New Mexico Senate Committee Discusses Harsher Penalties For Felons With Guns
By ESTEBAN CANDELARIA
The Santa Fe New Mexican
The illegal possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a crime carries serious penalties in New Mexico — at least three years in prison.
Still, hundreds of people have been charged with the offense in recent years.
So, how can New Mexico better deter the problem?
That was the question lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee pondered Monday afternoon, as the Legislature gears up to consider several proposals designed to curb violent crime in New Mexico during this year’s 30-day session.
For Ben Baker, senior public safety adviser Read More
House Advances 10 Bills To Expand Access To Quality Affordable Healthcare In New Mexico
STATE News:
SANTA FE — Jan. 26, the New Mexico House of Representatives advanced 10 pieces of legislation to improve healthcare access across the state by lowering out-of-pocket costs, expanding access to care, and recruiting and retaining more providers.
The House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed seven bills today that would expand access to healthcare through participation in interstate healthcare compacts, which allow states to expedite licensing for qualified healthcare providers who wish to practice in multiple states.
“By joining interstate compacts, New Mexico can Read More
Legislative Roundup: 24 Days Left In Session
Flamenco dancer Kayla Lyall performs for an audience in the rotunda of the Roundhouse Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Photo by Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Medical school funding: The University of New Mexico School of Medicine is one step closer to a new home.
Lawmakers in the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee offered initial approval Monday to Senate Bill 6, which would provide nearly $547 million in state funding for the construction of a new medical school building at UNM’s Albuquerque campus.
The new building — which will be located on the corner of Lomas Read More
Hundreds Rally For Immigrant Rights At State Capitol
House Speaker Javier Martínez, right, marches with members of Somos Acción and other demonstrators along Paseo de Peralta while heading to the state Capitol Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, during an Immigrant and Worker Day of Action rally. Photo by Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican
By CLARA BATES
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Undeterred by subfreezing temperatures, hundreds of immigrant rights advocates from across New Mexico gathered at the state Capitol in Santa Fe on Monday to call for a ban on local government-contracted immigration detention centers, stricter privacy protections and workforce development Read More
FBI: Albuquerque Man Gets 19 Years For Online Sextortion
FBI News:
ALBUQUERQUE — An Albuquerque man was sentenced to 19 and a half years in prison for coercing a 15-year-old girl into producing sexually explicit images over several years and for sexually exploiting a second victim who was 12 years old.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records, between 2019 and 2022, Adrian Puentes, 26, engaged in an ongoing pattern of sextortion and sexual exploitation involving two minor victims. Beginning when Jane Doe 1 was in eighth grade, Puentes used multiple social media platforms, including Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok, to Read More
After Paying $1.23 Million For Office Units, NMDOT Sells Them Back To Vendor For $375,000
By DANIEL J. CHACÓN
The Santa Fe New Mexican
As the New Mexico Department of Transportation takes center stage amid a push to pass a $1.5 billion bonding package, a costly and embarrassing mistake is percolating behind the scenes.
In July 2024, the department bought five mobile office units for $1.23 million. Problem is, they didn’t meet permitting requirements in a commercial setting, prompting staff to make the decision to sell them back to the vendor for $375,000 — resulting in a net loss of $857,000.
The foul-up is one of a handful of instances in which the department was out of compliance Read More
New Mexico Supreme Court Issues Opinion Abolishing Lawsuits For Alienation Of Affections
NMSC News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Supreme Court (NMSC) Monday issued a precedent-setting opinion eliminating legal claims for damages for the loss of a spouse’s affections in a marriage.
The Court’s unanimous opinion provides the legal reasoning for a ruling from the bench last August ordering a trial court to dismiss a civil lawsuit that sought to hold a New Mexico resident liable for the breakup of a Colorado man’s marriage. The Colorado couple is now divorced.
The ruling by the state’s highest court abolished the “tort of alienation of affections” by overturning a legal precedent from a Read More
New Mexico Law Has Triggered Review Of Two Health Care Mergers Since 2024
Sen. Katy Duhigg, D-Albuquerque, attends a hearing in 2022. Duhigg was one of the sponsors of the Health Care Consolidation Oversight Act in 2024 and its expansion in 2025. Courtesy/Santa Fe New Mexican
By CLARA BATES
The Santa Fe New Mexican
New Mexico has so far reviewed only two hospital acquisitions under oversight laws passed in 2024 and 2025, largely in response to the state’s nation-leading rate of private equity-owned hospitals.
One transaction was approved in December 2024 and the other is currently under review, according to the New Mexico Office of the Superintendent of Insurance Read More
Senate Passes ‘Rocket Docket’ Legislation, Interstate Medical Compacts (SB 1) & Harm To Self & Others (SB 3) Head To House Of Representatives
NMSR News:
SANTA FE — Jan. 23, the New Mexico State Senate successfully streamlined the passage of several pieces of legislation, including Interstate Medical Compacts (SB 1) and Harm to Self and Others (SB 3) which were introduced on opening day in a ‘rocket docket’ and now make their way to the New Mexico House of Representatives.
This collaborative show of bipartisanship is due in large part to fierce Republican advocacy to improve healthcare access and public safety in New Mexico. In fact, these Democrat-sponsored pieces of legislation are built on Republican proposals that have been Read More
GOP State Senator Asks Feds To Help Block Bill To Ban ICE Contracts In New Mexico
Then-Rep. Jim Townsend, R-Artesia, reads a bill in his office in 2024. Courtesy/Santa Fe New Mexican
By CLARA BATES
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A Republican state senator is requesting the U.S. Department of Justice’s “attention and intervention” on legislation that would restrict local governments from entering into immigrant detention contracts.
Sen. Jim Townsend, R-Artesia, wrote in a Thursday letter addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi that House Bill 9, which would ban public entities in New Mexico from contracting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, “raises serious constitutional Read More
