HB 203 Update
The Health Security Planning & Design Board Act (HB 203) should be heard in its first committee, House Health & Human Services, sometime next week.
We'll let you know as soon as we know which day!
Making Your Voice Heard in a Virtual Session
While the state capitol is closed to the public, New Mexicans from across the state can participate in the 2021 legislative session via Zoom. This means that no matter where you are, you can take part in committee hearings and share your opinions.
How are hearings being conducted in this virtual world? Since every committee chair is doing things slightly differently, we'll focus on the process in the Health & Human Services Committee:
The bill is presented to the committee. The bill sponsor, often along with a chosen expert, speaks about what the proposed legislation will do.
A Zoom poll is conducted to count how many in the audience are for the bill and how many are against. This is the first way to have your voice heard!
Public testimony is given. This is the second way to have your voice heard!
The committee members discuss the bill.
The committee members vote on the bill.
► Participate in the Zoom Poll!
We'll be asking all of our supporters to join the committee's Zoom meeting when HB 203 is scheduled to be heard so they can indicate their support of the bill through the poll. The committee needs to see that there is tremendous public support for Health Security!
►Public Comment
Testifying in favor of HB 203 is another way to let the committee members know how you feel. Not everyone wants to speak. If you do, here are our suggestions:
Think about how the bill's passage will positively impact you, someone you care about, or the whole state. Then write your thoughts down so you'll have something to refer to while you're speaking.
Practice what you're going to say in advance, and limit your remarks to no more than 1 minute.
Remember that HB 203 will set up a board to develop the details of the Health Security Plan. You could talk about how the Health Security Plan would affect you, and that we need to pass HB 203 now to get started on working out all the details.
Preparing to Contact Your Legislators
What's the first step in contacting your legislators? Making sure you know who they are! Type your home address into the legislature's Find Your Legislator tool, grab a sticky note, and post your representative's and senator's names and district numbers on your refrigerator door or another obvious place.
If your representative is on the Health & Human Services Committee, we'll be asking you to contact them as soon as we know which day HB 203 will be heard.
In the Meantime . . .
Check out this op-ed from Las Cruces resident Peter Goodman, which appeared in Sunday's Las Cruces Sun-News.
"A friend says, 'It's too big for New Mexico.' But it isn't. As mentioned, we don't move forward unless the detailed design satisfies both the Legislature and the governor. That's a limited investment for a possibly huge payoff. Meanwhile, millionaire CEOs of insurance companies get richer off our timidity."