Jay Block, a Senator from New Mexico, has expressed concerns over a new ethics committee policy that he claims allows legislators to mistreat staff members without facing repercussions. Block made this statement on the social media platform X.
"Abusing staffers is now legal in New Mexico thanks to a new rule by Democrats," said Jay C Block, New Mexico State Senator from 12th District (R). "Powerful legislators are now allowed to abuse staffers thanks to trailblazing head abuser, Senate Pro Tem Mimi Stewart. The Democrats showed abuse of unity by supporting this new policy on the ethics committee. The Democrats new motto: the beatings will continue until morale improves."
The New Mexico legislative ethics committee revised its anti-harassment policy in December 2022. According to KSFR, the update included adding a non-lawmaker with expertise in harassment law to the ethics panel. This change was intended to help resolve tie votes and address complaints more efficiently.
Recent statistics on staff abuse within the New Mexico legislature indicate that an ethics hearing in 2025 found Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart faced a complaint for verbally abusing a staffer but did not face any disciplinary action. This information was reported by Source New Mexico.
According to Source New Mexico, disciplinary actions for ethics violations in the New Mexico Senate are infrequent. The 2025 case involving Stewart is noted as the only recent publicized instance, and it concluded without formal sanctions.
Block, as reported by Wikipedia, is a Republican who began serving as a New Mexico State Senator for District 12 in 2025. Prior to this role, he served on the Sandoval County Commission from 2016 to 2024, focusing on public safety and government reform.
