Michael Padilla

The Children, Youth, and Families Department’s Fostering Connections program was created several years ago to extend foster care services to youth aging out of the system. Now the legislature is looking to expand services and eligibility.

On Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham opened the 2025 legislative session with her State of the State address and focused on child welfare, green energy, and cracking down on crime.

New Mexico high schoolers recently took over the state Capitol to practice what they learned about how the legislative process works. But participants in the National Hispanic Institute’s youth legislative session also gained more than just a civics lesson — they walked away with renewed self-confidence.

The Legislative Education Study Committee held its first interim meeting recently to begin building a plan on the many education issues in the state.

Lawmakers approved a bill in the just-ended legislative session that requires insurance plans to waive cost sharing for breast examinations.

A bill that would provide free, healthy meals to all New Mexico school kids passed the state Senate over the weekend. KUNM has more on some of the changes that were made as the legislation reached the full chamber.

About 71% of New Mexican students qualify for free or reduced-price meals yet some of our children are still going hungry. The Healthy Universal School Meals Act introduced by Democratic Senators Michael Padilla and Leo Jaramillo would give all public and charter school students free access to breakfast and lunch regardless of family income. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is a supporter of this bill and made it one of her priorities in her State of the State address.

Lawmakers have advanced a substitute bill that would provide free breakfast and lunch to New Mexico school kids. Some legislators are skeptical about the price tag and whether the state can afford it in years to come. But supporters say this bill could keep thousands of kids from going hungry.

Rural tribal areas like the Navajo Nation are finding it challenging with the lack of broadband access in their communities. Those most affected are the children, who find it difficult to find hotspots, often having to drive miles to reach one. Lawmakers hope to change this by providing internet access to the region.

Gov. Susana Martinez lobbied top Democrats to approve a bill that would have created an exception to regulations about leases for state offices. Now some…