Hello fellow political junkies!

Last week was the first full week of the 2024 legislative session and with it came committee meetings, floor sessions and free stuff in the wings by the rotunda from various organizations.

This week the full House and Senate are expected to start hearing bills.

Current bills your NM Political Report staff are keeping eyes on include Paid Family Medical Leave Act which is being covered by Susan Dunlap. One of her stories on its passing committee can be found here. 

Hannah Grover is covering oil and gas, water, solar energy and other conservation measures. 

Her work can be found here, here and here.

While I am covering budget, Governmental Conduct Act updates, firearm legislation, election bills and anything else of note.

My work can be found here, here and here.

You can find more of our work on the NM Political Report website and by subscribing to our newsletters. Here are a few short shots on bills that didn’t quite make full stories.

Early Childhood Education funding

A bill that will increase distribution of the early childhood education and care program fund to $250 million in Fiscal Year 2025 passed 6-0 in the Senate Education Committee on Friday.

SB 153, is sponsored by state Sen. Siah Correa Hemphill, D-Silver City. The additional distribution will enable the ECECD to include doula and lactation support home visiting, maternal health home visiting and quality support for prekindergarten and departmental oversight. According to the Fiscal Impact Report, distribution from the funds are projected to grow to $443.75 million in Fiscal Year 2028.

–Susan Dunlap

Gun storage box tax credit

The House Commerce and Economic Development Committee unanimously passed legislation that would provide tax credits to fully cover the purchase of a gun storage box.

The bill would provide up to $750 in tax credits, though the fiscal impact report states that this may be high as gun storage boxes typically cost $200 to $300.

Some of the committee members questioned the level of tax credits and whether it should fully cover the costs as most tax credits only cover partial costs.

HB 81 now heads to the House Taxation and Revenue Committee. Tax credit bills are generally tabled in the taxation and revenue committee and may be included in a larger tax bill.

— Hannah Grover

Game commission reform

The House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee narrowly passed legislation aimed at reforming the New Mexico Game Commission on Saturday following approximately two hours of debate.

HB 178 passed on a 6-5 vote.

The bill does three things: changes how commissioners are appointed, raises the license fees and transforms the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish into a wildlife agency.

A bill to reform the game commission passed the legislature last year but was vetoed by the governor.

New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Director Michael Sloane expressed opposition to the bill and alleged that it constitutes logrolling, or including multiple changes to law in the same bill.

The legislation now heads to the House Judiciary Committee.

— Hannah Grover

Felons with firearms penalties fails

HB 198 sought to add additional penalties for felons found in possession of a firearm from a three year to a nine year sentence.

The House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee tabled the bill on a 4-0 vote Saturday.

The bill would have increased the penalty for a serious violent felon from six years to 12 years in prison and denied eligibility for earned meritorious deductions for any felon convicted for being in possession of a firearm.

This would have been the fourth time in five years the legislature has raised the penalty for a felon in possession of a firearm.

-Nicole Maxwell

Our politics newsletter will run three times a week during the session. Sign up here for all the legislative news in your inbox for free!

The general schedules for committee meetings during the session are as follows:

Agendas and meeting days can change due to the whim of the chairperson. Agendas can be updated throughout the day so it is best to check to see if the desired agenda item will be discussed or if a meeting is happening that day.

2024 New Mexico Primary Elections

The New Mexico Primary is set for June 4. Candidate filing day is in February.

The 2024 General Election day is Nov. 5.

For more information about elections contact your local county clerk’s office which can also help you check on or update your voter registration, a process that can also be done online at NMVote.org.

Local and county meeting schedules

Contact your local county or municipality to make sure the meetings are going ahead as scheduled since meetings are sometimes changed due to the holidays.

Tips, subscriptions and more info

If you enjoyed this newsletter and other reporting by NM Political Report why not donate? We are a nonprofit newsroom that is funded through grants and donations. In order to keep NM Political Report running and ad-free, we need support from readers like you.

This is one of several newsletters produced by NM Political Report, check them out here. 

Have a tip? I can be contacted by email at nicole@nmpr.nm.news. 

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