2026 Legislative Session

New legislation will improve screening for students in kindergarten through the third grade, with parent-notified support plans and interventions for at-risk students.

Last week, Gov. Michelle Lujan signed the state’s annual budget, which included $630,000 for the creation of a medical psilocybin treatment equity fund. New Mexico is the first state in the country to allocate funds that will ensure residents can receive treatment no matter their income.

New Mexico ranks 20th in the nation for adult education outcomes, according to the federal Office of Career and Technical Education. That’s a big jump from seven years ago, when the state was in 50th place.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham was surrounded by New Mexican students at the Roundhouse on Monday as she signed into law four education bills to support educators, promote more literacy and establish an Office of Special Education.

On Thursday’s episode of Let’s Talk New Mexico, journalists joined KUNM’s Jeanette DeDios to review what happened in the recent legislation session. Among the most notable bills to fail was the Clear Horizons Act. Jerry Redfern, a reporter with Capital & Main who covers the oil and gas industry, said the idea of the bill was to codify 2019 goals set by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to reduce greenhouse gas levels across the state.

New Mexico lawmakers took on a lengthy to-do list during the legislative session that wrapped late last week, passing laws related to medical malpractice, immigration detention facilities and election security.

A small clutch of Democratic legislators once again sinks a plan to dramatically reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.

After a brief 30 days, the 37th New Mexico Legislature came to a close at noon on Thursday. It was the last regular session under Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who called it “remarkably productive” at a press conference shortly afterwards with House and Senate leadership.

The New Mexico Senate passed the Medical Malpractice Changes bill Tuesday night with only two votes against after arguing for almost three hours over ammendments eventually left off the bill. New Mexico has some of the highest malpractice payouts in the country, and House Bill 99 limits the damages awarded to about $900,000 for an independent provider and up to $6 million for a hospital.

Medical licensure compacts have been a priority this session as lawmakers attempt to address the health care worker shortage. One bill would allow dentists and dental hygienists licensed in other states to practice here more easily. But with less than a day left in the session, that bill appears to have stalled.