Legislators look back at 2024 session: Brenda McKenna

Senator Brenda McKenna has hope for the future after her last session as one of New Mexico’s state Senate members and her work will not come to a halt after her term is over.

McKenna announced she would not be returning to the seat earlier this year but expressed that she intends to see all of her bills through to the end.

“I think all of us will probably feel somewhat disappointed because there’s just so much you can do in 30 days,” she said.

The budget, she says, was a big deal.

“That got passed, that’s good and so now we’re waiting to see if the governor’s going to veto anything,” McKenna said.

McKenna was disappointed that some legislation that would “modernize” the legislature did not pass.

“I was hoping at least some of them would have done so, so that it would be on the ballot for November,” she said.

She was also disappointed the Paid Family Medical Leave Act wasn’t successful.

“I think it would have brought a lot of relief to to small businesses and to their employees,” McKenna explained.

She added that a poll was conducted and it showed businesses were in support of the bill.

“It’s the type of leave none of us wanted to take with the exception of adoption or having a baby because it’s really designed for catastrophic health problems with either the employee or someone close to them,” she continued.

McKenna made the point that many employers in the state already have such benefits for their employees, so the act would have been a way to expand it to more people.

One Senate Memorial that would request the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department to study and recommend legislation for establishing setbacks for oil and gas facilities did not pass.

“I think it was going to be up against a lot of amendments from some of our republican colleagues and it had already been amended by some stakeholders. It’s just disappointing because it’s all about protecting the health and welfare of people that live around oil and gas wells,” she said.

McKenna was most disappointed that a senate bill which would prohibit public bodies from entering into agreements or using public resources to detain people for federal civil immigration violations and requiring the termination of such agreements.

“The ICE detainees are here as refugees because they’re suffering persecution, threats or poverty. I maintain they should not be detained in these privately held detention centers. Some of the accounts that I’ve learned about are very alarming. It pains me that this bill did not pass,” she stressed.

She continued saying many of the refugees really would rather stay home in their country but life for them has become “intolerable”.

“When it comes to their government, breaking down, becoming authoritarian like Venezuela: deep poverty, climate change, threats against them and their family members and murder. People who are LGBTQIA plus are being persecuted and that’s why they’re coming to our country. Because our country once upon a time, spoke about honoring human rights and providing dignity,” she continued.

Even though, some of the bills and memorials didn’t pass, McKenna intends to make sure they are brought up again in future sessions with her successors.