domestic violence

A bill to create a Domestic Violence Leadership Commission was passed by the House Wednesday, which means it’s heading to the Governor’s desk.  Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino’s bill, SB 26, met minimal opposition on the House floor before it was adopted by a vote of 33 to 22. It creates a 26-member state commission [...]

Monday evening the Senate Judiciary Committee brought one step closer to law a bill that would prevent domestic violence offenders from working as law enforcement officers. HB 17, co-sponsored by Rep. Nathan Cote and Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, would remove a current officer’s certification for three years or prohibit a person from obtaining certification within three years of [...]

Anyone convicted of domestic violence in the previous three years would be disqualified from being hired as a police officer if legislation passed by the House Monday becomes law.

HB 17, a bill that would prevent convicted domestic violence offenders from becoming police officers and would remove certification from current officers convicted of domestic violence crimes, is being sent back to the House Judiciary Committee, where it saw a heated and dramatic debate last Friday.

Four members of New Mexico’s House of Representatives walked out of the House Judiciary Committee Friday afternoon as a domestic violence bill was being heard.
HB 17, which was introduced by Rep. Nate Cote and Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, would prohibit domestic violence offenders from becoming law enforcement officers within three years of a violation;  officers convicted [...]

The brutal murder of a pregnant Santa Fe teenager has reopened a debate over how to properly punish such crimes. It has also prompted supporters of a “fetal homicide” bill to say they plan to introduce it again in the next session of the New Mexico Legislature.

To kick-off the Independent’s new feature highlighting New Mexicans from all walks of life, I connected with Claudia Medina — founder and executive director of Enlace Comunitario, which provides comprehensive domestic violence services to immigrant women.

Of all the depressing statistics bedeviling our nation right now, here’s one that’s easy to fix: When the polls close Tuesday night, one in three women will have failed to cast a ballot. Jane Addams and Susan B. Anthony, two of the suffragists who truly suffered through the long fight to win women’s right to vote, will be shaking their heads in shame.