HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 26

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2010

INTRODUCED BY

Thomas A. Garcia

FOR THE MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE NEW MEXICO LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TO CONTINUE THE INTERIM MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS COMMITTEE.

     WHEREAS, the military and veterans' affairs committee was created by statute in 2009 for a term of one year; and

     WHEREAS, the committee was given various statutory duties, including the direction to meet in geographically dispersed areas of the state to conduct hearings relating to military issues and veterans' issues; and

     WHEREAS, the law requires that an annual report of the findings and recommendations of the committee be presented to the legislature for consideration, and it further requires that recommendations be presented to the United States congress and that regulatory recommendations be made to the federal departments of veterans affairs and defense; and

     WHEREAS, the military and veterans' affairs committee has met its statutory charge; and

     WHEREAS, the committee met for a total of six days and heard diverse testimony regarding the missions of the military bases in New Mexico; health and wellness care; veterans' homelessness; long-term care; higher education opportunities for military personnel; transition issues for military families, including education for military children; troop deployment issues; and plans to appropriately honor and recognize the services of New Mexico's active duty military and veterans; and

     WHEREAS, veterans and military personnel attended each and every meeting of the military and veterans' affairs committee and expressed genuine gratitude for the interest and attention being given to their concerns by members of the legislature; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico remains actively engaged in military action in two wars, with deployments regularly occurring to Iraq and Afghanistan; and

     WHEREAS, while many of the needs of New Mexico's more than eighteen thousand veterans have been identified by the military and veterans' affairs committee, viable solutions are not yet fully developed; and

     WHEREAS, there are issues that have been identified but lack resolution and cannot be legislatively addressed in a short session of the legislature; and

     WHEREAS, issues that bear further study and consideration include a recommendation for the adoption of a compact, as has been adopted in twenty-six states, to ensure a seamless transition into schools for the children of military families who are transferred to New Mexico; the development of a wellness center in Angel Fire; the progress and completion of a museum to honor veterans; and the successful implementation at New Mexico universities and colleges of the post-9/11 G.I. bill, which promises to offer higher education opportunities to many active duty military and veterans in the state; and

     WHEREAS, not all military installations in the state have been afforded an opportunity to showcase their facilities; and

     WHEREAS, the military and veterans' affairs committee has a growing appreciation for the contributions made to New Mexico at all the military installations in the state, but it has had only a superficial exposure to the vast importance of the activities in which those installations are engaged; and

     WHEREAS, the military and veterans' affairs committee is committed to pursuing all available avenues to address the full breadth of the needs of the military personnel and veterans in New Mexico who are serving, or have honorably served, this country and this state;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the New Mexico legislative council be requested to continue the interim military and veterans' affairs committee; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the duties of the military and veterans' affairs committee include consideration of legislation to be proposed in the first session of the fiftieth legislature; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the co-chairs of the New Mexico legislative council.

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