NM District 28 Senator Gabriel Ramos spoke to the Beat about upcoming legislative session.
Ramos noted that he is honored to be serving as state Senator for his District, which encompasses parts of the counties of Grant, Luna and Hidalgo. He always keeps his constituents in mind when he looks at legislation. "I am grateful for being able to represent every day the residents and communities of my district. I will fight for what's right."
When asked what he wants to fight for during the session, he said: "I am very against boys playing girls' sports. For many years, we have made sure that Title IX (9) is followed by all schools and letting males play girl sports is totally against Title IX rules. I am also against cartoon pornography in our school libraries, and I am ready to fight to keep these types of books out of our school libraries. We, as a state, are 50th in the nation in education, and we should concentrate on math, science, English, and history versus non-productive classes."
He said he had not pre-filed any bills and is waiting to hear the governor's priorities for this short (30-day) legislative session.
Ramos noted that the 30-day session limits the scope of bills to those that have a budget component. He would like to see a true return on investment from the taxpayer dollars and how they are spent. "My decisions are based on making sure taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly in order to benefit our communities."
He supports bills that will soon be filed that support education efforts, especially requiring the Public Education Department to(PED) to be transparent by publishing data of the Standards-Based Assessments, and to reduce the number of required trainings for school personnel. He also plans to file a bill to require any company that installs solar arrays or wind turbines to return the land to its prior condition after the energy components have expired or are no longer functioning.
On the topic of crime, Ramos would like to see legislation that holds violent juvenile offers accountable, and that they receive rehabilitation.
When it comes to medical issues, he supports the state joining multi-state compacts that would allow providers to come practice in New Mexico, without having to go through the onerous licensing process that the state requires at present. "Doctors and nurses are leaving the state. We need to encourage and help them return to take care of our residents."
He said his primary goal is to listen to the residents of the three counties and to address their needs, while fighting for as much capital outlay as he can get. He works with Sen. Crystal Diamond Brantley and Rep. Luis Terrazas to put together their capital outlay dollars to benefit as many of the projects throughout the area as possible, although they have been informed that their amounts may not be as high as in prior years.
He noted that his legislative aide is former county commissioner Brett Kasten, who can be reached by email at at
Ramos invites any constituent with a state government issue to contact Kasten so the senator and his aide can help them with governmental regulations or barriers and provide them with services they may require.
