Jesus Went Before Them
By: Pastor Rick Smith
“And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him…” (Mark 10:32). We have been meditating on traveling with Jesus on the road to Calvary – in particular, we have been looking at how Jesus prepared His disciples for what would take place at Calvary. In our meditation on these things I think that we should consider why Jesus came. The angel to Joseph said, “And (Mary) will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21). Christmas and Easter (the Resurrection day) are join together in this verse. Jesus came to save sinners (Mark 10:45, 1 Timothy 1:15), but the cross was the means by which the Father determined that we should be saved. The Lamb of God must be slain and His blood applied to our souls for us to be saved. Jesus took our place and died for our sins taking our punishment. As we listen to what Jesus said to the twelve and the others who were following Him to Jerusalem, remember that Jesus was leading the way to Calvary.
“And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death…” (Mark 10:32b-33a). Jesus told His disciples that He was going to be killed at Jerusalem. Jesus told them that He was going to be betrayed and turned over to the chief priests and the scribes. Two Jewish authorities were going to judge Jesus: the ecclesiastical authorities, which were the chief priests, and the theological authorities, which were the scribes. These held great power, but had no authority to execute anyone. The Jewish authorities could condemn Jesus, but they had no authority to execute Him. In telling these things to His disciples Jesus revealed that He knew all that was about to happen to Him in Jerusalem. Despite this Jesus willingly led the way to Jerusalem and His upcoming death on the cross.
“…and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him…” (Mark 10:33b-34a). The Jews were not an autonomous government. As we have seen they only had ecclesiastical and theological authority. They did not have the authority to execute Jesus. For that they needed a governmental authority and that government was under the control of the Romans. So they did what no Jew ever did, and that is to turn one of their own over to the Romans. The Romans, under Caesar, had only one rule that they governed by. They wanted to maintain peace and to back that peace they had the legions of Rome and Pontius Pilate, the governor. Jesus said that the Romans would do more that kill Him, they would mock, flog, spit on Him, and then kill Him. The Romans executed by the means of crucifixion. Jesus is now prophesying to His disciples how He would die. The Romans used crucifixion as a means of controlling those they conquered. It was a method that was cruel beyond measure to the victim and it was visually terrifying to those that observed the practice in action. It would be horrible to go through the process of dying on the cross, but it would be an unimaginable misery to think of someone you cared about dying that way. This is what the disciples could not grasp. They could not imagine Jesus dying on the cross.
The disciples and the others that followed had already heard what Jesus had said on the other two occasions about His death. Mark 10:32 tells us as they followed Jesus in the way that “…they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid.” Jesus had already spoken of His upcoming suffering and death. It is clear that they were following Jesus to His rejection, suffering, and death. Some believe that Jesus was trying to comfort them through this time with what He told them. Whether or not that was true, we don’t know. But it was necessary that those that followed Jesus clearly understood that what was about to take place was in the prophesied will and plan of God the Father. “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:10-11).
Three times Jesus told His disciples of His death and three times Jesus ended with this precious promise: “…and the third day he shall rise again.” Each time that Jesus said it His disciples seemed to have missed it. Don’t you miss that promise, because your salvation and mine depend upon that one very precious promise. Why did Jesus come? Jesus came to be the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Belief in Jesus centers on both His death and resurrection. So “…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9). Repent now of your sins and put your trust in Jesus Christ as your risen Lord and Savior. I pray that you will.
If you have any questions, we invite you to visit with us this Sunday. Worship at 10:50 A.M. We are located at 711 West Washington Ave. Check our sermon videos on Youtube @ricksmith2541. Send comments and prayer requests to prayerlinecmbc@gmail.com.
Rick Smith is the Pastor at Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Artesia.
Artesia officials ready for air show
By Rebecca Hauschild
Traffic at the Artesia Airport is expected to be heavy when Roswell hosts the National Championship Air Races (NCAR) in September, Artesia Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Hayley Klein told the City Council at its meeting March 25.
Klein, along with chamber staff and Artesia councilors, recently met with Fred Telling, CEO and chairman of the board for the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) and other RARA staff regarding the impact on Artesia of the upcoming air races.
Klein said Roswell will be closing its airport from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. beginning Sept. 6 and continuing through Sept.14. The races and related events are scheduled for Sept. 10-14.
“We feel like this will push a lot of traffic to Artesia,” she said. “Most of the traffic we expect will be small airplanes owned by pilots coming to attend the air races.”
“We have heard all the hotels in Roswell are already full and Artesia hotels are starting to fill up,” Klein said. “We are talking about how to get people out of the airport and to their hotels. We are hoping to get some rental cars and potential shuttle services. We are encouraging community members to rent out their vehicles through Turo, the online vehicle sharing/rental marketplace.”
Klein also said local officials and event organizers talked about “how area vendors can be involved. They are giving priority to New Mexico True vendors first but will be open to our vendors after that.”
The Artesia Chamber of Commerce has added an air-race page to its website that includes airport information, how to get around, area events, a countdown of rooms available in Artesia hotels, and a list of homes, RVs and other accommodations that aren’t listed on Airbnb or Vrbo but are available to rent, Klein said.
In addition, she said, six committees have been created to prepare for various aspects of the air races: airport, hospitality, transportation, events, marketing, and retail/food.
Artesia Main Street is planning entertainment downtown during the week, Klein said, and the chamber is planning to market Artesia throughout the air races.
“We are working on ways to market Artesia to the attendees, hoping they will see it this year and stay here next time,” she said.
Klein said there is some uncertainty about what to expect as this is the first time in 60 years the event has been held outside of Reno, Nevada, where it has typically drawn 80,000 visitors each year.
Other business
Klein reported that the Artesia Chamber received a letter from the AMC movie theater chain offering to donate the shuttered Land of the Sun Theater in downtown Artesia to the city of Artesia. City Attorney Cass Tabor is currently reviewing the offer.
Mayor Jon Henry asked Police Chief Kirk Roberts bring a proposal to the council to legalize the use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in the city. Roberts agreed but noted he opposes the idea due to safety concerns. Henry, who also represents District 54 in the New Mexico House of Representatives, said the Legislature passed two bills during its recent session to broaden the use of ATVs. “I think it’s time to start looking at that and bring us a proposal back. I know it opens us up to some things, but I have a lot of citizens ask me about it,” Henry said.
Sport SUV for the discriminating buyer
Review & Photos by: Len Ingrassia
Automotive columnist
There is a plethora of luxury, mid-size SUVs competing for consumer dollars. BMW SUVs, for instance, have a distinctive look with stiff suspension, powerful engines racking up nearly a quarter million sales last year while British carmaker Range Rover claimed 12 percent of that number.
That’s not to say Range Rovers are deficient in style, luxury or power. They aren’t. The two companies have varied interests and appeal to different audiences. Jaguar Land Rover is owned by Tata Motors of India, a $37 billion manufacturer of high-end cars, SUVs, trucks and defense vehicles.
We spent a week with the Range Rover Sport Autobiography, near the top of six available trim levels starting in the low $80s – higher than rival BMW X5.
The Sport can be ordered as a 3.0-liter inline six cylinder with a mild hybrid system that makes 355 horsepower in the Sport P360. Tune up the same engine and it delivers 395 ponies in the Sport P400. Next up is the Sport P460 – 454 hp; P530 – 523 hp; P550e -542 hp and Sport SV with 626 ponies. Each sends power to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Our 2½ ton test car with 523 ponies reached the 60 mile-per-hour mark in a respectable 4.1 seconds from a dead stop – one-half second slower than the top-of-the-line SV Edition trim at $180,700.
Although you can manually fidget with all the Sport has to offer with hill descent control, low traction launch, dynamic air suspension, all-wheel steer, electronic active differential and twin speed transfer case – we found there is an easier way.
Lacking expert training, the system defaults to auto control. It senses what the tires are seeing and feeling, and computer adjusts to the right mode using air suspension to create more ground clearance and rear-wheel steering to manipulate the trail.
Back on pavement, the cabin is a quiet place to be with sound deadening material throughout and lavish seat coverings that pamper occupants with soft leathers, suede headliner, panoramic roof and premium cabin lighting and adjustable massaging seats up front.
Audiophiles will be thrilled with a 28-speaker Meridian 3D surround system that includes stereo headrests for front seat occupants. A cabin air purification system is available to keep out unwanted allergens and viruses.
Cargo space is okay however golf bags will not fit horizontally. Its high waist exterior lines give the Sport a rich look and quad exhaust tips show off the V8 rumble from the get-go.
A curved 13.1-inch touchscreen dominates the center console and houses cabin audio, climate and navigation features. With few buttons, switches or knobs we found drilling down was required to control basic functions like setting cabin temperature, changing radio stations, phone settings and navigation features – all requiring eyes off the road.
We recommend a test drive in the Range Rover Sport along with Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7 and Mercedes Benz GLE.
(Contact independent automotive columnist Len Ingrassia at editor@ptd.net)
What was reviewed:
2025 Range Rover Sport Autobiography
Engine: 4.4-liter twin turbocharged V8 – 523 horsepower – 553 lb.ft torque
Base price/as tested: $123,400/$130,110.
EPA rated mileage: 16 city, 23 highway, 19 combined.
Assembled: Final assembly of the Range Rover Sport is at Solihull, United Kingdom. U.S. /Canadian parts content – 5 percent; major source of foreign parts, United Kingdom – 50 percent; country of origin, engine and transmission – Germany.
Crash test rating: Neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor The
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) had rated the Range Rover Sport as of this writing.
Warranty: 4 year/50,000-mile bumper to bumper warranty and roadside assistance. No complimentary maintenance.
New Mexico Legislators Can’t Have It Both Ways
By: Missi Currier
With the 2025 New Mexico legislative session now behind us, it is crucial to address a growing concern that threatens the economic stability of our state. The recent push to impose higher taxes on the oil and gas industry while simultaneously relying on it to fund essential programs is a contradictory and unsustainable approach. Legislators must recognize that they cannot have it both ways.
The oil and gas industry has been the backbone of New Mexico’s economy for decades, contributing nearly half of the state’s budget. The industry funds critical programs such as bills like SB48 and SB49, which aim to improve the quality of life for all New Mexicans through $360 million in investment throughout the state, funded by oil and gas revenues. However, introducing new taxes on this industry, as seen in the proposed Oil and Gas Equalization Tax, threatened to undermine its ability to continue providing this vital support.
Higher taxes on the oil and gas industry will inevitably lead to reduced investment, job losses, and stifled economic growth. This, in turn, will diminish the industry’s capacity to generate the revenue needed to fund essential programs. It is a short-sighted strategy that jeopardizes the very programs legislators seek to support.
Instead of continually targeting the oil and gas industry for additional revenue, it is time for our legislators to focus and act on diversifying New Mexico’s economy. The Economic Development Department’s 2025 strategic plan outlines several promising sectors that can drive future growth, including renewable energy, technology, and tourism. By investing in these sectors, we can create a more resilient and diversified economy that is less dependent on a single industry.
Diversification is not just a buzzword; it is a necessity for the long-term prosperity of our state. By fostering growth in new industries, we can create more high-quality jobs, attract new businesses, and ensure an increased revenue stream for essential programs. This approach will not only benefit our economy but also provide a more sustainable future for all New Mexicans. Our state can and should have a multitude of successful industries outside of oil and gas and mining, agriculture, and tourism.
Let me be clear –the oil and gas industry is not holding New Mexico back. New Mexico’s business climate is what continues to hurt our state’s potential to grow.
New Mexico legislators must recognize the importance of the oil and gas industry and the critical role it plays in funding our state’s budget. Imposing higher taxes on this industry while expecting it to continue supporting essential programs is a flawed strategy. Instead, we must prioritize economic diversification and a good start would be to invest in the sectors outlined in the Economic Development Department’s 2025 strategic plan. By doing so, we can build a stronger, more resilient economy that benefits all New Mexicans.
Missi Currier President and CEO New Mexico Oil & Gas Association
Artesia General Hospital celebrates Bone and Joint Center anniversary
Mike Smith
Artesia Daily Press
msmith@currentargus.com
Sandra Trujillo had knee problems. She couldn’t even walk without hurting. Lucky for her, she was in the right place and she was there at the right time.
Trujillo works as a scheduler in the surgical services department at Artesia General Hospital and she was the first patient in southeast New Mexico to undergo a partial knee replacement using the revolutionary Mako robotic-arm surgery system introduced at the hospital a decade ago.
The now pain-free hospital employee, who suffered repeated cartilage damage playing sports, sang the praises of robotic-arm assisted surgery April 8 as Artesia General celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Bone and Joint Center.
“I would go home from work hurting,” Trujillo said. “That changed when I walked into the Bone and Joint Center. The procedure gave me my life back. I’m walking pain free.”
The Mako SmartRobotics system allows a surgeon to create a personalized surgical plan that can address the problems causing a patient’s pain while also protecting healthy bone, according to Stryker Corporation, a medical devices and manufacturing company in New Jersey.
Dr. Marshall Baca, an orthopedic surgeon at Artesia GeneraL, said the robotic system has improved quality of life for patients undergoing not only partial knee replacement but also total knee replacement and total hip replacement.
“They’re no longer inpatient, they don’t have to stay here for two or three days,” he said.
Dr. Joe Salgado, Artesia General’s CEO, said the opening of the Bone and Joint Center to provide specialized orthopedic care for southeast New Mexico residents was a landmark event for the hospital.
“We took a bit of a leap of faith 10 years ago,” he said. “The Bone and Joint Center defines what our mission is here at Artesia General Hospital.”
Artesia General is striving to be the medical treatment leader in southeastern New Mexico,” said orthopedic surgeon Baca.
“We are excited about the future … with plans of a new facility (and) new lines of service … and we will always be looking to improve, and we will always be looking to be ahead of the facilities that surround us north, south and east,” Baca said.
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-308-8734 or email at msmith@currentargus.com.
Entertainment guide offered to readers
Staff reports
While it’s true that men and women are circling the globe in space, writing “personal” letters with help from AI robots, and counting on “Alexa” to remember the kids’ birthdays, life on most days can still be fairly down to earth and often frustrating.
Technology isn’t always our friend.
“I can’t find the remote. I’m missing the end of the game!”
“What time does The Voice come on? I want to hear that local kid sing!”
You buy a “smart” TV only to find out it’s not smart enough. You can’t even find the onscreen program listings.
Take heart. A SAVIOR HAS ARRIVED.
Starting on Thursday, April 17, your Artesia Daily Press will include a weekly television and entertainment guide.
It is our slightly old-fashioned but enduringly tried-and-true solution to the vexing question: What’s on TV?
The 24-page guide, Entertainment Now, will be inserted in your newspaper every Thursday, bringing you complete television listings, streaming schedules, news and features from the world of entertainment, and a variety of puzzles and games.
And it’s FREE with your copy of the newspaper.
So put down your smart phone. Stop trying to wade through that onscreen maze to find out when and where to watch your favorite TV show. Just park your copy of Entertainment Now on the coffee table and grab it whenever you need help. Did you hear that, Alexa?
How might we approach Holy Week?
By: Pastor David Grousnick
A little boy was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother. His father returned from church holding a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked, “Why do you have that palm branch, dad?”
“You see, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved Palm Branches to honor him, so we got Palm Branches today.” The little boy replied, “Aw Shucks! The one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up!”
This Sunday is Palm Sunday and it celebrates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, as described in Luke 19:28-44. Palm Sunday is the lead into Holy Week and seven days that changed the world.
The seven days of Holy Week have been the topic of a million of publications, countless debates, and thousands of films. These seven days have inspired the greatest painters, the most skilled architects, and the most gifted musicians. To try and calculate the cultural impact of these seven days is impossible.
But harder still would be an attempt to account for the lives of men and women who have been transformed by them. And yet these seven days as they played out in Jerusalem were of little significance to anyone, but a few people involved.
What happened on those seven days? Let’s summarize:
1. On Sunday the first of the seven days, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to the shouts of Hosanna, fulfilling an old prophecy in Zechariah 9:9.
2. On Monday he walked into the Jerusalem Temple overturning tables where money exchange occurred, Roman drachmas were being exchanged for Jewish shekels. Roman coins were not allowed. The image of Caesar was a violation of the second commandment. But the Temple authorities were using the Commandment as means to cheat the people and making the Temple a place of profit rather than a place of prayer.
3. On Tuesday Jesus taught in parables, warned the people against the Pharisees, and predicted the destruction of the Temple.
4. On Wednesday, the fourth day, we know nothing. The Gospel writers are silent. Perhaps it was a day of rest for him and his weary and worried disciples.
5. On Thursday, in an upper room, Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples. But he gave it a new meaning. No longer would his followers remember the Exodus from Egypt in the breaking of bread. They would remember his broken body and shed blood. Later that evening in the Garden of Gethsemane he agonized in prayer at what lay ahead for him.
6. On Friday, the fifth day, following betrayal, arrest, imprisonment, desertion, false trials, denial, condemnation, beatings and sentencing, Jesus carried his own cross to “The Place of the Skull,” where he was crucified with two other prisoners.
7. On Saturday, Jesus lay dead in a tomb bought by a rich man named Joseph.
8. On Sunday, his Passion was over, the stone had been rolled away. Jesus was alive. He appeared to Mary, to Peter, to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and to the 11 disciples gathered in a locked room. His resurrection was established as a fact.
Back then these seven days were called Passover, as it is still called today by the Jews. Christians around the world know these seven days as Holy Week, the Passion of the Christ.
So, how might we approach Holy Week?
At a pre-concert lecture, the conductor of a symphony orchestra was telling the audience about the major work that the orchestra would be performing at that evening’s concert. The conductor told the people that if they listened carefully to the music, they would discover that it was both surprising and inevitable.
On the one hand, the musical score would take a fair number of rather jarring and unexpected twists. There would be points in the concert when the blare of the trumpet or the sudden rolling of the timpani would seem to come from out of nowhere in a surprising fashion.
On the other hand, however, the conductor noted that in the long run, these surprises would themselves become part of a larger coherence. Once listeners heard the entire piece from start to finish, they would find in the music an air of inevitability–how could it ever have been written any differently?
Surprising and inevitable.
Palm Sunday and the events of Holy Week are both surprising and inevitable. The truth is that we are not completely sure what to make of Palm Sunday. After forty days of Lenten travel that have often focused on serious and sometimes dark subjects, suddenly we arrive at a day that seems at first blush to be surprisingly cheery.
The Palm Sunday parade has color and spectacle, cheering and singing, festive voices and joyful exuberance. This seems like a happy day. Yet it would be completely appropriate if you were to ask, “What in the world is this day doing here given how close we are now to the cross!?”
Is Palm Sunday a bright spot in the midst of the otherwise darker hues of Lent? Are we, for just a little while this Sunday, supposed to forget about all things dreary so that we can cry out some full-throated “Hosannas!”?
Or is there also a sadness to this day that we must bear in mind?
I offer these thoughts for your consideration and contemplation this Sunday and during the week to come! Have a great weekend!
David Grousnick, is the Pastor at the First Christian Church in Artesia.
Southeast GOP blocks oil bills, frustrated by crime inaction
Adrian Hedden
El Rito Media
achedden@currentargus.com
Republicans in southeast New Mexico said they were successful in blocking several bills that would have upped regulations on oil and gas operators during the 2025 legislative session, but chided Democrats who control the Legislature for not addressing public safety and crime.
This year’s session ran from Jan. 21 to March 22 as lawmakers in the House and Senate proposed, debated and voted on bills that, if passed, were sent to the desk of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to be signed into law. Lujan Grisham has until April 11 to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature. Any bill not acted on by then will be “pocket vetoed.”
A pocket veto is essentially the same as an actual veto by the governor – it kills the bill. Any lawmaker wanting to revive it would have to introduce the bill as new legislation at the start of a subsequent session.
Sen. Jim Townsend (R-34), who represents parts of Eddy and Otero counties, said “it could have been worse” for conservatives in the GOP, which is the minority party in both the House and Senate.
He said the biggest success Republicans achieved was blocking an oil and gas surcharge Democrats attempted to include in a package of tax bills. Townsend said the charge would have amounted to a $130 million annual tax on the industry he credited as a driving factor behind $3.5 million in “new money” provided to the state’s budget this year.
A heavily amended version of the tax package, House Bill 14, was sent to the governor’s desk in the final minutes of the session and included state tax breaks for those working for minimum wage and foster parents. The version passed was estimated to cost $113 million and was funded by a 20% increase in the state’s liquor excise tax.
“We had absolutely no need for any new taxes,” Townsend said.
Although lawmakers did pass Senate Bill 23, which raised the cap on royalty rates paid by oil and gas operators on State Trust land, Townsend said most of the bills attempting to restrict fossil fuel production were stopped by strong GOP opposition.
Those included two separate bills to ban new oil and gas facilities within a mile of public schools and in areas known to have high levels of ground-level ozone in the air – areas that include Eddy and Lea counties in the Permian Basin.
Other failed oil and gas bills were measures that would have codified into law reductions in statewide greenhouse gas emissions specified in an executive order signed by Lujan Grisham in 2019, and a rule enacted in 2022 by the Oil Conservation Division requiring operators to capture 98% of produced gas in 2026.
Townsend said lawmakers should consider the totality of New Mexico’s oil and gas regulations, which he said make it more expensive to do business in the state.
“If you look at the overall regulatory burden on producers, we have exceeded Texas,” he said. “We’re blessed with the Permian and the Delaware. They’ve provided a lot for New Mexicans.”
Another threat to oil and gas was a bill that passed giving the New Mexico Game and Fish Department statutory authority to oversee “wildlife” in New Mexico as opposed to its current mandate to regulate only “game,” said Sen. Larry Scott (R-42), who represents parts of Eddy, Lea and Chaves counties.
Scott worried the “wildlife” terminology that would be included in the department’s jurisdiction under state law would mean it could regulate endangered species such as the dunes sagebrush lizard, which has habitat throughout the Permian Basin oilfields.
“What came to my mind is the ability to manage the little critters that could prevent drilling operations,” Scott said.
Crime and public safety
But energy and environmental issues largely took a backseat to proposals intended to address widespread crime and public safety throughout New Mexico.
In the months leading up to the session, Lujan Grisham held multiple townhall meetings in cities and small towns throughout the state, gathering local feedback on crime issues to use in crafting legislation for the session.
The session notably ended on a violent note with a mass shooting in Las Cruces occurring on the last day lawmakers were convened in Santa Fe. Police said three teenagers were killed in a dispute during an unsanctioned car show at Young Park: Andrew Madrid, 16; Jason Gomez, 18; and Dominick Estrada, 19. Fifteen people were injured in the shooting.
Tomas Rivas, 20, was arrested and charged with three open counts of murder, along with a 15-year-old boy and two 17-year-old boys who face the same charges.
Scott said the “lawlessness” in New Mexico’s big cities was not adequately addressed by bills passed during the session.
He said lawmakers should have supported legislation making it easier for courts to incarcerate repeat offenders, who Scott said often commit violent crimes, including murder, after being released following less serious offenses.
“We didn’t do anything about the revolving door,” he said. “We didn’t do anything about the mental health revolving door, letting those people back out onto the street.”
Democrats did claim victory at the outset of the session via House Bill 2, the General Appropriations Act, which allocated $10 million to local enforcement agencies and $4 million to help recruit and retain police officers.
House Bill 6 was also passed and included a package of six bills to help the state’s criminal justice system address mental health, while increasing penalties for fentanyl trafficking, mass shooting threats and habitual car theft while banning devices to convert handguns into automatic weapons.
“Improving public safety is both urgent and ongoing work,” House Speaker Rep. Javier Martinez (D-11) of Bernalillo County said in a statement as the session ended. “It does not start or end with the legislative session, and it requires all of us to keep coming to the table with a focus on developing solutions, not pointing fingers.”
Townsend said the Legislature could have done more, and by not doing so sent a message to criminals that they won’t be punished for most crimes.
“They’re not afraid. Right now, they know breaking and entering is not that big of a deal. It’s probably just a slap on the wrist. Same thing with drugs. They don’t care,” Townsend said.