WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — During the Jan. 15 comprehensive budget meeting, the Budget and Finance Committee reviewed the Fiscal Year 2025 budget proposal for the Navajo Nation Division of Transportation. The committee discussed issues related to employee retention by addressing critical funding and layoff concerns.

Council Delegate Brenda Jesus, chairwoman of the Resources and Development Committee, sponsored the proposed legislation, presenting NDOT’s budget request of over $12.7 million. NDOT Director Tom Platero and Budget Officer Alva R. Tom detailed the allocation breakdown across various NDOT departments, including Highway Safety, Airport Management, and Road Maintenance.

The...

SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham delivered her seventh State of the State address Jan. 21, laying out legislative priorities for 2025 that include public safety, affordable housing, child welfare, health care, economic development, and more.

“Working with the legislature over the past six years, we’ve achieved so much in New Mexico from reducing child poverty, to ensuring free college for every New Mexican, to adding a record number of jobs and strengthening health care and environmental protections,” Lujan Grisham said. “Of course, there is still more to do. That’s why I’m proposing new initiatives to tackle our crime problem, expand affordable housing, protect...

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — The Naabik'íyáti’ Committee of the 25th Navajo Nation Council approved the Fiscal Year 2025 budget recommendations for the Navajo Nation Legislative Branch Jan. 17, advancing the budget to the proposed FY2025 Comprehensive Budget.

The committee first unanimously approved Legislation 0159-24, which outlines procedures for reviewing and recommending the FY2025 oversight budget, with a vote of 13 in favor, and no opposition. These procedures will guide future FY2025 budget meetings.

Speaker Crystalyne Curley (Tachee/Blue Gap, Many Farms, Nazlini, Tselani/Cottonwood, Low Mountain) sponsored Legislation 0192-24, which proposes the FY2025 Legislative Branch budget...

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — The Health, Education, and Human Services Committee met with the Navajo Nation Veterans Advisory Council Jan. 13 to discuss critical issues affecting Navajo veterans, including housing, resource allocation, and communication gaps.

HEHSC made recommendations and identified areas for improvement to better support veterans. Committee members highlighted ongoing communication issues between the Veterans Administration and the Advisory Council, which have caused confusion and delays. HEHSC Vice-Chair Germaine Simonson called for more effective use of chain-of-command principles.

“Grassroots concerns must flow through the appropriate channels,” she said. “This...