New Mexico's Legislature is becoming more diverse but its lawmakers are still the only ones unpaid in the nation, limiting who can afford to serve, and some lawmakers want voters to change it.

For several years a group of legislators -- all women and all Democrats -- have advocated for modernizing the system to provide lawmakers with a base salary.

Rep. Joy Garratt, D-Albuquerque, said many women and people of color don't have jobs allowing them to serve, which is why until recently, both chambers were primarily dominated by wealthy white men.

"It doesn't look like that anymore, but there's so many people that would be excellent legislators, but they can't quit their jobs - there's not the kind of support that they need."

Garratt said the bill to pay lawmakers a salary saw some traction in 2023 but this year's short, 30-day session stalled efforts.

If it is successful next year, the bill would send a constitutional amendment to voters to decide. Legislators' pay amounts would then be determined by a citizens' commission, which Republican lawmakers have said could be dangerous unless there is a salary cap.

Some argued without a salary, it is difficult to govern effectively with committee meetings, planning sessions, calls and emails coming in all year. When Garratt was elected, she was still teaching school but said her union contract allowed professional leave for legislative duties.

While lawmakers receive a per diem rate of about $200 per day to cover some expenses, Garratt believes a salary might make running for office a feasible option for parents and other full-time workers.

"We're not California with $112,000 salaries; we're not New York with $146,000, we're New Mexico," Garratt stressed. "We're not looking for this elaborate salary but we're looking for more of a living wage-type salary."

Garratt would like to see a separate referendum passed to make all legislative sessions 60 days. New Mexico's are among the shortest legislative sessions in the U.S.


get more stories like this via email

March is Women's History Month and an Arkansas native has made history by being honored with a $1 coin from the U.S. Mint.

The late Raye Montague was an engineer with the U.S. Navy and created the first computer-generated rough draft of a U.S. naval ship in 1971. Because of her work, ships could be designed in 18 hours instead of two years.

David Montague, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Raye's son, said his family worked closely with the mint to create the coin's design.

"It was her with her hand over her heart, which is patriotic, and then looking over the ship that she designed, the Oliver Hazard Perry," Montague explained. "That struck me immediately. And then the background, underneath the ship is the sea, and then that is actually a computer grid."

He recalled when he was a child, he collected coins with his mother, so it is fitting she would receive the honor. She died in 2018.

Last year, the federal building where she worked, in Bethesda, Maryland, was renamed the Raye Montague Center for Maritime Technology. Her son pointed out although his mother faced obstacles, she created time to help others.

"She saw it as the natural course of her professional opportunities," Montague observed. "If she was able to gain opportunities to do things and grow as a human being, she wanted to make sure that she opened doors for other people and was trying to make the world a better place."

The coin was released earlier this year and Montague noted it is already being used to continue his mother's legacy. The currency was shared with kids in an Arkansas youth group.

"They used the coin to say you all are Arkansas youth and this person was an Arkansas youth, and look, they're on a dollar coin," Montague added. "If she can do great things, as long as you work hard and you push for opportunities, then you have options as well."


get more stories like this via email

Women in rural areas struggle more with menopause than their urban counterparts, according to a study from the University of Washington.

Rural women reported more symptoms like joint pain and mood swings in one of the first studies to look at menopausal rural-urban discrepancies.

Dr. Susan Reed, program director at the University of Washington Women's Reproductive Health Research Center and an author of the report, said she's not surprised by the results. She stressed the study is a signal medical providers need to do better for the rural population.

"If people transition through this period in a healthy fashion, they live longer," Reed outlined. "They have fewer cardiovascular problems and perhaps better brain aging."

Reed noted other studies have shown women in rural areas are struggling with higher mortality rates and other health issues like higher suicide rates and obesity. She added there is decreased access in rural places because of the long distances people often have to travel to receive care.

"People providing menopause health care in rural areas, many of them are really passionate and do a good job," Reed observed. "There just aren't enough of them."

Reed emphasized there are other factors contributing to poor menopausal care, not just for women in rural areas but urban and suburban areas too. She argued hormonal therapy is a safe and effective treatment and there should be a higher prevalence of its use.

"The challenges there are due to misinformation on the internet, fear of patients," Reed explained. "And then providers not being skilled enough to help people understand risks and benefits of menopausal hormone therapy."


get more stories like this via email

The gender gap in Ohio politics persists, and President Donald Trump's new executive order eliminating federal diversity programs is expected to create more challenges for women and other underrepresented groups in public service.

Ohio Women in Government is among the organizations working to bridge this gap by offering scholarships to students who take unpaid internships in state government. The group's vice president-elect, Andrea Harless, said the $1,500 awards are designed to alleviate financial burdens, especially for those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.

"There are young women that just do not have the financial means to come to Columbus for a summer and pay to have an unpaid internship, and that does create barriers," she said. "It's very real for a lot of people."

Applications for the current round of scholarships will close today with another round planned for later in the year. More information on the scholarships is online at OhioWomenInGovernment.com.

The elimination of diversity programs has drawn criticism from organizations advocating for equitable representation. Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio, argued that women continue to face systemic obstacles in entering and advancing in government, including disparities in campaign funding and policy influence.

"Diversity doesn't mean that we're not inviting people who are very qualified to the table," she said. "It means we're trying to have a diversity of opinions so that, in fact, we can create good public policy that we can address the needs for all the people in the country."

She added that eliminating these initiatives weakens government institutions by limiting diverse perspectives in policymaking.

Ohio Women in Government president-elect Julia Wynn encouraged young women to pursue public service.

"It starts with making sure that young women have faith in themselves to be the decisionmaker for their communities," she said.

Wynn said the more women who rise up and understand the legislative process, the more that can be accomplished.