Javier Martínez Named Speaker of the House as 2023 Legislative Session Begins
Rallying around diverse new leadership, House Dems are focused on putting record revenues to work for community safety, working families, child well-being & more
Santa Fe, N.M. – Today at Noon, the New Mexico House of Representatives called to order its 56th Legislature, electing Rep. Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque) as Speaker of the New Mexico House to preside over the chamber. Martínez will join Majority Floor Leader Gail Chasey (D-Albuquerque), Majority Whip Reena Szczepanski (D-Santa Fe) and Caucus Chair Raymundo Lara (D-Chamberino) to round out the diverse Democratic leadership team in the House.
“I am honored and I am humbled to be your new Speaker,” said Speaker Martínez in his Opening Day speech shortly after being sworn in. “The time for us to create a brighter future for New Mexico is now. This is our opportunity to deliver real results for New Mexicans today, and our future generations. And I truly believe that if we work together with these goals and shared values in mind, we can do just that.”
In this 60-day legislative session, House Democrats are focused on putting our state’s record revenues to work for New Mexicans through smart, impactful investments in community safety, education, affordable housing, health care access, infrastructure, and our environment. House Democrats will also work to make sure children across the state can thrive, help working families get ahead and protect fundamental rights and freedoms. We will work to modernize the legislature to effectively represent our state in all of its diversity and better address the modern challenges facing New Mexican families.
House Democrats’ legislative priorities include:
Housing & Health Care
Right now, far too many New Mexicans are struggling to access vital resources like necessary health care and a stable place to call home. House Democrats are working to correct these inequities with big investments in affordable housing, behavioral health programs, and health care infrastructure that will make our communities safer and our families stronger.
Children & Families
House Democrats are planting seeds for generational change with continued investments in our students, teachers, schools, and child well-being programs. This includes innovative educational solutions like community schools and extended learning time, and improvements in the workloads, transparency, and accountability at CYFD.
Community Safety
House Democrats are focused on making our communities safer with measures to prevent and deter crime, including addressing gun violence, investing in law enforcement, housing and behavioral health, cracking down on organized retail crime, and ensuring that the most violent and dangerous criminals are not released onto our streets prematurely.
Workers’ Rights
House Democrats will continue to fight for the working families at the heart of our economy, with legislation to increase the minimum wage, guarantee paid leave for new parents and workers with health emergencies, and updating tax policies to help working parents get ahead.
Legislative Modernization
This session, House Democrats will take steps toward modernizing our legislature, best equipping New Mexico to tackle the challenges of today and ensuring that our state’s lawmakers can reflect the people of our state in all their diversity.
New Representatives sworn in during today’s Opening Day ceremonies include Democratic Reps. Cynthia Borrego (D-Albuquerque), Janelle Anyanonu (D-Albuquerque), Eleanor Chávez (D-Albuquerque), Tara Jaramillo (D-Socorro), Joseph Sanchez (D-Alcalde), Kathleen Cates (D-Rio Rancho), Reena Szczepanski (D-Santa Fe), Charlotte Little (D-Albuquerque), and Flor Yanira Gurrola Valenzuela (D-Albuquerque).
The Roundhouse is open to the public for the 2023 session. Members of the public can also view floor sessions and committee meetings on the New Mexico Legislature’s Webcasts tab, and provide comment via phone or Zoom as directed on the daily schedule.
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