August provides U.S. Senators a chance to step back from the work we do in Washington for our constituents, and actually get to spend some time at home with you and gain your feedback. This month I’ve have the opportunity to cross New Mexico to see and hear from so many of the people I am proud to represent.

So far, it’s been a whirlwind recess. I’ve done everything from tasting fresh peanut butter made with our own specialty organic peanuts to cutting the ribbon at the commissioning ceremony for the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Facility – our nation’s leading research facility of its kind. I’ve met with local officials over coffee, and I’ve chatted with New Mexicans at local fairs. I was briefed on plans for a new regional substance abuse center, and I surveyed progress on a major Army Corps of Engineers flood control project.

And that was just in the first week! Such a schedule always reminds me of how much I treasure my time in the state among New Mexicans, and how very important our work in Washington remains.

Please enjoy this month’s issue of the Domenici Report!

Sincerely,

An often overlooked but pressing challenge that faces our nation is remaining globally competitive, and to do that we must look for solutions to address a growing shortage of scientists, researchers, and mathematicians.

I was proud to coauthor an important piece of legislation, the America Competes Act, which seeks to fill the gaps in our nation’s laboratories, research facilities, and institutions by making math and science education a national priority. My colleagues in Congress agreed that this legislation was imperative and we sent to the bill to be signed into law by President Bush earlier this month. Senator Bingaman and I joined the President at the White House to witness the signing (pictured below).

The America Competes Act will deploy funds and authorize programs to quell the impending shortage. It will provide grants of up to $6 million to help states create specialty math and science schools.  Department of

Energy laboratories will be partners in this effort in several ways, including “adopting” schools to strengthen their math and science capability.

The Act also creates a broad range of programs to strengthen the skills of math and science teachers and encourages mathematicians and scientists to pass along their knowledge in teaching roles.  It provides resources to encourage students to enroll in Advanced Placement international baccalaureate programs.  It will also make money available to recruit 10,000 new math and science teachers and retrain thousands of existing ones.

This law is a product of several years of work by many individuals in the Senate – Republicans and Democrats alike. It is a huge step in the right direction for our country, a step that could not have been taken by just one Senator or one party. The future is bright for Americans due, in part, to this law.

Parents and students can get a head start on planning with the help of this School-Family-Community Partnerships Toolkit for New Mexico School Communities: www.ped.state.nm.us/

New Mexico has always been renowned for its natural wonders, and the newly discovered Snowy River Passage in Lincoln County is no exception. Several years ago, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) volunteers discovered a two mile long continuous calcite formation. This unprecedented discovery is a magnificent find that speaks volumes about the importance of protecting this exceptional formation. Recently, a new subterranean passageway was unveiled to allow scientist and researchers safer access to the Snowy River to conduct hydrologic, microorganism and paleoclimate studies.

This breakthrough revealed the fact that water is now flowing over the snowy calcite. This is an exhilarating discovery and I look forward to backing up these underground discoveries with enactment of legislation to protect the cave.

Legislation that I introduced has been passed by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and is awaiting consideration by the full Senate. The bill, S.260, creates a Fort Stanton-Snowy River Cave National Conservation Area to protect and preserve the natural and unique features of the Snowy River Passage and the Fort Stanton Cave, and authorizes BLM to develop a comprehensive, long-term management plan for the cave area.

For Bureau of Land Management information on the Snowy River Passage, visit:
www.nm.blm.gov

Read New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Information here: www.nmt.edu

I am sure most New Mexicans are aware of the importance of agriculture to our state. New Mexico was recently ranked first in pecan production and New Mexico’s dairy industry is seventh in the nation for milk production. Peanuts are also a $50 million crop for New Mexico and we rank first in production of organic peanuts. Naturally, our state is the top chile producer, the crop most near and dear to many New Mexicans’ hearts and stomachs. With these agricultural products and other specialty crops in mind, the importance of the 2007 Farm Bill to our state is clear.

In January, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns unveiled the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2007 Farm Bill proposals. Since that time the House has passed HR.3161, its version of the Farm Bill, and the Senate Agriculture Committee has been working to draft its version of this legislation.

While I do not serve on this committee, I recently met with Secretary Johanns to talk about the course of farm policy in this Congress, and how it could affect New Mexico agriculture and livestock production. I have also brought to the attention of the committee issues that are important to New Mexico. For instance it is critically important that this year’s Farm Bill provide greater access to the Farm Credit System. New Mexico is experiencing tremendous economic growth in rural communities and expanded access to this system will ensure this continues.

Also of particular importance to New Mexico are specialty crops. For this reason I have urged my colleagues to support a number of specialty crop Farm Bill proposals that are included in the Specialty Crops Competition Act of 2007 (S.1160), of which I am a cosponsor. Inclusion of this comprehensive legislation in the Farm Bill will help address a broad range of needs, including competitiveness, nutrition programs, international trade, invasive pests and disease.

To allow New Mexico’s valuable peanut program to thrive, the Farm Bill must allow for orderly marketing, storage and handling payments that are critical to program operations. When changes were made to the peanut program in 2002 Farm Bill, Congress acknowledged that these payments would be necessary to make the program functional. However, Congress has failed to act on this issue. For this reason I have asked the committee to address this in the 2007 Farm Bill.

I want New Mexicans to know when the Senate takes up this legislation I will work to make sure it contains policies that fairly treat all of New Mexico’s agriculture industry.

View the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s New Mexico farm statistics here: www.ers.usda.gov

Check out a great New Mexico agriculture overview for kids (and adults!) here: www.agclassroom.org

One of the challenges of the highly successful Character Counts program is keeping the momentum going year after year.

This month I want to spotlight Character Counts pioneers in McKinley County who are doing just that. They launched Character Counts in their own classrooms, and each year a new class of youth learns the rewards of doing the right thing.

Linda Ohle has made Character Counts an integral part of the culture of Gallup Junior High School, where she is a teacher. Each year, she helps build the school community–students and teachers alike–on the foundation of Respect, Responsibility, Citizenship, Fairness, Trustworthiness and Caring. Frank Chiapetti, Gallup Junior High School’s principal, has fully supported Linda’s work and the Character Counts movement at the school. Not only does he allow Character Counts principles to be in the advisory class curriculum, but he also lives his own life by the six pillars.

Sandra Ki has done the same thing at Tohatchi Elementary. She’s made incorporating the lessons of Character Counts a community effort. Sandra was also instrumental in obtaining a marquee for her school to promote “the word of the month."

These champions for character in McKinley County are helping area young people, and even some adults, make our state an even better place to grow and prosper.
Kids went back to school this month, and across New Mexico young people re-pledged their support for Character Counts. These students took part in the KOAT-TV special “Character Counts is the Heart of New Mexico."

When her hours at her retail job were cut, Liana Sanchez decided to set her own hours and the San Ildefonso Pueblo mother formed her own small business, Avanyu, LLC. With the help of ACCION New Mexico, the pueblo-based construction company is now winning six figure contracts and employing more than a dozen people. I am proud to be a partner of ACCION, which has helped empower those with an entrepreneurial streak, like Liana Sanchez.

The mild and picturesque transition from summer to fall in New Mexico provides the perfect backdrop for some of the year’s most exciting and unique seasonal events. You might want to check out:

The Great American Duck Race
August 23-26, 2007
Deming, New Mexico
www.demingduckrace.com/

Hatch Chile Festival 2007
September 1 & 2, 2007
Hatch, New Mexico
www.hatchnm.biz

Hillsboro Apple Festival
September 1-3, 2007
Hillsboro, New Mexico
www.zianet.com

New Mexico Open Golf Tournament
September 4-8, 2007
Ruidoso, New Mexico
Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino
www.innofthemountaingods.com

3rd Annual Tularosa Basin Wine Festival
September 15-16, 2007
Tularosa, New Mexico
NM Vine & Wine Tularosa Basin Chapter
www.villageoftularosa.com

19th Annual Top of the World Mountain Bike Race
September 16, 2007
Red River, New Mexico
rrinfo@redriverchamber.org

Annual Taos Trade Fair
September 22-23, 2007
Taos, New Mexico
Taos Historical Museums, Hacienda de los Mart.
www.taoschamber.com

In search of a weekend getway you’ll never forget? Why not visit New Mexico’s capital city of Santa Fe and join in the fiesta?

Each year, the city of Santa Fe celebrates Fiesta, a community-wide party that is kicked off on Thursday night with this year’s 83rd annual burning of Zozobra (“Old Man Gloom”), then officially gets started at noon on Friday on Santa Fe’s historic plaza. Steeped in tradition, the Santa Fe Fiesta began nearly 300 years ago and is the longest continually running annual celebration in the United States.

The Santa Fe Fiesta will be held from Sept. 6-9. See a schedule of festivities here:
www.santafefiesta.org/

To learn all about the history of Fiesta and what this year’s celebration includes, visit: www.santafefiesta.org

Will Shuster's Zozobra™ is the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe's major fundraiser. All proceeds are used to provide college scholarships to local high school seniors, grants to local non-profits who focus on the children and youth of Santa Fe and an endowment fund. The goal of the endowment is to guarantee that the scholarships granted will always be funded. The Kiwanis

currently fund 22 scholarships and present grants to about 20 local non-profits.

Zozobra. © 2007, courtesty of Ray Valdez

Information and facts about this truly Santa Fean tradition can be found here: www.zozobra.com