Legislative Roundup: 7 Days Left In Session
Rep. Cristina Parajón, D-Albuquerque, center, speaks with Rep. Mark Duncan, R-Farmington, left, and House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, during the House floor session on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican
The Santa Fe New Mexican Staff Report
Budget battle: The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to take up New Mexico’s $11.1 billion spending plan Saturday.
Sen. George Muñoz, a Gallup Democrat who chairs the committee, said the panel made some 356 changes to the version of House Bill 2 passed by the House.
The revised spending plan proposes a 2.65% increase Read More
New Mexico Senate Passes Universal Child Care
Bill Sponsor Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup
STATE News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Senate voted Thursday to pass legislation establishing universal child care while protecting the program’s accessibility for working families across the state.
Senate Bill 241, sponsored by Sen. George Muñoz (D-Gallup) and approved on a 25-15 vote, would provide child care to New Mexico families without mandatory co-pays except under specific economic conditions such as inflation or declining oil revenues. If economic triggers are met, co-pays would begin only for families earning above 600% of the Read More
New Mexico STABLE $25 Match Incentive Extended Throughout 2026
State Treasurer Laura M. Montoya
From the State Treasurer’s Office:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico State Treasurer’s Achieving a Better Life Experience (NM STABLE) program is announcing the extension of its $25 match incentive offer for new accountholders.
NM STABLE is an award-winning savings and investment vehicle designed to allow New Mexicans with disabilities to save for disability-related expenses without losing eligibility for public benefits such as Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
New NM STABLE accountholders who open any NM STABLE account and deposit at least $25 Read More
EDD Empowers Communities With Free Technical Assistance
NMEDD News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Economic Development Department will provide free professional technical assistance to four communities to strengthen their local economies through its New Mexico MainStreet program.
The Project-Based Initiatives program provides technical support for economic development projects in rural and urban communities for 12-24 months. Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis and must produce direct economic development outcomes in the form of business retention/creation, job creation and/or property investment.
“Local governments in New Mexico Read More
CRRUA To Pay Nearly $200K For Drinking Water Violations
NMED News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department today announced a settlement with the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority of five violations committed by the utility since 2023.
The settlement includes a penalty of $189,000, including a “bad faith” enhancement due to CRRUA’s repeated lack of accountability during the enforcement process. The funds will be deposited into the State’s Water Conservation Fund, which supports required water quality sampling and operator training assistance for public water systems statewide.
“The Environment Department has for years worked Read More
State Broadband Officials Tout Investments, Push For Affordability Program
Jeff Lopez, director of the New Mexico Office of Broadband Access, reviews his notes in between presenters during Broadband Day at the state Capitol on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. Gabriela Campos/The New Mexican
By MARGARET O’HARA
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Ramah has just a handful of restaurants and few paved roads.
But it’s also home to some 240 miles of fiber internet cables—with plans to add 175 more miles of the connective cables soon, said Margaret Merrill, owner of Oso Internet Solutions, a broadband company that serves Ramah in Western New Mexico and surrounding communities. Read More
New Mexico Senate Passes Initiative To Address Critical Shortage Of Healthcare Professionals
STATE News:
SANTA FE — New Mexico Senate Democrats marked the passage Feb. 11 of Senate Bill 14 on the Senate Floor, a piece of legislation aimed to significantly expand the state’s Health Professional Loan Repayment Program to attract and retain healthcare providers in underserved communities across New Mexico.
Sponsored by Senators Martin Hickey (D – Albuquerque) and Natalie Figueroa (D – Albuquerque), SB 14 has received strong bipartisan support throughout the legislative process, passing unanimously through both the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee (10-0) and the Read More
Sen. Gonzales: Protecting Northern New Mexico’s Land, Water, And Communities From Wildfire
By Sen. Bobby Gonzales
District: 6
Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe & Taos
In northern New Mexico, wildfire is not an abstract threat—it is something we have lived through, endured, and are still recovering from.
Communities across Taos, Mora, San Miguel, and Colfax counties know this all too well. The Hermits Peak–Calf Canyon Fire burned hundreds of thousands of acres, displaced families, damaged acequias, destroyed grazing lands, and forever altered watersheds that our villages and pueblos rely on. The scars remain visible today—not just on the land, but in the lives of the people who
Legislative Roundup: 8 Days Left In Session
Jordan Garcia, alongside students from West Las Vegas, dance to La Bamba while practicing for their performance later in the day outside of the Capitol building on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. Gabriela Campos/The New Mexican
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Capital outlay bill: The Senate Finance Committee Thursday morning unanimously approved a bill to rein in the problem of billions of dollars going unspent in capital outlay.
House Bill 247, sponsored by Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo, limits reauthorizations for capital projects.
A growing backlog of projects and unspent funds has been a concern Read More
New Mexico Environment Department Addresses Repeal Of EPA Endangerment Finding
NMED Secretary James Kenney
NMED News:
SANTA FE — New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) Secretary James Kenney issued the following statement today regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s repeal of its “endangerment finding” — a policy that has served as the bedrock for federal environment and health advancements for decades:
“Today, the federal government destroyed decades of established policies grounded in hard science recognized by the American and global scientific community. As a science-based organization working to help New Mexicans breathe cleaner air Read More
