Update from New Mexico on the domestic partnership bill
February 9, 2009
Terry McGuire, one of our regional field organizers, starts us off this week with this update from New Mexico on the efforts to pass the domestic partnership bill:
Last week the Senate Judiciary Committee (one of two committees that the bill must pass through) voted on passage of Senate Bill 12, the Domestic Partnership Rights and Responsibilities Act. Unfortunately, the bill was tabled after a 5-5 vote. Senator Bernadette Sanchez (D- Bernalillo) was not present for the vote, and it is believed that earning her support is critical to seeing the bill through that committee. The bill must pass through this committee in order to see a full floor vote on the Senate floor. In order to show Senator Sanchez that her district supports equality and wants her to vote in favor of the bill, we kicked off the weekend with a pep rally and canvass aimed at speaking to voters in her district. Over 35 fair-minded New Mexicans showed up to hear from pro-DP elected officials, meet fellow community members, and hit the streets and phones! We were so happy to have three locally elected officials – including two pro-DP state senators! Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver addressed the crowd about the importance of being involved and having one-on-one conversations with neighbors and friends. Senators Jerry Ortiz y Pino and Dede Feldman spoke about how important this bill is for thousands of New Mexican families (Senator Feldman is the Chairperson of the Senate Public Affairs Committee which has already moved the DP bill through that committee). They reiterated what we all already know: seniors, gay and lesbian families, and the disabled community desperately need--and deserve--the rights, protections, and responsibilities that this bill would provide. 
Between Saturday and Sunday we knocked on over 400 doors, made over 350 calls, and collected over 150 postcards in Senator Bernadette Sanchez’s district! The experience was amazing, and it was so uplifting to see that her district overwhelmingly supports this legislation. Senator Sanchez, if you’re reading this, please do what we now know very clearly your constituents want you to do– support Senate Bill 12!
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