Nathan Small

A bill that would fundamentally change wildlife management in New Mexico is now one step closer to becoming law after passing the House floor Wednesday.

A number of proposals aimed at reforming how the oil and gas industry works in New Mexico have stalled out in this year’s legislative session with the help of key Democratic lawmakers.

As cuts to New Mexico’s federal funding loom, legislators in Santa Fe are positioning the state to fill potential gaps with ample reserves and new savings accounts.

Lawmakers in the New Mexico House of Representatives Monday passed a $10.8 billion state budget proposal months in the making. If enacted, it would be the largest in state history, marking a nearly 6% increase over last year’s record-breaking budget.

One of the largest general fund appropriations in the department’s history, the recommendation from the Legislative Finance Committee – which would be spread across three years – would bring aid for “species of greatest conservation need” with dwindling or threatened populations.

A package of bills will look to drastically change how the department is funded and regulated in the upcoming 60-day session in January.

Two familiar faces are one again facing off for the House District 36 seat in southern New Mexico.

In a sweeping new policy report presented to the Legislative Finance Committee Thursday, analysts say “piecemeal” funding and various local water system shortfalls need to be addressed to keep New Mexico’s aging water infrastructure healthy.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed 69 bills Wednesday. Among them was one bill that would fund 16 pilot programs within multiple state agencies. But not everything was approved.

After the governor made massive cuts to the Legislature’s tax relief bill last year, lawmakers are proposing an even more conservative approach than she is this time around.