Domestic violence funding easily passes through judiciary panels
Twin proposals to fund domestic violence services in New Mexico have sailed through their initial committees, but await approval to be included in the state budget.
Senate Bill 191 would set aside $10 million to the Crime Victims Reparation Commission for community-based domestic violence programs. Its companion bill in the other chamber is House Bill 216.
The bills have each passed unanimously through their respective committees dealing with New Mexico's judicial branch; SB191 got through the Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 31 and HB216 passed the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 6. Both await hearings in budget committees.
Domestic violence services are not available in all counties, making it necessary for some survivors living in rural areas to travel as much as 90 miles to receive them, according to the Crime Victims Reparation Commission's analysis of SB191. In places where services exist, they're inadequately funded to meet survivors' needs, the Commission wrote.
Funding domestic violence programs like shelter, legal aid and and counseling serves as a critical strategy for reducing child abuse and neglect, co-sponsor Linda Trujillo (D-Santa Fe) told the Senate Judiciary Committee in January.
Those services give survivors a better chance at escaping dangerous situations and provide a stable and safe environment for their children, she said.
Trujillo cited studies showing that children who witness domestic violence develop a higher risk of experiencing abuse themselves and suffering long-term emotional and development harm.
'By investing in these programs, we not only protect survivors but also break the cycles of violence, reducing the number of children entering the welfare system,' she said. 'This is a proactive, cost-effective approach that prioritizes safety, stability and stronger families.'
MaryEllen Garcia, CEO of the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said the 32 shelter programs she represents are operating at a 'funding deficit' and haven't received a state funding boost in five years, despite a 44.7% increase in shelter nights provided since 2023, and a 53% increase in crisis calls since 2020.
'We are at a critical time — I'm sure you all are aware of what's happening nationally — and we are in jeopardy of receiving massive funding cuts because of the type of work we do,' Garcia said at the Senate Judiciary hearing. 'It's imperative that we secure and lean into our values as a state, ensuring that those who are most vulnerable are receiving services.'
House Bill 57, co-sponsored by Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Albuquerque) would create a program for attorneys to represent domestic violence survivors, and SB191 could provide the funding for that work, according to the Commission. That legislation awaits a hearing in the House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
a day ago
- Newsweek
Alina Habba Defies Judges' Ouster: 'Broken'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Alina Habba, former personal defense lawyer to President Donald Trump, is pushing back forcefully against efforts to remove her from her post as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey—vowing to fight what she describes as a politically motivated campaign to oust her. "To put it in really simple terms, it's a complicated mechanism—what's happening—and it's, frankly, I think, a broken one," she said during an interview with political commentator Benny Johnson. Why It Matters It comes after a panel of federal judges in New Jersey declined to extend Habba's term as the state's interim top prosecutor. Trump tapped Habba to serve as interim U.S. attorney in late March and nominated her on July 1 to be the U.S. attorney in a permanent capacity, which would have removed her interim status by the end of this week. But a DOJ spokesperson told The New York Times on Thursday that the president has withdrawn her nomination, which will allow her to continue serving in a temporary capacity. Alina Habba speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Allentown, Pa., Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. Alina Habba speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Allentown, Pa., Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. Matt Rourke/AP What To Know During the interview, Habba said the Senate's blue slip courtesy—a nonbinding tradition—is being used to block presidential appointments of U.S. attorneys, which she says effectively amounts to stalling or undermining the president's authority. The blue slip tradition is a Senate custom that gives home-state senators significant influence over federal judicial and U.S. attorney nominations in their state. It allows a senator to approve or block a nominee by returning or withholding a blue-colored form, known as the "blue slip," to the Senate Judiciary Committee. In Habba's case, both of New Jersey's Democratic senators, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, withheld their blue slips, signaling formal opposition and preventing her nomination from moving forward through the Senate Judiciary Committee. Booker and Kim allege that she has pursued politically motivated prosecutions against Democratic lawmakers to serve Trump's agenda. During Habba's tenure as interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark was charged with trespassing following a congressional visit to an immigration detention facility. The case was dropped days later, and a federal judge condemned the arrest as a "worrisome misstep," warning it should not be used as a political tool. Meanwhile, Representative LaMonica McIver was charged with assaulting federal agents during the same protest. McIver and critics called the prosecution politically motivated, especially given her congressional oversight role. Legal experts observed the case appeared "spectacularly inappropriate," claiming Habba bypassed required DOJ supervisory approval for charges against elected officials. Habba also launched investigations into Democratic Governor Phil Murphy and Attorney General Matt Platkin, focused on New Jersey's decision to limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement—a move viewed by critics as aligned with Trump's political priorities. But Habba said the decision to remove her from her post was an attempt to thwart President Trump's powers. "What we're seeing is a systemic problem, where they are using the blue slip courtesy—it's not a law—as a mechanism to block the appointment of U.S. attorneys by the president, per the Department of Justice," Habba said. "That puts those U.S. attorneys in a position where they're kind of stuck. You're in this freeze, and you can't get out. Then they'll run the clock on you, and basically, what ends up happening is they're attempting to thwart the president's powers. "What we saw in my situation, the Senate minority leader sent direct instructions on Twitter telling the judges to vote and block me. Once it's out of Senate ownership, the judges can vote to keep you. I stepped down as interim and am now the acting attorney.. You have 120 days in the interim, I stepped down the day before." Trump has the power to remove U.S. attorneys who have been appointed by judges. A panel of federal judges in New Jersey ruled on Tuesday to replace Habba with her handpicked top deputy in the U.S. attorney's office, Desiree Leigh Grace, after her 120 day term was up. Soon after the court's decision, the Justice Department, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, fired Grace and accused the judges of political bias meant to curb the president's authority. In response, Trump's team withdrew Habba's nomination for the permanent role—allowing her to resign as interim U.S. Attorney, then be appointed First Assistant U.S. Attorney, and automatically ascend to the role of acting U.S. Attorney under relevant vacancy laws, extending her tenure for another 210 days. What People Are Saying Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, previously told Newsweek in a statement: "President Trump has full confidence in Alina Habba, whose work as acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey has made the Garden State and the nation safer. The Trump Administration looks forward to her final confirmation in the U.S. Senate and will work tirelessly to ensure the people of New Jersey are well represented." What Happens Next Habba will remain in her role as interim U.S. attorney in New Jersey for at least the next 210 days.
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Boston Globe
Bondi facing Democratic calls to testify following report she told Trump he was in Epstein files
Sen. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, responded to the report by calling on Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'We need to bring Bondi and Patel into the Judiciary Committee to testify about this now,' Schiff said Advertisement The Justice Department declined to comment on the report but issued a joint statement from Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche saying that investigators had reviewed the records and 'nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution.' 'As par of our routine briefing, we made the president aware of the findings,' the statement said. The mere inclusion of a person's name in Epstein's files does not imply wrongdoing and he was known to have been associated with multiple prominent figures, including Trump. Advertisement Over the years, thousands of pages of records have been released through lawsuits, Epstein's criminal dockets, public disclosures and Freedom of Information Act requests. They include a 2016 deposition in which an accuser recounted she spent several hours with Epstein at Trump's Atlantic City casino but didn't say if she met Trump and did not accuse him of any wrongdoing. Trump has also said he once thought Epstein was a 'terrific guy' but they later had a falling-out. White House spokesman Steven Cheung on Wednesday said the reports were 'nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media.'
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Newsweek
Video Shows Moment GOP Senator Josh Hawley Leaves Stage Over Heckling
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, was temporarily escorted from the stage amid heckling from pro-Palestinian demonstrations during a panel discussion about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on American workers with Axios Wednesday morning. Newsweek reached out to Hawley's office for comment via email. Why It Matters Politicians from both sides of the aisle have faced protests from pro-Palestinian protesters during public appearances over the past few years, as the U.S. has remained a closer ally to Israel despite humanitarian concerns about its actions in Gaza. On October 7, 2023, Hamas led an attack against Israel, killing 1,200 and abducting 251 people. Israel has said 50 hostages remain in Gaza and that only 21 of them are believed to still be alive. Israel has since launched an offensive on Gaza, killing more than 59,000 people, according to The Associated Press, citing Gaza's Health Ministry. Critics have raised concerns about the number of civilians killed or displaced, as well as conditions such as the threat of starvation in the Gaza Strip. Others, however, have said Israel has a right to respond to the October 7 attack and have blamed Hamas for putting these civilians in harm's way. What to Know Hawley, who has been supportive of Israel, faced heckling during Axios' News Shapers conference in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday morning with journalist Stef Kight. The interruption came during a discussion about AI. Hawley warned about a his concerns on "a huge loss of jobs for working people," and that lawmakers need to "put people at the center of our technology policy." "If we don't do that, I'm worried about what that's going to mean for ordinary working Americans," Hawley said. Kight continued to ask if he feels like is "alone in that kind of approach," when one protester began shouting at the senator. Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on April 09, 2025 in Washington, DC. Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on April 09, 2025 in Washington, DC."Josh Hawley cannot possibly care about people in this country because he is supporting a war of starvation," the protester said. Kight asked the protester to allow her to continue with the interview, noting that it was the first instance of a protester during Wednesday's event. She then escorted Hawley from the stage, though Hawley asked, "aAre you sure?" when she got up. Kight and Hawley quickly returned to the stage after about one minute. Kight asked attendees to "be respectful and allow us to continue our conversation." Hawley quipped that it was "just another day in the Senate" before continuing on with the conversation. The two protesters with the group Code Pink were removed from the event after the disruption, according to video footage that has circulated across social media. What People Are Saying Hawley wrote on X: "Hahahah - pro-Hamas CRAZIES tried to disrupt another event this morning. What a bunch of nutcases. I'm proud as ever to stand for America and our ally Israel." Code Pink, the group that led the protest, on X: "We shut down Josh Hawley because his career is built on suffering from Gaza to the U.S. As 2.2 million Palestinians face forced starvation, he doubles down on genocide. We won't let him speak freely while children starve." What Happens Next The conflict between Israel and Hamas continues as President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff prepares to head to the Middle East to try to broker a ceasefire deal.
