Las Cruces Bulletin

The House Chambers inside the Roundhouse on Jan. 10, 2024.

Women take majority in New Mexico Legislature

Women in New Mexico won big this last election and now make up more than half of the state‘s lawmakers. Along with a female-majority legislature and a woman overseeing the state Senate, …

Larry Horan, a lobbyist employed by the city of Las Cruces, prepares for a presentation in city council chambers, Nov. 12, 2024.

Las Cruces officials look ahead to busy legislative session

Paid family medical leave, public safety improvements and more money for infrastructure are among the top priorities for the city of Las Cruces in the upcoming legislative session, according to a …

A communications tower – one way that residents of southern New Mexico connect to the internet – stands tall in the distance on Dec. 11, 2022, as a cotton field is ready for harvesting just west of the southern Doña Ana County community of San Miguel. Accessing the internet using wireless hot spots or cell phones can be problematic for students in rural communities because the internet signal weakens the farther a user’s device is from the emitting tower.

NM broadband office seeks $70M for satellite expansion

The office responsible for coordinating the expansion of broadband internet service across New Mexico has presented a $70 million budget request to lawmakers ahead of the 2024 legislative session. …

Housing agency to seek $500M from lawmakers

Members of the state legislature will again ask for half a billion dollars for New Mexico’s housing agency this upcoming legislative session, re-upping a big request that the agency says is …

Democrats held a rally Aug. 13 calling on U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to allow a vote on an extension and expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. They called on GOP House candidate Yvette Herrell to pressure Johnson to release the bill from his desk.

Herrell affirms support for expanding aid to radiation victims

Amid increasing Democratic criticism, Republican Congressional candidate Yvette Herrell said Wednesday that she is broadly supportive of extending and expanding the Radiation Exposure Compensation …

New Mexico challenges election misinformation on X

New Mexico’s top elections official, Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, was among five secretaries of state to sign on to a bipartisan letter requesting the social media site X, once …

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham listens during a town hall meeting in Las Cruces on July 25, 2024.

Lujan Grisham town hall lasts longer than special session

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham promised a crowd of about 500 that she’d stay for as long as they had questions. And she kept that promise, staying for six hours at a town hall in Las Cruces on …

Las Cruces Mayor Eric Enriquez speaks during a news conference at the opening of New Mexico’s special legislative session in Santa Fe on July 18, 2024.

Las Cruces mayor stands with governor as special session begins

It’s a long drive from Las Cruces to Santa Fe. Long enough that Mayor Eric Enriquez noted it as he added his voice to those of other municipal officials declaring the start of the 2024 …

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks with a child evacuated from the South Fork and Salt fires at a shelter at the New Mexico Military Institute on June 19, 2024.

Governor calls Legislature into special session

It’s on. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called New Mexico legislative leaders’ bluff, signing a proclamation Wednesday afternoon to demand state lawmakers return to Santa Fe for a …

Sen. Siah Correa Hemphill to withdraw from election

State Sen. Siah Correa Hemphill, D-Silver City, announced in a news release Thursday that she will not seek a second term in the legislature after all, creating an opening for Republicans to flip a …

District Attorney Gerald Byers takes the mic during a two-hour debate on April 16.

Challengers rebuke incumbent as DA race begins

Bulletin coverage of the first candidate debate in the Doña Ana County election for District Attorney.

Judge affirms disqualification of candidate in statehouse race

A judge affirmed a candidate's disqualification Monday after the candidate submitted altered petitions. The Doña Ana County Clerk’s Office disqualified Ronnie Sisneros on March 19. …

Lobbyist Larry Horan provides legislative updates during a Las Cruces City Council work session on April 4.

Las Cruces in Santa Fe: Lobbyist talks 2024 legislative session

A lobbyist who advocates for the city of Las Cruces discussed trends and a slew of changes coming down from Santa Fe after the 2024 legislative session. Those items include new gun control laws, …

Christopher Schaljo-Hernandez unveils the new county seal during a news conference on March 25, 2024.

County unveils new logo and seal

It’s a new year and a new look for Doña Ana County. On March 25, Doña Ana County unveiled a new logo and seal after the Board of County Commissioners approved the designs on …

A voting sign stands outside the Doña Ana County Government Center in Las Cruces.

Local candidates file to run for local, state offices

Election season in the Mesilla Valley has officially begun. In all, 38 candidates filed to compete for 19 offices ranging from county clerks to district attorneys to state legislators. …

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is seen in her office at the state Capitol in Santa Fe on Jan. 30, 2024.

Governor signs higher ed trust fund into law

Among the bills Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law this week was a measure aiming to secure tuition-free college over the long term. Senate Bill 159, which passed the state House of …

Sen. Katy Duhigg, D-Albuquerque, during a 2022 hearing. Duhigg was one of the sponsors of the Health Care Consolidation Oversight Act, which gives the New Mexico Office of the Superintendent of Insurance regulatory power over hospital mergers and acquisitions until July 2025.

Concerns about private equity owners drove hospital bill

SANTA FE — A proposed hospital network and health plan merger that would have created an $11 billion health care giant fell apart on the way to the altar last year. …

The New Mexico Senate chambers is seen at the state Capitol building in Santa Fe on Jan. 10.

How ethics fixes died in this year’s legislative session

An effort to fix the state’s anticorruption statute after the New Mexico Supreme Court barred prosecutors from bringing criminal charges under several of its provisions died in the state …

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks at a press conference following the adjournment of the legislative session on Thursday afternoon, Feb. 15, 2024. She praised lawmakers for working together to help deliver some of her education proposals.

Education funding grows in state budget

Education proved to be a flashpoint for debate in the 2024 30-day New Mexico legislative session. Conflicts about priorities, local control, funding and multilingual education marked debate as …

Rep. Christine Chandler, D-Los Alamos, and other representative, console each other after Senate Bill 3, the Paid Family Medical Leave Act, failed to pass during a vote on the House Floor, Wednesday, February 14, 2024.

House rejects paid family and medical leave

A guarantee of paid family and medical leave for New Mexico workers died on Wednesday by a single vote. After just over three hours of debate, the House of Representatives voted 34-36 on …

Rift among Democrats dooms alcohol tax push

The push to change the state’s taxes on alcohol all but ended Friday when the House Taxation & Revenue Committee voted down one bill and declined to take action on another. Chairman Rep. …

The New Mexico Supreme Court building in Santa Fe, seen Jan. 28, 2024.

NM Supreme Court nixes challenge to line item vetoes

An Albuquerque lawmaker sued Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham over line item vetoes to a 2023 tax bill.

Sunland Park residents give input Jan. 11, 2024, about a proposed emergency food pantry planned for the city.

Sunland Park seeks $4M for food pantry

SUNLAND PARK – Residents and advocates are asking state lawmakers to fully fund a proposed new food pantry that would help alleviate hunger in Sunland Park, which is grappling with high levels …

Senate bill would allow lawmakers into cannabis biz sooner

Back in 2021, before voting to make recreational use of cannabis legal, lawmakers on the Senate floor barred any lawmaker serving at that time from going into the commercial cannabis license until …

Posters of Indigenous people who have gone missing line the hallway of an Albuquerque hotel on Missing in New Mexico Day in December 2023.

Budget leaves out money for missing and murdered Indigenous people staff

A proposed bureau within the Indian Affairs Department focused on a crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people might be in peril. At issue is how much money the Legislature will give the …

New Mexico Senate honors Glenn Cutter

Glenn Cutter of Picacho Hills, longtime champion of the arts and a Las Cruces business leader, was celebrated on the floor of the New Mexico Senate on Jan. 29 for his contributions not only to New …

New Mexico’s state Capitol building in Santa Fe, seen Jan. 28, 2024.

$10 billion budget passes New Mexico House

The state House of Representatives approved the budget package following a lengthy debate on the floor Wednesday. HB 2 and HB 3, were combined to present the state budget and the House …

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announces a 50-year water action plan for New Mexico in her office at the state Capitol in Santa Fe on Jan. 30, 2024.

New Mexico plans for drier future

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the state’s 50-year water action plan during a press conference Tuesday in her office at the state Capitol. The plan details ways to ensure that New …

Rural libraries funding in limbo

Across southern New Mexico, tiny towns like Gila, Lordsburg, Hatch, Columbus, Bayard, Cloudcroft and Eunice dot the map. They may be separated by long distances, but they share a similar struggle. …

Las Cruces Mayor Eric Enriquez addresses the Las Cruces Day breakfast meeting in Santa Fe on Jan. 28.

Las Cruces leaders outline legislative requests

SANTA FE — At a gathering Sunday morning about a mile from the state Capitol, two local municipalities, plus the Las Cruces Public Schools and New Mexico State University, delivered …

Lawmakers timid about regulating oil and gas

New Mexico legislators’ latest run at regulating the oil and gas industry by updating the 90-year-old Oil and Gas Act illuminated the continuing struggles faced with trying to craft rules for …

Despite open jobs, NM agencies request 1,600 positions

While New Mexico state government continues to struggle to fill open positions, departments are asking lawmakers to fund new ones. Legislators on the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday spitballed …

The New Mexico State Capitol building in Santa Fe.

Bill would provide menstrual products to those in prison

A bill to appropriate $250,000 to provide menstrual products to incarcerated individuals in state prisons passed by a 4-2 vote along party lines in the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee. …

A trio of NM bills could rein in lucrative oil, gas industry

A trio of bills to curb oil and gas pollution is under consideration by New Mexico lawmakers. New Mexico is the country's second-largest oil producer and a top gas producer. Rep. Debbie …

Opposition forms against strategic water supply proposal

Opponents of a proposed strategic water supply that would use treated brackish and produced water for certain industrial processes released a report on Monday that criticizes the governor’s …

A legislative map shows New Mexico’s three congressional districts following redistricting after the 2020 Census.

Debate over redistricting commission moves to senate

Every ten years, the United States counts its people, tabulating where they live and who they live with, plus a range of factors about them, like their sex, race and ethnicity, age, income, and more. …

From left: Kristina Ortez, Susan Herrera, Katy Duhigg, Angelica Rubio and Joy Garratt in front of the Seal of the State of New Mexico on the House floor in the Roundhouse.

Women legislators fight for salaries

Women make up nearly 44 percent of New Mexico’s Legislature — one of the largest representations of any state in the country. They make up the majority in the House of Representatives. …

A selection of books that have been challenged or banned in the U.S. at Loma Colorado Library in Rio Rancho.

Bill would stop New Mexico libraries from banning books

A bill in the state legislature proposes preventing public libraries from banning books based on political or religious views from what one of the bill’s sponsors calls “hate …

N.M. Sen. Crystal Brantley, R-Elephant Butte

Sen. Brantley in Santa Fe ahead of 30-day session

The week before New Mexico’s legislative session opened on Tuesday, state Sen. Crystal Brantley (known as Crystal Diamond before her recent marriage) was already in Santa Fe meeting with the …

Sen. Katy Duhigg, D-Albuquerque
Senate District 10

‘The greatest honor of my life’

In Albuquerque, first-term state Sen. Katy Duhigg, a Democrat elected in 2020, has been preparing for a “short session” sure to be packed with proposals going beyond budgetary matters and …

Cervantes looks ahead to legislative session

New Mexico’s next legislative session — the second for the state’s 56 th Legislature — opens at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 16. Lawmakers will have just 30 days to agree on a …

Previous NM Legislative news

An empty start to 2021 legislative session

Today I can report that the state of our state is … to be determined. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham broke with tradition last week and skipped the state of the state address, which has always been given by the governor a couple hours after the start of each legislative session. And I’m not sure why.

2024 Southwest New Mexico Legislative Guide

2023 Southwest New Mexico Legislative Guide

2022 Southwest New Mexico Legislative Guide

2021 Southwest New Mexico Legislative Guide