New Mexico Department Of Transportation Seeks $487 Million To Address Transportation Funding Gap
NMDOT Secretary Ricky Serna
NMDOT News:
SANTA FE — Deteriorating roads cost New Mexico drivers $3.6 billion a year, and the state has $5.6 billion in unfunded transportation needs.
The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) will present its $487 million nonrecurring request for fiscal year 2027 to the Legislative Finance Committee on Wednesday, citing declining fuel tax revenues, rising construction costs and diverse transportation sector needs.
The department’s proposed fiscal year 2027 operating budget is $1.3 billion — a $29.9 million decrease from the current fiscal year. Read More
Public Education Department Requests $81 Million To Strengthen Literacy And Fill Teacher Vacancies
PED News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) is requesting $81 million in new recurring investment to strengthen literacy programs, grow the educator workforce and expand student supports — priorities that take on heightened urgency as the federal government retreats from its historic role in public education.
The department’s fiscal year 2027 budget request reflects a 1.7 percent recurring increase to the General Fund while shifting many reform initiatives from one-time appropriations to sustained investments. The budget aligns with the agency’s Read More
House Republicans Request Federal Investigation Into New Mexico DD Waiver Program After Prolonged State Inaction
NMHR News:
SANTA FE — Republican members of the New Mexico House of Representatives have formally requested that the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico initiate a federal investigation into the state’s Developmentally Disabled Waiver program after continued inaction at the state level. In February 2024, a bipartisan group of 63 legislators urged the New Mexico Attorney General to investigate concerns surrounding the DD Waiver program and report findings to the Legislature. Despite months of bipartisan concern, no report was ever delivered.
“New Mexico’s DD Waiver program exists Read More
Heinrich Highlights Economic Benefits Of America’s National Parks, Condemns Recent Announcement To Remove Fee-Free Admission Of Juneteenth, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivers opening remarks during a National Parks Subcommittee hearing, Dec. 9, 2025. Courtesy photo
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — During a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks hearing to consider 26 pending bills, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the full committee, delivered opening remarks on the role national parks play in boosting our country’s economy and the importance of protecting public lands as the Trump Administration continues to divest from National Park Service sites. Read More
State Seeks To Hire Hundreds Of Child Welfare Workers, Expand Kids’ Mental Health Services
Valerie Sandoval
Acting Cabinet Secretary
CYFD News:
SANTA FE — New Mexico is seeking to hire hundreds of child welfare workers, expand substance abuse and infant mental health programs, and strengthen safety nets for vulnerable children and families under a proposed $422.3 million state budget.
The New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) fiscal year 2027 budget represents a 4.7 percent increase and seeks $43.1 million of General Fund investments to replace expired federal health services grants, to add wrap-around services in communities and to broaden alternative Read More
New Mexico PED To Offer 3,000 Paid High School Internships
Public Education Secretary Mariana D. Padilla
PED News:
SANTA FE — New Mexico high school students will have access to as many as 3,000 paid summer internships next year, giving them hands-on work experience in careers ranging from health care to technology.
The New Mexico Public Education Department’s (PED) Summer Enrichment Internship Program, launched in 2021, is expanding through a new statewide coalition led by Education at Work. The eight-week internships will focus on high-demand industries identified by the Department of Workforce Solutions.
“Students from every corner of our Read More
At Broadband Summit, Lopez Highlights Strong Community Coordination To Prevent Los Alamos-Style Failures
Scott Lopez delivers opening remarks at the New Mexico Broadband Summit on Dec. 3 at UNM’s Continuing Education Center in Albuquerque. Courtesy photo
By MARLENE WILDEN
Los Alamos Daily Post
marlene@ladailypost.com
New Mexico policymakers and industry officials on Wednesday said stronger collaboration among state agencies, internet providers and utility crews is imperative to preventing the kind of service failures that repeatedly disrupted Los Alamos this year. Such coordination is essential to advancing practical, long-term improvements as the state prepares for a major expansion Read More
Luján, Alsobrooks, Rosen Introduce Bill To Break Barriers In STEM And Strengthen America’s Future Workforce
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) introduced the 21st Century STEM for Girls and Underrepresented Minorities Act, designed to close persistent equity gaps in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and expand high-quality STEM education access for girls and students from underrepresented communities.
“New Mexico is at the forefront of science, technology, and innovation in the United States. That’s why I’m proud to introduce legislation that will help tap into more homegrown talent Read More
Republican Legislators To Host Las Cruces Public Safety Task Force Focused On Juvenile Crime
NMSR News:
LAS CRUCES — Republican lawmakers will host a public legislative task force focused on juvenile justice from 9 a.m.–3 p.m., Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. The task force will feature Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story, Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe, and New Mexico Department of Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Jason Bowie, in addition to state prosecutors, victims of juvenile crime, community stakeholders, and others.
This public hearing will provide expert testimony and policy discussion from various law enforcement entities, victims of violent crime, community stakeholders, Read More
Four Luján-Led Bills Signed Into Law As Part Of Major Bipartisan Effort To Address Fentanyl Crisis
U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján
STATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) applauded legislation to reauthorize the SUPPORT Act – a landmark federal investment to combat the fentanyl crisis through addiction prevention, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement efforts – being signed into law by the President. The bipartisan package of fentanyl prevention bills, led by U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), contains four bills led by Luján.
Originally enacted in 2018, the SUPPORT Act represents the foundation of the federal response to the opioid epidemic and fentanyl crisis. Its Read More
National Museum Of Nuclear Science & History 2026 Spyglass Festival Explores Secrets, Science, And Espionage Jan. 15-17
NMNSH News:
ALBUQUERQUE — The Spyglass Festival, a three-day event dedicated to the history and science of intelligence, espionage, and the Cold War, is Thursday, Jan. 15, through Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History (NMNSH) in Albuquerque.
The event offers an all-access pass to spy games, STEM adventures, secret-agent movie nights, and behind-the-scenes peeks at real historical artifacts.
The festival promises a weekend packed with action, designed to engage visitors of all ages through interactive learning and entertainment, while also Read More
Heinrich Introduces Native American Seeds Act
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) reintroduced the Native American Seeds Act of 2025, bipartisan, bicameral legislation that will assist Tribal governments working to protect seeds that are culturally significant to their communities. U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) is a cosponsor of the bill.
“I’m proud to lead legislation that will help preserve Tribes’ cultural practices and way of life by protecting Native seeds and traditional foodways for future generations,” Heinrich said. “This effort will grow local economies Read More
Dannemann: Where Are All The Government Employees?
By MERILEE DANNEMANN
Triple Spaced Again
DOGE, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, has been disbanded as of late November. What a relief.
DOGE was supposed to reduce fraud, waste and abuse in government. It may have fired as many as 260,000 federal employees, although many were rehired because, as it turned out, their jobs were important and they were needed.
The DOGE fiasco points to a critical issue in the endless debate about why government agencies exist. Among some conservatives, there’s a basic disrespect for government agencies and the people who work in them – the notion Read More
Robinson: Policing Fraud In New Mexico’s SNAP Program
By SHERRY ROBINSON
All She Wrote
© 2025 New Mexico News Services
During the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, Texas and Oklahoma farmers who lost everything headed west. Before they joined the great exodus to California chronicled by John Steinbeck in “Grapes of Wrath”, they were hoping to find work picking cotton in New Mexico or harvesting beets in Colorado.
They were not welcomed. The Depression had brought hard times to everyone. Charities were tapped out, and locals didn’t want competition for the modest benefits of the government’s New Deal programs. Even so, people held deeply conflicting views. Read More
LANL IBC Board Meeting Minutes Added To Reading Room
LANL News:
The following documents have been added to the Los Alamos National Laboratory Electronic Reading Room.
The document(s) have been submitted to fulfill one or more requirements of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Treasurer Montoya Voices Concerns On SEC Rule Change
Treasurer Laura Montoya
STATE News:
SANTA FE — This week, New Mexico Treasurer Laura Montoya as part of a coalition of 17 state treasurers and finance officials, signed a letter addressed to Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Paul S. Atkins voicing concerns about a change to Exchange Act Rule 14a-8, which governs the submission of shareholder proposals to companies.
Under the change, Rule 14a-8 permits companies to exclude a shareholder proposal if it is considered “improper under state law”.
Signatories of the letter stressed that relying on untested interpretations of state Read More
County Planning & Zoning Commission To Meet Dec. 10
COUNTY News:
The Los Alamos County Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to meet 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10 in Council Chambers at the Municipal Building at 1000 Central Ave.
The meeting is open to the public.
The agenda is available online and hard copies are available in the Community Development Department lobby (window 3) inside the Municipal Building during regular business hours. Read More
Deb Haaland Campaign Touts Community-Centered Solutions At Climate And Health Candidate Forum
Deb Haaland
STATE News:
ALBUQUERQUE — Thursday evening, on behalf of Deb Haaland who is running for governor, Demis Foster, the Chief Executive Officer of Conservation Voters of New Mexico (CVNM) discussed Haaland’s plans for climate and public health at a community town hall in Albuquerque. The event, hosted by Healthy Climate New Mexico, focused on solutions that candidates would invest in if elected to office.
Haaland’s experience as a working mother, a member of Laguna Pueblo, former Member of Congress, and Secretary of the Department of the Interior has shaped her deep understanding Read More
Heinrich Advocates For Mining Pollution Cleanup Of Pecos Watershed, Protection Of Gila River In Opening Statement
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), delivers opening remarks during a Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee hearing, Dec. 2, 2025. Courtesy photo
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — During a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee hearing to examine 26 pending bills, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Committee, delivered opening remarks on the need to pass his Pecos Watershed Protection Act and M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act.
Heinrich stressed the importance of protecting watersheds Read More
Heinrich, Luján Push For Wildfire Recovery Emergency Funding On New Mexico Public Lands
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amid the Trump Administration’s failure to properly engage in forest management and wildfire prevention — including slowing down the U.S. Forest Service’s rate of prescribed burns, fuel treatments, and other fire-prevention work — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, sent a letter calling on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee leadership to include additional Read More
