New Mexico State Legislature
New Mexico lawmakers turn attention to horse racing

By Susan Montoya Bryan Jun. 25, 2021 04:13 PM EDT
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Legislative analysts say New Mexico horse racing regulators have more to do if they want to further reduce the number of racehorse...

Economists detail recovery of New Mexico oil production

Jun. 23, 2021 08:10 PM EDT
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Legislative analysts say New Mexico is the only top oil-producing state to have recovered to pre-pandemic levels of production, but...

Democratic candidate Melanie Stansbury, left, hugs her mother, Sunny Birklund, at the Hotel Albuquerque as results come in for the New Mexico 1st Congressional District special election to fill former U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland's seat, Tuesday, June 1, 2021, in Albuquerque, N.M. Haaland resigned her seat to become United States Secretary of the Interior. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)
Democrats seek momentum in lopsided US House victory

By Morgan Lee And Susan Montoya Bryan Jun. 02, 2021 03:25 PM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2019, file photo, then-New Mexico Workforce Solutions Secretary Bill McCamley listens to questions about wage theft complaints during a news conference in Albuquerque, N.M. New Mexico probably overpaid unemployment insurance benefits by an estimated $250 million during the coronavirus pandemic amid a backlog of investigations into potentially fraudulent claims, the budget and accountability office of the Legislature announced Wednesday, May 19, 2021, in a research report. The revelations arrive amid turbulence at the Workforce Solutions Department, where McCamley departed as agency secretary a month ago and a review is underway of inflated tax rates on employers for unemployment insurance. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File)
Pandemic emptied unemployment trust, left fraud unchecked

By Morgan Lee May. 19, 2021 04:29 PM EDT

In this Monday, April 5, 2021, photo Jonathan Chilton, 14, center, sits on his BMX bike in front of the New Mexico state capitol ahead of a bill signing by the governor in Santa Fe, N.M. Chilton started school remotely on Tuesday following the Easter break. Around half of his classmates are now studying in-person, and he's not sure if he should go back with just a few weeks left in the semester. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)
Legislators announce return to in-person committee hearings

May. 04, 2021 12:57 AM EDT

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announces her decision to sign a law that legalizes recreational marijuana outside the state Capitol building in Santa Fe, N.M., on Monday, April 12, 2021. State Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, left, watched as the Democratic governor described the law as a victory for social justice and a potential boon for economic development. Her decision makes New Mexico the seventh state since last November to legalize adult possession and sales of cannabis for recreational use. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee)
Legislature bristles at governor's vetoes of pandemic aid

Apr. 30, 2021 05:52 PM EDT

Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks following the end of New Mexico's annual legislative session on Saturday, March 20, 2021, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)
New Mexico governor signs bill to require paid sick leave

Apr. 08, 2021 10:27 PM EDT

A Christian group prays that outside the state capitol building on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Legislators met in a special session to revisit a sprawling set of marijuana legalization proposals that led to a deadlock during the regular session earlier in March. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)
New Mexico lawmakers reconvene to consider legalizing pot

By Morgan Lee And Cedar Attanasio Mar. 30, 2021 08:43 PM EDT

House Republican Caucus Chair Rebecca Dow of Truth of Consequences describes legislative approval of an independent political redistricting commission as a "shining moment" in Santa Fe, N.M., at the the close of a 60-day legislative session on Saturday, March 20, 2021.The Democrat-led Legislature has charted an economic exit from the COVID-19 pandemic and checked off progressive priorities on policing reforms, abortion rights, medical aid in dying and child poverty. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee)
New Mexico Legislature assigns $1B in federal relief funds

By Morgan Lee Mar. 23, 2021 03:36 PM EDT

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham hails the Legislature's accomplishments and calls for a special legislative in session in the coming weeks to approval recreational cannabis legalization in Santa Fe, N.M., at the close of a 60-day legislative session on Saturday, March 20, 2021. The Democrat-led Legislature has charted an economic exit from the COVID-19 pandemic and checked off progressive priorities on policing reforms, abortion rights, medical aid in dying and child poverty. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee)
Legislature delivers virus aid, civil rights; falters on pot

By Morgan Lee And Cedar Attanasio Mar. 20, 2021 11:09 AM EDT

Democratic State, Sen. Carrie Hamblen of Las Cruces, N.M., left, and Sen. Linda Lopez of Albuquerque, hold a discussion on the floor of the New Mexico State Senate in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, March 19, 2021. The New Mexico Legislature was rushing to send final bills to the governor before the end of the annual legislative session at noon on Saturday, March 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee)
New Mexico legislative session reshapes education spending

By Cedar Attanasio Mar. 19, 2021 04:03 PM EDT

Democratic state Pro Tem Sen. Mimi Stewart, of Albuquerque, speaks on a sick leave during during the annual legislative session on Friday, March 19, 2021, in Santa Fe, N.M. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)
New Mexico Legislature passes delayed sick leave mandate

By Cedar Attanasio Mar. 19, 2021 01:40 PM EDT

FILE - In this Thursday, March 11, 2021, file photo State Sen. Mimi Stewart talks on the Senate floor during the annual legislative session, in Santa Fe, N.M. Education committee leaders in the state Legislature have reached a compromise on extended learning funding that will allow schools to get more money with loosened accountability requirements. The consensus agreement was finalized Wednesday, March 17, 2021, in the House education committee, where Senate sponsor Stewart presented her amended version of the bill. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio, File)
New Mexico lawmakers OK more school time, fewer mandates

By Cedar Attanasio Mar. 17, 2021 08:25 PM EDT

A fence is seen surrounding the State Capitol in Santa Fe, on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021. Republican lawmakers in New Mexico have asked that the state remove protective barriers erected around the state Capitol following the Jan. 6 insurrection in which supporters of former President Donald Trump broke into the U.S. Capitol building in an attempt to overturn the results of the presidential election. Republicans in the state legislature asked the Legislative Council on Tuesday to remove the fences around the facility, arguing that "the threat has not materialized." (Luis Sánchez Saturno/The New Mexican via AP)
New Mexico puts surging income into schools, economic relief

By Morgan Lee Mar. 17, 2021 03:51 PM EDT

New Mexico budget plan advances toward Senate vote

Mar. 16, 2021 07:19 PM EDT
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A budget bill is advancing toward a Senate vote in New Mexico that would boost public salaries, shore up spending on public education and...

State Senators Stewart discusses the Clean Fuel Standard Act during debate on the Senate floor during the annual legislative session on Thursday, March 11, 2021, in Santa Fe, N.M. The bill, which would create financial incentives to reduce fuel emissions, passed the state Senate 25-14. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)
New Mexico legislators close in on budget agreement

By Morgan Lee Mar. 15, 2021 06:06 PM EDT

Heath workers administer COVID-19 nasal swab tests inside the New Mexico State Capitol Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Santa Fe, N.M. State lawmakers convened this month for the opening day of a two-month legislative session. Capitol buildings are closed to the public due to the pandemic, and under strict security lockdowns due to the Jan. 6 attack against federal lawmakers in Washington D.C. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)
New Mexico House endorses health insurance tax, subsidies

Mar. 08, 2021 09:53 PM EST

Fire marshal Geronimo Griego inspects the COVID-19 signage at a gym in the Nina Otero Community School on Monday, Feb. 8, 2021, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The elementary school planed to open its doors to around 60 of its 700 enrolled students after around 15% of teachers volunteered to work in-person. After a virtual ban on large-scale in-person learning programs for the past 11 months, New Mexico schools can now bring students in-person at 50% capacity after passing fire marshal inspections. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)
New Mexico Legislature seeks reforms to spur internet access

By Cedar Attanasio Mar. 03, 2021 03:40 PM EST

New Mexico debates longer school year mandate, virus make-up

By Cedar Attanasio Mar. 02, 2021 04:03 PM EST
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would require public schools to extend the school year to help students catch up from...

FILE - This Aug. 24, 2020 file photo Marylou Ligier takes a to-go order to a patron at her family's restaurant and pastry shop Clafoutis, in Santa Fe, N.M. New Mexico officials say they're "tightening" the definition of essential businesses to exclude some large retailers who sell some essential supplies, as the state reports a record-high number of COVID-19 cases for the second day in a row. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio, File)
New Mexico Legislature approves tax holiday for restaurants

Feb. 24, 2021 11:00 PM EST