Politics

Bill lifting Statute Of Limitations For Some Child Sex Crimes Passes New Mexico Senate

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Bill Sponsor Sen. Angel Charley, D-Acoma

By NATHAN BROWN
The Santa Fe New Mexican

A bill that would remove the statute of limitations for some of the most serious acts of child sex abuse passed the state Senate overwhelmingly Friday, with some recent events providing fodder for supporters’ arguments.

“The last time we looked at this law, we didn’t know what was happening at Zorro Ranch,” said Sen. Angel Charley, D-Acoma, who sponsored the bill, referring to the southern Santa Fe County property once owned by Jeffrey Epstein. “The last time we looked at this law, we didn’t know what we know now.” Read More

Legislative Roundup: 7 Days Left In Session

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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

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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

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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

State Broadband Officials Tout Investments, Push For Affordability Program

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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

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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

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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

Read More

Legislative Roundup: 8 Days Left In Session

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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

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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

New Mexico’s Law Makers Facing Medical Malpractice Bill With Higher Caps For Big Hospitals

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The Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Post file photo

By MARGARET O’HARA
The Santa Fe New Mexican

New Mexico lawmakers are moving forward with a new version of a medical malpractice overhaul bill that would limit the amount jurors could award in punitive damages but includes a higher cap for large hospital systems than other providers.

The House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously Wednesday evening to approve House Bill 99 after stripping an amendment that would have left punitive damages uncapped for corporate hospitals. The bill still has to make it through a House floor vote, as well as the Senate Read More