth very
hard, at levels we have never seen before, partially because of junk
food, and partially because families are not willing to take the time
to discipline health eating habits. Many parents have chores and livestock
to deal with, and nutrition quality becomes secondary.”
She recently introduced a memorial urging Congress to increase funding
for Indian Health Services (IHS), especially for the unemployed and
uninsured, to which Lovejoy believes they are entitled by treaty, at
a time when IHS at the tribal level is scaling back services. “IHS
is asking its clients to purchase their own prescription drugs. How
can we allow IHS to keep cutting away?”
She noted that Capitol Outlays have increased by 600% since the 10 years
she served in the House, and “because of the increase, there has
to be better planning for rural and tribal communities, to cut the requests
down to two or three from 10 or 12. Our oil and gas revenues are high,
but are not at all perpetual.”
“Regarding efficiency in the Senate and preventing logjams of legislation
that dies at the end of the session, the Senators should eliminate offensive
remarks and idle passage of time, invest in new electronic tabulations
of voting, curtail repetitive commentaries and unnecessary formalities.
How do I express efficiency in the senate process? By setting an example.”
“Next year, I hope to introduce more policy and statutory changes.
Navajos seem happy with my appointment, and most of them know me since
I ran for Navajo Nation President.”
Regarding former Senator Leonard Tsosie’s resignation in order
to serve on the Navajo Council: “Navajos can serve in both positions,
on the Council and in the Legislature, in my opinion. There is no conflict
of interest in serving two governments.”
We wish Senator Lovejoy great success in her Senate term as to her legislative
agenda. She was sworn into office on the Senate floor on her 58th birthday,
February 1.
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