Dear Friends, 

As the year comes to an end, I’d like to highlight one of the most important services that my Congressional office provides – helping the people of our district with federal agencies! I’m pleased to share some of our success stories from 2022. 

This year, our casework team closed 688 cases. 

We also saved a grand total of $320,448 for constituents. 

We know that working with federal agencies can sometimes be hard or confusing. If you are having a problem with a federal agency, our office may be able to help!

Visit Fernandez.house.gov/services/help-federal-agency for more information, helpful resources, or to submit your case. While we cannot guarantee you a favorable outcome, we will do our best to help you receive a fair and timely response to your problem.

Around the District

On Tuesday, I kicked off my Farm-to-Congress listening tour at the Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute to learn your priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill and discuss how we can improve services for New Mexicans, fill gaps and remove barriers.

The Farm Bill provides critical funding for years of key nutrition and agriculture programs. Your input and your suggestions are key to the success of this legislation, and with your help, we can make a Farm Bill that works for all of us in 2023.

It was wonderful to join the Taos community and National Guard on Monday to mark the 37th year of Taos Feeds Taos! Taos Feeds Taos is a shining example of comunidad coming together to uplift the most vulnerable.

Legislative Corner

I proudly secured another $1.45 billion in Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon recovery funding in the end-of-year omnibus package. This additional funding is what justice looks like - the federal government taking responsibility for the harm it caused.

I recently co-led the National Laboratory Biotechnology Research Act with Representative Bill Foster to make sure our scientists continue their important work to protect Americans from current and future public health threats.

Some of the bills that I recently voted for, and the House passed include: 

• S. 1942, the National Heritage Area Act to reauthorize the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area and several others throughout the country.
• S. 989, the Native American Language Resource Center Act to improve the teaching and learning of Native American languages for students of all ages.
• S.4003, the Law Enforcement De-Escalation Training Act to support training for law enforcement officers and mental health professionals on crisis intervention teams.
• H.R. 1948, the VA Employee Fairness Act to ensure that Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) workers have collective bargaining rights afforded to other federal workers.
• H.R. 9640, the Presidential Tax Filing and Audit Transparency Act of 2022 to require annual audits of the president’s taxes.  
• H.R. 8393, the Puerto Rico Status Act to make sure that Puerto Ricans have a voice, a vote, and a choice between Statehood, Independence, or Sovereignty in Free Association with the United States.

Constituent Services

FEMA’s Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office is hiring! 

Do you want to help your fellow New Mexicans recover from the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire? 

Visit FEMA’s webpage HERE for more information. 

Challenge the FCC Broadband Maps by January 13, 2023

Last month, the FCC  released a pre-production draft of its new National Broadband Map. It’s important that these maps are as accurate as possible as we make transformational broadband investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

As part of the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection, internet service providers report where they make internet services available. The FCC reviews the data and then publishes it on the National Broadband Map. 

You can easily dispute, or challenge, the information shown on the map that you believe is inaccurate. Learn how to challenge internet availability at your home or another location HERE.

Follow me on Twitter @RepTeresaLF!