PROMOTE NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT

SM004

SENATE MEMORIAL 4

57
th legislature
- STATE OF NEW MEXICO -
second session
, 2026

INTRODUCED BY

Antoinette Sedillo Lopez

A MEMORIAL

EXPRESSING THE RESOLVE OF THE NEW MEXICO SENATE TO PROMOTE
NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT AND THE RATIFICATION OF THE TREATY ON THE
PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

WHEREAS, the continued existence of more than twelve
thousand nuclear weapons worldwide poses a grave and
existential threat to the residents of New Mexico; and

WHEREAS, the New Mexico legislature stands for a society
that takes responsibility for the welfare of its future
generations; and

WHEREAS, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and repeated
threats to use nuclear weapons have dramatically increased the
danger of nuclear war; and

WHEREAS, the residents of New Mexico have expressed their
deep concern about the continuing threat of nuclear war over
many decades and continue to do so; and

WHEREAS, while it is the federal government and not the
state that has jurisdiction over matters relating to nuclear
weapons, state and local governments will be largely
responsible for the immediate disaster response in the event of
a nuclear weapon detonation; and

WHEREAS, it has been shown that the policies and actions
of states can lead to important and necessary changes at the
federal level and even internationally; and

WHEREAS, in order to prevent the unthinkable catastrophe
of a nuclear war or a nuclear accident, a complete elimination
of nuclear weapons is necessary in line with the Treaty on the
Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which entered into force as
international law on January 22, 2021;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE
OF NEW MEXICO that congratulations be extended to the seventy
countries that have signed and ratified the Treaty on the
Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the New Mexico senate join the
legislatures of California, Oregon and Rhode Island, the Maine
state senate, the New Jersey assembly and the cities and towns
throughout the country that have taken action to protect their
residents from the existential threat of nuclear war by
embracing the treaty and endorsing the back from the brink
platform, which calls on federal leaders to embrace the Treaty
on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and to take immediate
steps to prevent nuclear war by actively pursuing a verifiable
agreement among nuclear-armed states to eliminate their nuclear
arsenals, renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first,
ending the president of the United States' sole, unchecked
authority to launch a nuclear attack, taking the United States'
nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert and canceling the plan
to replace the United States' entire arsenal with enhanced
weapons; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the New Mexico senate urge all
members of the New Mexico congressional delegation to cosponsor
or endorse House Resolution 317 or Senate Resolution 323 of the
one hundred nineteenth congress, both of which call for the
United States to adopt the policy provisions of the back from
the brink platform; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it shall be the policy of the
New Mexico senate to pursue whatever measures may be found
necessary and appropriate to protect the residents of the state
from the existential threat posed by nuclear weapons and to
contribute in whatever ways the senate can toward the total
elimination of nuclear weapons from all countries, in line with
the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
transmitted to the president and vice president of the United
States, the speaker and minority floor leader of the United
States house of representatives, the majority and minority
floor leaders of the United States senate, the members of New
Mexico's congressional delegation and the governor.

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