New Mexico Legislature March 22: A somber conclusion

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham expressed how upset she is about a mass shooting in Las Cruces, during a news conference in her office following the end of the Legislative session, Saturday, March 22, 2025 (Eddie Moore / Albuquerque Journal)

In the months leading up to the 60-day session, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham traveled the state ginning up support for her public safety agenda in the aftermath of a failed special session last year in which lawmakers shunned her proposals.

This year, House and Senate Democrats said they would prioritize both public safety and behavioral health care and passed a package in the first half of the session, which the governor signed in February while still urging lawmakers to do more.

She reiterated that call in the final week, criticizing legislators for their lack of meaningful lawmaking as it relates to juvenile crime, following the arrests of teenagers in the hit-and-run murder of an Albuquerque cyclist last year.

And on the Legislature’s final day, she excoriated what she characterized as “appalling and unacceptable” inaction in the aftermath of a March 21 mass shooting in Las Cruces and said a special session is in the offing:

“The public should demand that the New Mexico Legislature — and all public officials in our state — acknowledge New Mexico’s crime crisis and prompt them to act immediately to protect our communities. The Legislature should expect a special session to address our ongoing public safety crisis,” she said in a statement.

During a news conference following the Legislature’s adjournment, notably without any lawmakers present, Lujan Grisham said New Mexico “does not have sufficient tools” to prevent incidents like Friday night’s shooting.

“Our work is just beginning,” she said. “We will do more.”

Without naming them, Lujan Grisham criticized Senate Judiciary Chair Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces), House Judiciary Chair Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos) and Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee Chair Linda López (D-Albuquerque) for what she called “a pretty purposeful effort” to not debate the bills she wanted.

“I think New Mexicans need to weigh in about whether or not we think that’s appropriate, given that they’re elected, and this is the session to debate every single one of these measures,” she said. “When you’re at the ballot box, if your legislator, irrespective of their party, is failing to address these issues significantly, not doing enough in crime and public safety, if they’re refusing to commit to you that they will fix this, then I think you should make a different decision.”

She then said a bill to make New Mexico’s primary elections open to independent voters is a “step in the right direction.”

The governor said that bills dealing with emergency response and rescue are “important, but not part of this crisis that is unfolding in our communities every single day that need to be addressed in this way.”

“That is shameful,” she said. “There was not a single productive debate on reducing juvenile crime — not one.”

Lujan Grisham said the Senate failed to pass a “weakened, watered down” juvenile crime bill, Senate Bill 255, and that she “can’t understand the reluctance” after her tour across the state at more than a dozen town halls focused on public safety.

When Lujan Grisham signed three pieces of legislation to address crime at the session’s midway point, she said she believed then there was universal agreement to do more with the time left.

“Well, the end result of this legislative session would belie that commitment,” she said.

The governor did not commit to a time frame for a special session, but said one was likely.

“I am certainly there, in this moment; I’d like to have a cooler head prevail,” she said. “I think the likelihood is far stronger than not.”

She also said she shared the “sentiment” expressed by Republican leadership in a letter they delivered on March 22 describing the 60-day session as “unproductive and disappointing,” and requesting she set a date for a special session immediately “to adopt bipartisan solutions to solve our violent crime problem and the inability of New Mexicans to receive health care due to the lack of medical professionals.”

The letter cites a decline in primary physicians in the state between 2017 and 2021, along with declines in other medical fields and the high rate of medical malpractice lawsuits. Numerous bills aimed at both issues failed to make it through the session.

“We stand ready to work with our Democrat colleagues and your office in adopting effective answers to both our violent crime and health care crises,” the letter says. “ However, we are convinced a special session is a necessity in bringing all perspectives and ideas to the table.”

A phalanx of Republican leaders in both chambers reiterated that call in a post-session briefing, saying Democrats denied hearings for a huge number of Republican-sponsored bills related to crime and the state’s doctor shortage.

“They don’t even give us a hearing on many of these bills,” said Rep. Alan Martinez (R-Bernalillo), the House Minority Whip. “And we’re hoping that … real, everyday New Mexicans will realize that we do have those common-sense solutions and they deserve a hearing. We’re not afraid to debate them. We just would like the chance to debate.”

Democratic leadership from both the House and Senate gathered on the House floor to preempt criticism from the governor and expressed their condolences to the families in the Las Cruces shooting, emphasizing that bills sent to the governor make New Mexico communities safer and more affordable, and are working to address the wellbeing of children in the state.

Majority Floor Leader Sen. Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe) said lawmakers hit the ground running at the beginning of the session, when they passed the public safety package and House Bill 8, the bills the governor signed last month.

“We had laid the foundation in the interim to do that work, and I was super proud of this team in both chambers, the members, to bring those bills across the line in that first 30 days,” Wirth said during the news conference.

He added that the mass shooting in Las Cruces Friday night “put everything into perspective and our session into perspective.”

Speaker of the House Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque) pointed to bills passed to strengthen the state’s red flag law; to “crack down” on glock switches and organized crime; and take better care of young New Mexicans through more oversight of the Children, Youth and Families Department (a bill the governor also lambasted this week).

When asked about the two juvenile crime bills that failed to pass this session, Martínez said he believed the “fixes” to CYFD will still make an impact on the “intergenerational” cycle of crime that children fall into.

“The question is, do you want to lock away these kids and throw them away, as if they’re just disposable?” he asked. “This Legislature, I think, has shown up and ensured that that doesn’t happen.”

Martínez added that he thinks it is premature to call a special session to address juvenile crime, particularly when it is rushed and the “prework” during the interim is not done. “The special session last summer showed that,” he said. “To rush special sessions is not a good idea. It’s a waste of taxpayer dollars and, quite frankly, it’s a waste of people’s time.”

Wirth, similarly, contended special sessions only work when both chambers agree to move forward in addressing the issue that spurs the governor’s call for the Legislature to convene, a point the governor acknowledged in her remarks.

“I think as people have to deal with this situation in Las Cruces, I believe we won’t have the same opposition to a special session,” Lujan Grisham said.

A consortium of community organizations also levied criticisms against the Legislature’s approach to public safety, and said lawmakers had failed to pass numerous bills that would have provided support to residents through programs such as addiction treatment, behavioral health and housing stability.

“We appreciate the efforts made by lawmakers to pass meaningful legislation this session, such as housing application fees (SB 267),” New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness Executive Director Monet Silva said in a statement. “However, we cannot ignore the fact that many critical bills were left on the table, leaving our communities vulnerable and underserved.”

The groups also cited proposed legislation that would have prohibited landlords from discriminating against qualified renters based on their source of income; allowed the Department of Health to license overdose prevention centers; and expanded access to home- and community-based services to individuals with psychiatric conditions.

“These omissions are particularly concerning given the ongoing struggles our state faces with substance abuse, behavioral healthcare, foster care, housing stability and homelessness, and generational poverty,” Equality New Mexico Executive Director Marshall Martinez said in a statement.“We urge lawmakers to prioritize data-driven solutions, especially for addiction treatment and mental health crises in future sessions and work towards a more holistic approach to public safety that addresses root causes and promotes community well-being.”

Governor says Legislature wasted time

The chart shows how nearly 1,200 pieces of legislation, excluding House and Senate memorials, flowed through the Legislature over the last 60 days, based on the Legislature’s bill tracker and comments from legislative leadership.

Lujan Grisham, in her post-session news conference, criticized the Legislature for inaction on public safety bills and suggested lawmakers spent too much time on memorials, which are formal, but non-binding, statements from each chamber.

“It seems to me they could have passed more bills,” she said.

In contrast to the governor’s chastizing, Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque) summed up her view of the Senate’s productivity during a celebratory speech as the session wrapped up at noon Friday.

She rattled off the number of bills that the Legislature sent to the governor and thanked her colleagues across the aisle, joking that she and Minority Leader Bill Sharer had a “love-hate” relationship.

“Wish we could have passed a few more (bills) today,” she said, “but I think we did a pretty good job, actually.”

Read about the fate of more than 1,300 pieces of legislation introduced this session with the help of Source’s bill tracker.

Good Government

Following the end of the session, Common Cause New Mexico highlighted several bills the organization described as wins for good government, including:

• HB 143, which requires increased lobbyist disclosure

• HJR 2, a constitutional amendment voters will consider in 2026 to eliminate the governor’s pocket veto and require an explanation of each vote

• SB 5, modernizing the state’s wildlife management through reform of the state’s Game and Fish department and commission

• SB 16, which opens up the state’s primary elections to independent voters

The group, however, also bemoaned the lack of passage for SB 85 and SJR 1, a campaign reform law and a constitutional amendment to create a legislative salaries commission.

“Right now, the most important thing we can do is invest in our state’s democracy to ensure that it stays healthy and accessible to everyone for years to come,” Common Cause Policy Director Mason Graham said in a statement. “That means modernizing our state legislature, closing loopholes that allow monied interests to have an outsized influence in our elections, and ensuring that all New Mexicans have equal and equitable access to the ballot.”

Environment

While a bill that would have enshrined New Mexico’s climate goals into law did not pass, the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter issued a statement congratulating lawmakers for numerous bills that address climate change, along with wildlife, water and health, including the Community Benefit Fund, the Innovation in State Government Fund and the NMFA Local Solar Access Fund.

“We are grateful for the legislative investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in climate solutions driven by community and workforce development initiatives,” Sierra Club rio Grande Chapter Director Camilla Feibelman said in a statement. “The innovative programs that this money funds will help the state avoid the worst impacts of global warming. But the impacts of the climate crisis were ever present this session as legislators worked to address water scarcity, wildfires, property damage and insurance impacts, and how to absorb these costs. Meanwhile the oil and gas industry spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to stop commonsense safeguards against the very emissions harming our state all while fighting modest taxation on their multibillion dollar profits that would support working families.”

President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque) during a news conference following the end of the session, pointed to the Legislature’s work on climate change issues as a highlight of the last 60 days, as well as changes to public education like increasing teacher salaries, increasing funding for early childhood education and amending the public school funding formula to include English language learners.

She added that the Legislature passed two bills, creating the community benefit fund and the innovation in state government fund, which are aimed at helping communities respond and adapt to climate change impacts.

“Just think Roswell, getting a whole year’s worth of rain in three hours, flooding out everything. Think of the north and the fires. Our problem now with even getting…fire insurance on homes and all that rebuilding,” Stewart said. “The community benefit fund will send funds to communities all over the state to deal with having cleaner air, cleaner water and to work with overburdened communities.”

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House concurred

The House voted to concur with Senate amendments made to House Bill 71, which would increase early childhood and care program fund distributions to $500 million for Fiscal Year 2026; House BIll 157, which would create new licenses for public school administrators and superintendents with enhanced requirements, as well as add rules for school administrator preparation programs to the Public School Code; House Bill 178, which would make several amendments to the Nursing Practice Act to clarify the scope of licensed nurses and expand the power of the Board of Nursing, along with other changes; House Bill 156, which would increase each minimum teacher salary tier by $5,000; House Bill 63, which would make changes to the public school funding formula, including by replacing the at-risk index formula factor with a family income index; House Bill 78, which would prevent insurance companies and pharmacy benefits managers from discriminating against health care providers that receive discounted drugs; House Bill 117, which would allow physician assistance to sign death certificates; House Bill 458, which would establish the Geologic Carbon Dioxide Long-Term Stewardship Act and fund to establish rules for enforcing geologic carbon sequestration; House Bill 493, which would allow the Department of Finance to create funding criteria for potential grantees; House Bill 19, which would allow the state to enter public-private partnerships to help trade ports projects; House Bill 519, which would transfer operations for the African American Performing Arts Center from the New Mexico State Fair to it’s own board; House Bill 252, which would establish a three-year kinship caregiver support program pilot through the Aging and Long-Term Services Department; and House Bill 199, which would allow the Taxation and Revenue Department to share tax data with the Legislative Finance Committee for program evaluations.

House passes

The House voted to pass House Memorial 52, which directs the Economic Development Department create a work group to evaluate short-term rental policies involving taxation, zoning and permitting regulations and regulatory framework; House Memorial 59, which requests an interim legislative committee study the benefits of an economic relationship between New Mexico and Ireland and recommend possible initiatives for the 2026 session; House Memorial 61, which acknowledges the benefits of autobiographical storytelling as a trauma-informed strategy and asks the Children, Youth and Families Department to work with speech language-pathologists and behavioral health providers to provide services to families and caseworkers; Senate Bill 315, which would establish the tortilla as New Mexico’s state bread; Senate Bill 122, which would amend the Drugs and Cosmetics Code to expand the prescription drug donation program; House Memorial 8, which recognized an educator award; House Memorial 10, which recognizes Valencia County; House Memorial 28 which declared March 17 Irish-American Day; House Memorial 30 declares March 5 Soil and Water Conservation District day and House Memorial 46 recognizes May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.

The House also voted to override Lujan Grisham’s veto of House Bill 65, which codifies the court decision that public school districts have authority to establish their own school year calendars to meet required instructional hours.

The Senate did not join the House in the veto override. Senate leadership told reporters it was a timing issue.

Senate passed

The Senate passed the following House bills, so these are all on their way to the governor’s desk:

House Bill 519, which strikes some requirements for the African American Performing Arts Center

House Bill 113, which creates an animal welfare trust fund

House Bill 19, which allocates $50 million for the facilitation of public-private partnerships on development of trade ports along the Interstate 40 corridor

HB 158, which creates a new, nonreverting fund for infrastructure projects in impact areas of military bases.

HB 252, which creates a pilot program providing caregivers with income and other supports

HB 199, which allows the state taxation and revenue department to share certain tax return data with the Legislative Finance Committee for program evaluation

HB 553, which empowers the state Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department to create certification program for the grading of structural timbers used in construction

HB 431, which changes the way boards of directors for watershed districts are selected from election to appointment by area soil and water conservation districts