SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed bills into law that will help address New Mexico’s need for housing and infrastructure, including roads, bridges, water and broadband on Feb. 28.
“These bills are going to make a huge difference in the state’s ability to take advantage of every dollar when it comes to infrastructure opportunities,” she said in a press release.
The governor signed three critical housing and infrastructure bills during a signing ceremony at the New Mexico Capitol:
House Bill 177, New Mexico Match Fund, sponsored by Reps. Meredith Dixon, Gail Armstrong, Susan Herrera and Sens. Pat Woods, Pete Campos, creates a state fund to help state, local, tribal and other eligible entities obtain federal matching funds and offset higher project costs associated with federal requirements.
“House Bill 177 unlocks billions in federal dollars to support statewide infrastructure and rural development projects that will pay dividends for decades to come,” lead sponsor Dixon said. "This matching fund will be transformational for New Mexico, allowing us to improve our roads and strengthen our communities, while creating good-paying jobs along the way.”
House Bill 195, Housing Fund and Changes, sponsored by Reps. Linda Serrato, Dixon, Joy Garratt, and Sen. Michael Padilla. HB 195 opens the door for housing infrastructure and workforce housing development to be funded through the New Mexico Finance Authority Opportunity Enterprise Revolving Fund, a historic $125 million investment in housing contained in the 2024 budget to address the crisis and ensure robust housing production for years.
”“Across the nation, home ownership is becoming unreachable for too many young Americans. HB 195 creates a renewed sense of possibility for New Mexico’s working families, by supporting the development of housing that is actually affordable,” lead sponsor Serrato said. “This investment in young New Mexicans and their families will help our state stabilize our workforce and recruit new talent.”
Majority Whip Padilla agreed, mentioning how many building projects this funding would support.
“New Mexico has a deficit of 40,000 homes right now, this legislation will help facilitate massive building projects, provide $125 million in new funding for infrastructure for these purposes, and can potentially bring down the cost of affordable and workforce housing units across the state,” he said.
House Bill 232, Infrastructure Planning and Development Division, sponsored nu Dixon, Armstrong, and Dayan Hochman-Vigil, creates a new division at the Department of Finance and Administration tasked with improving and streamlining infrastructure, capital improvement planning, tracking funding and project progress, and assisrting rural communities.
The governor also signed the following housing and infrastructure bills:
- House Bill 211, Water Project Prioritization, sponsored by Reps. Susan Herrera, Kristina Ortez, Kathleen Cates, Ambrose Castellano and Raymundo Lara
- House Bill 148, Water Project Fund Projects, sponsored by Reps. Herrera, Cates, Armstrong, Anthony Allison, and Martin Zamora
- Senate Bill 169, Land and Water Conservation Fund Changes, sponsored by Sens. Mimi Stewart and Steven Neville, provides state supplemental land and water conservation funding for tribal and rural communities
- House Bill 28, Public Project Revolving Fund Projects, sponsored by Rep. Joy Garratt and Sen. Nancy Rodriguez
- House Bill 29, Public Project Fund Appropriations, sponsored by Garratt and Rodriguez
- House Bill 5, Workforce Development and Apprenticeship Fund, sponsored by Reps. Garratt, Cates, Christine Chandler, and Sens. Siah Correa Hemphill and Padilla
- Senate Bill 216, NMFA Affordable Housing Projects, sponsored by Rodriguez