The New Mexico Legislature has passed two bills that enhance the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department’s Forestry Division's efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change and wildfires on forest lands. The two bills, HB 195 and SB 206, clear the way for the state Forestry Division to implement modern conservation techniques and practices that will increase natural landscape adaptation within New Mexico’s most vulnerable forests and watersheds.




House Bill 195, sponsored by Representatives Matthew McQueen and Greg Nibert and Senator Pat Woods, updates the Forest Conservation Act of 1939, which designated the State Forestry Division as the lead agency for wildfire...

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 26 March 17, reinvesting some of the state’s oil and gas windfall in the Severance Tax Permanent Fund and lessening any impacts to the general fund from future volatility in the industry.

“This is yet another huge investment in New Mexico’s future,” Lujan Grisham said. "By responsibly reinvesting the record revenues we are seeing now, we ensure that future budgets are less dependent on the current state of the oil and gas industry."

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Bobby Gonzales, passed unanimously from both the House and Senate. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2025, SB 26 will automatically set aside excess oil and gas revenues and send them...

New Mexico’s House of Representatives voted in support of Medicaid Forward (HB 400) March 7 in a 58-10 decision, advancing the legislation to the Senate with a show of bipartisan support. Bill sponsor Rep. Reena Szczepanski led floor debate on the legislation, joined by expert witness Nicolas Cordova, Healthcare Director with the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. HB 400 directs the state to study a new affordable healthcare plan that would, using existing federal law, allow New Mexicans who currently make too much to qualify for Medicaid to access coverage through the program by paying for it via affordable, income-based premiums and copays.

“HB 400’s bipartisan support makes...

Representatives of a broad coalition of New Mexico organizations released the following statement March 9 after the House Appropriations & Finance Committee’s strong bipartisan vote of 17-1 with a “do-pass” recommendation on Senate Bill 9: The Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund, that would create the state’s first dedicated and long-term funding stream for land and water conservation. SB9 passed the full Senate Feb. 14 with a 33-7 vote. It now heads to the full House of Representatives for consideration, with a final appropriation amount to be determined as part of the larger budget bill known as House Bill 2.

“We’re grateful that bipartisan members of this committee and House...