Legislative Advocacy

News Flash:  Senate Memorial 30 is being heard by the Senate Rules Committee Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. The hearing is from 9 am to 11 am.
Here is the link to the hearing:
**For public participation in the SENATE RULES COMMITTEE HEARING on the morning of Friday, Feb. 17th, 2023 please click on the link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81944191844 or via telephone at 1 669 900 9128,
meeting ID: 819 4419 1844

Feel free to attend, and even if you haven’t registered to speak, you can raise your hand on Zoom when they ask how many people support the memorial. Read about the memorial below.

The Brain Injury Alliance of New Mexico supports Senate Memorial (SM) 30 which we anticipate will be heard in the Senate Rules Committee (SRC) and the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee (SHPAC) before, hopefully, advancing to the floor of the Senate.

We invite you to participate in supporting Senate Memorial (SM) 30. Below the flyer on this page, find a step-by-step guide to advocating for Senate Memorial 30.

Advocacy Action Step

Step 1

Monitor the Legislative Session Calendar here: https://www.nmlegis.gov/Calendar/Session

Look on the right side of the page for the schedule for the
a) Senate Rules Committee (SRC) and
b) Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee (SHPAC)

We are monitoring these schedules, too, and we will send an email out as soon as we see Senate Memorial 30 (SM 30) on either schedule. If you see SM 30 on a schedule before you hear from us, please immediately email info at braininjurynm.org where you substitute @ for “at” in the email address: “SM 30 scheduled”.

Step 2
Appear at the hearings at which Senate Memorial 30 will be heard.

You may appear in person, or you may attend via Zoom.

All committee hearings for the day are listed on this page.
https://www.nmlegis.gov/Calendar/Session

Step 3
Plan Your Comments

When the public is given an opportunity to speak, we encourage you to speak about why you are in favor of Senate Memorial 30.

You may speak in person or by Zoom, but you must register to speak first by emailing one of the addresses:
Senate Rules Committee: SRC.zoom@nmlegis.gov
Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee: SHPAC.Zoom@nmlegis.gov

When you speak, please limit your comments to 60 seconds.

When speaking to a Legislative Committee:
Greet the chairperson and committee members:
“Madam chair, Mr. Vice Chair, members of the committee” or

State your name, your connection to brain injury, and then why you support Senate Memorial 30. Tell the truth, say any part of your story that you want to share, and keep it brief (60 seconds, since we are so far into the legislative session – legislators are busy and they have been listening to many comments, so let’s make it easy on them!)

State what you’d like to see more of in NM.
State what will help you or your loved one now.
State what would have helped you if you’d had access to it earlier in your rehabilitation.

Cognitive psychosocial rehabilitation?
Navigator services?
Case management?
Life skills coaching?
Substance abuse treatment adapted for brain injury?
Training for healthcare professionals?
Training for behavioral health professionals (mental health therapists)?

Be honest, be true, and be there! We thank you for your advocacy for better care for all those living with brain injury in NM.

And finally . . .

Step 4
Attend and Make Your Voice Heard

A) Senate Rules Committee (SRC) Hearing

Instructions for joining and speaking at the Senate Rules Committee Hearing. Please note you must register to speak by emailing: SRC.zoom@nmlegis.gov

**For public participation in the SENATE RULES COMMITTEE HEARING on the morning of Friday, Feb. 17th, 2023 please click on the link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81944191844 or via telephone at 1 669 900 9128,  meeting ID: 819 4419 1844

To provide written comments or to register to speak, you must email:  SRC.zoom@nmlegis.gov

For the Senate Rules Committee Procedures, see this page:

B) Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee (SHPAC) Hearing

Instructions for joining and speaking at the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee hearing.  Please note you must register to speak by emailing: SHPAC.Zoom@nmlegis.gov

To join by audio-visual Zoom, please click on the link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9124526531

To join by telephone, call 1-253-21- 8782
Enter meeting ID: 912 452 6531

To provide written comments or to register to speak, please email: SHPAC.Zoom@nmlegis.gov