Rep. Gabe Vasquez Meets With New Mexico Farmers, Ranchers In Albuquerque To Set 2026 Farm Bill Priorities
Courtesy photo
STATE News:
ALBUQUERQUE — Feb. 17, 2026, U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) convened his Agriculture Advisory Group at the Gutierrez-Hubbell House in the South Valley to hear directly from New Mexico farmers, ranchers, food banks, state officials, and agricultural advocates about their top priorities and challenges as Congress prepares to take up the 2026 Farm Bill next week.
The meeting brought together a broad cross-section of New Mexico’s agricultural community, including representatives from the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, Agri-Cultura Cooperative Network, Read More
Chairwoman Barela Issues Official Statement On Conclusion Of New Mexico’s 2026 Legislative Session
RPNM News:
SANTA FE — As we expected, this legislative session proved that Republicans are serious about wanting to make our communities safer, spend tax dollars efficiently and responsibly, & improve access to healthcare across our state. Democrats, however, approached the legislative session differently as they prioritized their ‘hate-everything-Trump’ policy agenda over everything else. Democrats went after Second Amendment rights, made New Mexico a safe haven for criminal illegal immigrants, increased government spending, and made every attempt to damage New Mexico’s Read More
Governor Celebrates Landmark Final Legislative Session
STATE News:
SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham Thursday celebrated passage of landmark bills approved by the New Mexico Legislature during her final session, including medical malpractice reform, universal childcare and new public safety, health care and education initiatives.
The 2026 legislative session delivered a responsible, forward-looking budget that reflects New Mexico’s fiscal strength and the governor’s commitment to investing in New Mexicans. The FY 2027 budget totals $33.4 billion —including more than $11 billion from the general fund—and increases Read More
Canceled: County Personal Board Meeting Feb. 24
COUNTY News:
The Los Alamos County Personnel Board meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 24, has been canceled due to a lack of agenda items. Read More
How Did New Mexico Housing Bills Fare In 30 Day Session? A Few Wins, Several Disappointments
The Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Post file photo
By MIKE EASTERLING
The Santa Fe New Mexican
It took nearly every minute of the New Mexico Legislature’s 30-day session to get it done, but a measure that will make zero-interest loans available for qualified, first-time buyers of starter homes earned legislative approval Thursday morning.
The Senate’s last-minute passage of House Bill 200 gave affordable housing advocates a late victory at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe just before lawmakers adjourned and headed home.
HB 200, designed to create the New Homes for New Mexico Program, was Read More
Office Of The State Engineer Enforcement Bill Heads To Governor’s Desk After Strong Bipartisan Support
State Engineer Elizabeth Anderson
STATE News:
SANTA FE – A bill raising the maximum penalty for illegal water use from $100 to $3,400 per day—the first major update to New Mexico’s water enforcement authority in more than a century—is headed to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk after passing the legislature with near-unanimous bipartisan support.
House Bill 111 modernizes the Office of the State Engineer’s (OSE) enforcement tools against illegal water use at a moment when scarcity is intensifying across New Mexico. Once signed, the measure will mark one of the most significant updates Read More
New Mexico Legislature Wraps Up 30-Day Session After Busy Final Week
State House Speaker Javíer Martinez, D-Albuquerque, and Rep. Christine Chandler, D-Los Alamos, embrace following a Democratic news conference at the Capitol after the 2026 legislative session ended Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. Gabriela Campos/The New Mexican
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham laughs while listening to final comments made by members of the House of Representatives during her final news conference to conclude the 2026 legislative session on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. Gabriela Campos/The New Mexican
By DANIEL J. CHACÓN and CLARA BATES
The Santa Fe New Mexican
In years past, Gov. Read More
Ringside Seat: Saints & Sinners At The Statehouse
By MILAN SIMONICH
The Santa Fe New Mexican
The great Damon Runyon said he preferred writing about losers because they were more entertaining than winners.
His premise doesn’t hold up in modern-day New Mexico.
Two big losers from the state’s 30-day legislative session are Democratic Sens. Peter Wirth of Santa Fe and Joe Cervantes of Las Cruces. They are lawyers who represent plaintiffs in medical malpractice cases.
Both senators should have excused themselves from every debate and all votes on a bill to cap punitive damages that juries can award in malpractice cases.
Cervantes introduced a Read More
New Mexico Secretary Of State Highlights Passage Of Critical Election Bills In 2026 Legislative Session
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver
STATE News:
The 2026 New Mexico legislative session saw the passage of multiple bills that fortify the existing accessibility, stability and security of New Mexico’s elections.
“New Mexico currently ranks first in the nation for election administration, and I commend the legislature on helping ensure we remain at the top of that list. With the passage of SJR 1, eligible voters will have the opportunity in November to eliminate discriminatory provisions in our Constitution that date back to when women could only vote in school elections Read More
Bill To Ensure New Mexico Students Receive High-Quality Research-based Literacy Instruction Heads To Governor
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham
STATE News:
SANTA FE — A bill that would ensure New Mexico students receive high-quality, research-based literacy instruction aligned with the science of reading has cleared both chambers of the legislature, and the governor plans to sign it into law.
The New Mexico House of Representatives unanimously approved Senate Bill 37—the High-Quality Literacy Instruction Act—last night following the Senate’s unanimous vote in favor of the bill Jan. 29.
“SB 37 builds on my administration’s long-term strategy to give every New Mexico child a solid foundation for educational Read More
New Mexico Legislature Approves SB101 To Make Hospital Funding Program Permanent; Bill Heads To Governor
NMHCA News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Legislature gave unanimous approval Tuesday to Senate Bill 101, legislation that would permanently extend a state program supporting hospitals that serve Medicaid patients across New Mexico.
SB 101 passed with unanimous bipartisan support, clearing the Senate 31–0 and the House 57–0.
The bill repeals the sunset clause in the Health Care Delivery and Access Act and ensures continued financial support for eligible hospitals that care for Medicaid members.
“Making this program permanent helps ensure hospitals across New Mexico have the stability Read More
Local Democratic Party To Meet March 2
DPLAC News:
The Democratic Party of Los Alamos County (DPLAC) will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 2, with the business portion of the meeting beginning around 7 p.m. at the White Rock Branch Library, 10 Sherwood Blvd.
For a Zoom option to attend the meeting, click here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81654127593, Meeting ID: 816 5412 7593.
Planned agenda items:
- Candidate introductions, 3 minutes each;
- Executive team updates (Chair, Vice Chair, Ward Chairs);
- Local candidate recruiting; and
- Results of the 2026 ward meetings.
Upcoming events:
- 2026 DPNM pre-primary convention, March 7, 12-4
House Dems Pass Critical Healthcare Bills, Including Medical Malpractice Reform
NMDP News:
SANTA FE — Feb. 14, the New Mexico House of Representatives passed three important bills to improve access to high quality, affordable healthcare statewide. All three bills are part of the House Democrats’ comprehensive healthcare agenda for this session and each now heads to the Senate for consideration.
House Bill 99, which makes targeted changes to New Mexico’s medical malpractice laws to improve the climate for doctors and providers while protecting patient safety, passed the House floor by a vote of 66-3.
“New Mexico’s doctor shortage leads to longer wait times and delayed Read More
Legislative Roundup: 1 Day Left In Session
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks to students, educators and professionals during STEM day in the rotunda at the state Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. Nathan Burton/The New Mexican
The Santa Fe New Mexican Staff Report:
Health care loan repayment: House Bill 66, an expansion of the state’s student loan repayment program for doctors, passed the Senate unanimously with little discussion Wednesday afternoon.
It now heads to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk.
The measure would allow a doctor to receive up to $75,000 per year over four years of service in New Mexico, for a total Read More
$1.25 Billion Capital Outlay Bill Nears The Finish Line
By LILY ALEXANDER
The Santa Fe New Mexican
The New Mexico Legislature is set allocate more than $1.255 billion for building projects throughout the state in the next fiscal year, including more than $175 million in pork barrel spending in the capital city and Santa Fe County.
Senate Bill 240, which soared through the Senate on Wednesday and was still waiting for a vote on the House floor before the session’s final hour, includes at least $7.3 million in capital outlay for city of Santa Fe projects and more than $8 million for the county government. A large portion of funding in the county—$95 Read More
New Mexico Legislature Passes Senate Bill 29 To Strengthen Math Education Statewide
Public Education Secretary Mariana D. Padilla
NMPED News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Legislature has passed Senate Bill 29 (SB 29), bipartisan legislation designed to strengthen mathematics instruction and improve student outcomes in public schools across the state.
SB 29 establishes a comprehensive framework to enhance math teaching and learning, including stronger preparation requirements for educators, expanded professional development and early identification of students who may need additional support in mathematics.
Beginning in the 2027–2028 school year, schools will Read More
Jury Finds Angel Fire Mayor Knowingly Violated Procurement Code In State Ethics Commission Enforcement Action
New Mexico State Ethics Commission News:
ALBUQUERQUE – A Colfax County jury returned a verdict in favor of the New Mexico State Ethics Commission in State Ethics Commission ex rel. Village of Angel Fire v. Lindsey, et al., finding that Angel Fire Mayor Barry Lindsey knowingly violated the New Mexico Procurement Code in connection with a $1 million contract awarded to Carristo Creative Consulting LLC.
The verdict was returned on Feb. 17, 2026, following a jury trial in the Eighth Judicial District Court in Raton, N.M., before the Honorable Steven Romero. The jury found that Mayor Lindsey knowingly Read More
House Advances Tax Package With 1% Raise For New Mexico Workers, State Budget
By DANIEL J. CHACÓN
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Proposed 1% raises for state government employees that were stripped from New Mexico’s spending plan in House Bill 2 to fund other priorities found a lifeline Wednesday in an unlikely place: an omnibus tax package.
“When … our people are left out in the cold with their pockets not as full as they could be, we have to do something to make it right,” Rep. Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo, said before the House passed the tax package, Senate Bill 151, on a 43-19 vote.
The tax package has an estimated total capacity of $110 million, generated by “decoupling” Read More
Last-Ditch Proposal Would Aid New Mexico Communities Set To Lose ICE Revenue
The Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Post file photo
By CLARA BATES
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Editor’s note: If the House takes action on this bill tonight there may be an updated version.
Local governments in New Mexico affected by the state’s decision to ban contracts with the federal government to hold immigration detainees could receive “bridge funding” under legislation the Senate passed unanimously Wednesday.
The Senate’s vote to pass Senate Bill 273 came with only around 24 hours before the end of this year’s regular legislative session. The bill, which also cleared two Senate committees with Read More
Robinson: One-sided Clear Horizons Act Failed In Senate
By SHERRY ROBINSON
All She Wrote
© 2026 New Mexico News Services
The Clear Horizons Act was another of those bills we’ve seen so often in New Mexico that balances the environment against the economy. In a floor vote, the Senate chose the economy.
Senate Bill 18 was one of those marquee bills that got a lot of attention before and during the session. Senate President Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, revamped the bill she carried last year. It would help reduce natural disasters driven by climate change if legislators could cement greenhouse gas reductions in state law, supporters believed.
I’m not Read More
