------- (The Final Day of the Session) The Hate Crimes Act passed the Senate Finance Committee today. The Senate will hear it on the floor tomorrow. Perhaps. They're running behind here in the eleventh hour of the session. As you know, Governor Gary Johnson has said he will veto the bill. There is no chance for a veto override this session. SJR 8, the constitutional amendment to prohibit same-gender marraiges introduced by Sen. Rod Adair (R-Roswell), is scheduled to be heard tomorrow, March 20th, in the Senate Judiciary Committee. LIGHT CANDLES NOW that this bill will not pass out of the committee, much less get an actual hearing! It appears that the Non-Discrimination Bill will end the session tabled in the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee. Jerry Lee Alwin's hateful anti-marriage bill ought to die silently in House Judiciary, without a hearing. But, then again, things can change quickly here in the final hours. As the session wheezes to a close, I think it should be clear to all gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people AND our allies that we must do serious work in the 1998 elections to reshape the face of the Legislature. Far too many bigots slipped into the Roundhouse in 1996 and far too many of our precious few progressives were defeated. As a community, we have to change the complexion of the legislative body if we ever expect to be granted our basic rights! That change will require EACH of us to work hard to elect progressive men and women (and hopefully an openly gay person or two) to the Legislature. Stay tuned for more details. BY THE WAY... As a starting point, it would be a good idea for all registered Democrats to participate in the party's upcoming internal elections. Most Precinct and Ward meetings will happen on April 1st. I have specific information which I will post later. Until then, e-mail me and I'll tell you specifically where you need to be on April 1st and what you need to do to make a real difference in the electoral process. Thanks for all the work you have done during this session of the Legislature! J. Todd McElroy --------- (After the Final Day of the Session) I just returned from the Roundhouse. With a full-plate in the Senate to include issues like education spending and prisons, Sen. Bill Davis (R-Albuquerque's Northeast Heights) led a fillibuster in the waning hours of the Session, effectively stopping ALL business. The Senate did not hear the Hate Crimes Act. Consequently, it will not be sent to the Governor. Since the 1998 Session is restricted in nature, the act (or any bill other than financial bills) may not be introduced until 1999. I want to thank each and every one of you for all the hard work, prayers, thoughts, and actions that made the 1997 Session a success for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. Though we passed no beneficial legislation, we prevented hate- and fear-based bigotry from being institutionalized by holding back two anti-marriage bills. Please take the time to thank Linda Siegle for her extraordinary effort as our lead lobbyist. Her e-mail address is . Additionally, thank Martha Trolin and Carlos Dominguez (by writing him at 118 E. Santa Fe Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87501) for their super support efforts at the Roundhouse! Finally, begin NOW to prepare for the following events which will greatly impact the future of the G/L/B/T movement in New Mexico. (1) Participate in your County's Democratic Party elections in April. Watch here for more information to come. (2) Work HARD beginning now to defeat our opponents in the 1998 election cycle. Engage early in the campaigns of people who support basic rights and social justice for ALL New Mexicans. (3) Play an active role in the race for Governor. Campaigns for good and bad candidates have already started. So, get involved and make a real difference. Ultimately, engage in your local G/L/B/T organizations to strengthen our community for the battles that lay yet ahead. Finally, don't be discouraged. Together we are moving closer to our basic rights everyday! On behalf of the Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Rights in New Mexico, thank you! J. Todd McElroy --------- Whoops, we did get one important peice of legislation passed, the Harm Reduction Act, which would allow for clean needle exchanges for IV-drug users. This would greatly decrease the spread of HIV in that population and has shown an increase in getting IV-drug users into treatment. Gov. Johnson is expected to veto the measure.