Worsening environmental conditions because of extreme weather and climate change are cited as why proactive legislation is needed by the New Mexico Legislature this session.

Rep. Liz Thomson, D-Albuquerque, is co-sponsoring the Public Health and Climate Resiliency Act, noting the state is prone to drought, extreme heat, wildfires and subsequent flooding, all of which can affect people's health.

Examples can include worsening asthma, heart conditions and other breathing issues from wildfires, while polluted water can cause lead poisoning or cancer.

Thomson said harmful weather events have a disproportionate impact on children's health because their bodies and immune systems are still developing, making them more susceptible.

"We have a lot of rural and a lot of poor people who don't have the luxury of having a swamp cooler or an air conditioner, and I worry about New Mexicans' health," Thomson stated. "We have a dire shortage of almost every health care provider."

Emergency room visits for respiratory issues during the 2022 wildfire season were estimated to be nearly 20% higher compared with previous years. The legislation has passed the Health and Human Services Committee and heads to the House Appropriations and Finance Committee.

If passed, the bill would designate a total of $5 million dollars to create a Public Health and Climate Resiliency Program within the Department of Health.

Sen. Liz Stefanics, D-Cerillos, the bill's sponsors in the Senate, said to start, two staffers would be hired to oversee distribution of the money.

"The rest of the money would be grants of up to $250,000 that would be available to communities, tribes, Pueblos, towns, counties, cities to apply for, for technical assistance to do these evaluations," Stefanics outlined.

Stefanics said money distributed to various entities would be used to develop and implement response systems before extreme weather events take place.

Illinois is making history as the first state to collect Middle Eastern and North African representation data on all state forms and surveys.

With the passage of House Bill 3768 Illinois will count Arab Americans and other minorities from the Middle East and North Africa.

Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, D-Bridgeview, said the data collected is far more than just symbolic.

"You are valued, and you will no longer be invisible in the data," Rashid explained. "When the census was being done in 2020, Arab American organizations were encouraging people to write under the 'other' section to say Middle Eastern or Arab or Palestinian or whatever your background was. They have been defaulted to 'white,' so we have been completely invisible in the data."

The 2020 census was supposed to have a checkbox for Middle Eastern and North African residents, but it was removed by President Donald Trump prior to data collection.

Arab communities have been fighting to be included in the census for decades, so it is not a new idea but Rashid said it finally allows for them to be seen. Rashid argued the data will have real-world effects, and they will be able to see outcomes in health care, education, employment and economics and get a glimpse into what the needs and challenges are. Once there is enough data, they will know how to make adjustments to serve the communities better. He encouraged people to use the checkbox.

"This data, once it starts being collected and once we have enough of it, will give us really important insights," Rashid contended. It will become very important to help us understand the lives and needs of the Arab American community in Illinois."

Gov. JB Pritzker tweeted this week history had been made and he looks forward to signing the bill into law to ensure a more equitable Illinois.


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The Michigan Senate has passed legislation to confirm wearing natural hair should not prevent anyone from rising in the workplace, in education or in society in general.

Renee McCauley, a great-grand niece of civil-rights icon Rosa Parks, said the CROWN Act finally allows Michigan as a state to embrace her family and heritage fully.

She described how her great grand aunt relocated from Alabama to Detroit because of racism and was welcomed by the city to live and be herself.

"With the passing of Senate Bill 90 and the CROWN Act, I think that's a step in saying OK to some more of the ideals of embracing how people are as their natural selves," McCauley stated. "I think she would agree with that. I'm happy, I just think it's a great day for Michigan."

The CROWN Act is law in 20 U.S. states, 44 cities and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to the CROWN Act's website. Five states have not filed legislation for the act. The bill now moves to the House.

At a news conference following passage of the act, Sen. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, recalled stories of discrimination including a young girl in Mount Pleasant whose hair was cut by school personnel, an elementary school child in Jackson who was told she could not pose for school pictures because of her braids, and a man in mid-Michigan who was denied health care coverage.

Chris White, Michigan state director for Restaurant Opportunity Centers United, expanded on the limitations specifically in the restaurant industry.

"If you're a waitress, will you get scheduled for shifts where the big tips come where the restaurant is the busiest? Will you get a promotion if there's a general-manager position or district-manager position open?" White asked. "We have to take into account hair discrimination and promotional opportunities."

The CROWN Act will protect against discrimination on hair texture and race-based hairstyles, including but not limited to braids, dreadlocks, twists and Afros.

Japanese Americans gather this weekend for memorial events at the World War II Topaz internment camp in Delta, and in Salt Lake City, to mark the 80th anniversary of a murder.

In 1943, James Wakasa was walking his dog inside the internment camp when an Army guard shot and killed him, alleging Wakasa was trying to escape.

Ann Tamaki Dion, a third generation Japanese American, a Topaz camp descendant and president of the group Friends of Topaz, a group which actively supports the Topaz Museum in Delta, said several of her family members lived or were born at the internment camp.

"Yes it's a personal story, but it is an important story for all Americans," Dion explained. "Because we happened to be a targeted group in 1942. But this can certainly happen to any other group in the United States."

Dion added the event which took Wakasa's life at age 63 symbolizes not only his tragic death, but the many injustices endured by Japanese Americans incarcerated during the war. Dion noted on Friday and Saturday, groups will commemorate his life and bring the community together, to continue to heal.

According to Friends of Topaz, from 1942 to 1945, more than 11,000 people of Japanese descent were imprisoned at the Topaz camp, most of them American citizens. Today, although many have since passed away, friends and descendants will commemorate their survivors' experiences and stories, and reflect on the impact on generations who followed.

"This is a trauma that has passed down, it's a history that we always shared within the family," Dion observed. "And to get a form of resolution and recognition in sharing the story, because it is very important."

Dion added some of those in attendance are survivors of other internment camps, as well as the people of Delta, whom she said "saw fit to help preserve" the stories of Topaz. Some of their stories are shared online at topazstories.com.


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