Hello fellow political junkies!

A behavioral health crisis impacting teenagers and young adults in the social media age has caught the attention of lawmakers. 

The New Mexico Department of Justice launched an internet safety webpage for parents and teenagers to share their experiences, past and present, with social media.

“As technology continues to advance and more of our daily lives are shared online, it’s important that we take steps to protect our children, our families, and our communities,” Attorney General Raúl Torrez said in a press release. “The Internet Safety Page was created to be a valuable resource for everyone, and the New Mexico Department of Justice is dedicated to ensuring the safety and security of all citizens in the digital world.” 

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The page features separate forms for parents and teenagers to submit their experiences with social media.

The purpose is for the NMDOJ to “help inform a broader campaign” to be announced later this summer, a press release about the new page states.

Meanwhile on The Hill

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, a Democrat who serves as Joint Economic Committee chairman, released a report that discusses private equity’s influence in the healthcare system.

“New Mexico is at the highest risk of being exploited by private equity firms. From lowering the quality of health care to cutting wages for workers, these firms have prioritized lining the pockets of their executives over the interest of New Mexicans. That needs to end,” Heinrich said in a press release. “I will keep working to make sure patients aren’t harmed by predatory practices of private equity firms.”

The American Investment Council issued a response letter stating its disappointment that the JEC engaged in a “one-sided attack on the private equity industry.”

“Contrary to the notion that they are all behemoths, 85 percent of businesses funded by private equity had fewer than 500 employees in 2022,” the AIC letter states. “As a result of the private equity industry’s success, 88 percent of U.S. public pension funds, serving 34 million public sector workers and retirees, have enjoyed returns that far exceed those of other asset classes. In fact, the Public Employees’ Retirement of New Mexico’s private equity portfolio delivered a 10-year annualized return of 17.35 percent. This helps to secure the retirement of New Mexico’s police, firefighters as well as other state employees.”

The AIC response letter can be read in full here.

The New Mexico delegation worked last week on the following:

  • Heinrich announced July 22 that he cosponsored legislation that seeks to close loopholes in the U.S. tax code that allow some of the richest Americans from paying their fair share of income taxes. The proposal would only apply to taxpayers with more than $1 billion in assets, or more than $100 million in income for three consecutive years. The Billionaire Tax Act can be read here.
  • Sen. Ben Ray Luján was among a bipartisan group that led the U.S. Senate to pass the Poison Control Centers Reauthorization Act of 2024, which seeks to reauthorize the Poison Control Centers network program through 2029. The bill goes to the U.S. House of Representatives.
  • Luján also sent a letter to OpenAI following reports of safety concerns at the company. Read my story here.
  • Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-New Mexico, sponsored legislation to ratify a decades-long water dispute. Read my colleague Hannah Grover’s story here.

Historic events took place last week with President Joe Biden exiting the presidential race and announcing Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor on the ballot.

This is the first time since 1968 that an incumbent president stepped away from his party’s nomination.

Biden officially left the presidential race on July 21. He endorsed Harris as his successor on the ballot.

The news swept across social media, regular media and dinner tables across America with a fair amount of positivity from the left and howls of derisive laughter from the right.

Harris is the presumptive nominee which will be determined at the Democratic National Convention Aug. 19-22.

All of New Mexico’s DNC delegates have pledged support for Harris. 

If Harris wins the November election, she will be the first woman president and first woman of color in the Oval Office.

More on this in my story here and my colleague Susan Dunlap’s story here.

This section was updated with the AIC response letter to the JEC’s allegations.

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