Reena Szczepanski

Following internal elections over the weekend, the leadership of the New Mexico House come January is mostly set. While some leaders are returning to their posts on both sides of the aisle, most will be new to their roles.

Lawmakers met Thursday to discuss the role of private equity in New Mexico’s health care industry. They talked about what a permanent law establishing oversight of hospital mergers and acquisitions would look like.

Hospital acquisitions are growing across the country, and that’s leading to higher prices for patients. Many of those deals involve private equity, which often makes cuts to certain care to drive up profits, or religious organizations that might refuse types of care that they don’t support.New Mexico is at an especially high risk for deals that could limit health care. It also has a new law that could curb that.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Wednesday that she is calling a special session to pass more public safety legislation.

A bill that would fund and support the state's growing creative industries passed the legislature in the recent session, but with a much smaller price tag than sponsors wanted.

A new bill that would give money to the state's growing creative industry is moving forward. Visual artists, dancers, game designers, architects, even ceramic artists would be funded through this bill to provide maker spaces, community resources, and workforce development.