NM Legislative Recap Feb. 20: Where the wild things are

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21-02-2025

Kiara, a wolf dog who lives at the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary in Ramah, visited the Roundhouse with Siena Radice, an animal care specialist and the program development coordinator for the sanctuary, on Feb. 20, 2025. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source NM)
The New Mexico Legislature receives many distinguished guests during the session, but Thursday's was arguably more special than the rest, and undoubtedly more furry.
Kiara, a wolf dog, looked happy as she walked back and forth inside a cage built in the Rotunda, rubbing against the fence and getting pets from members of the public.
Kiara is a mid-content wolf dog, meaning she is a dog with more than half of her DNA coming from a gray wolf, said Siena Radice, an animal care specialist and the program development coordinator with Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary.
Being a mid-content wolf dog makes Kiara more social than some other wolf dogs, Radice said, which explains why she was licking the hands that reached through the fence to pet her.
Kiara is 12 years old, the upper limit of a wolf dog's lifespan, Radice said. These animals in the wild usually only live to be about seven or eight years old, she said.
'There's no sanctuary for them, so there's disease, they get hit by cars, and there are a lot of hunters, a lot of people who want to kill them, which is very unfortunate,' Radice said.
There are 83 wolves living at the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary, Radice said, and 25 more are expected to join what she called the 'big pack' in the coming months.
The sanctuary is located in Ramah, an unincorporated community in McKinley County in the northwestern part of the state, she said, hours away from most people, vehicle traffic and loud noises. Yes, you can visit.
The staff care for the animals well enough to allow them to live nearly twice as long compared to those living in the wild, she said (George RR Martin narrated a video about the sanctuary some years ago that gives a feel for the environs).
Kira's visit to the Roundhouse coincided with Land, Water and Wildlife day at the Legislature.
Speaking of water, if you want to give input on the regional water boundaries or the plans for state water planning for later this year, submit this survey before midnight on Friday.
Sens. Craig Brandt (R-Rio Rancho) and Carrie Hamblen (D-Las Cruces) harmonized to Bon Jovi's 'Living on a Prayer,' on the senate floor Thursday, marking that we are in fact 'halfway there' (the session ends at noon on March 22). Thursday was also the final day for either chamber to introduce legislation. Lawmakers have introduced more than 1,100 pieces of legislation with the Senate introducing 559 bills and the House putting forward 583 bills, along with memorials and resolutions.
Senate Bill 16, a bill to allow independents to participate in major-party primaries without changing their registration, passed the Senate floor in a 27-11 vote Wednesday evening.
On Thursday afternoon, the House of Representatives voted 56-2 on House Bill 193, which would allow the Legislative Education Study Committee to study early childhood education and higher education issues.
The House voted 44-23 in favor of Senate Bill 3, one of the three bills that make up what is called the behavioral health package.
The House voted 68-1 in favor of House Bill 10, which would allow the state's cannabis regulator to police bad actors in the cannabis industry.
The Senate voted 26-14 to pass Senate Bill 36, which would prohibit state Department of Motor Vehicles employees from disclosing driver data to any entity that would use it to enforce federal civil immigration laws.
The Senate unanimously voted in favor Senate Bill 135, which would allow lawmakers to be reimbursed with public funds for out-of-state travel even if they lost their election or haven't declared their candidacy, without the need for a three-quarter majority vote by the Legislative Council.
The Senate is expected to vote on House Bill 8, known as the crime package, on Friday, said Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe).
The House Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs Committee unanimously endorsed a bill that would cap the liability on rural electrical cooperatives if they are proven in court to have caused a wildfire, and remove their liability so long as they can prove they followed fire mitigation measures they previously submitted to the state. The bill, which comes amid a lawsuit against PNM for the McBride Fire, now heads to the House Judiciary Committee.
The Senate Indian, Rural and Cultural Affairs Committee advanced a bill mandating the creation of a Turquoise Alert to spread information about missing Native Americans, without recommendation after hearing from sponsors that law enforcement wanted to change some of the language.
As of 5:30 p.m., the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee was starting a hearing on House Bill 339, which would prohibit landlords across the state from rejecting prospective tenants based on their source of income, including Section 8 vouchers. Several New Mexico cities ban the practice, but a statewide measure has died in committee in recent years.
Senate Bill 41, sponsored by Sens. Angel Charley (D-Acoma) and Cindy Nava (D-Bernalillo), moves now to Senate Tax, Business and Transportation.
House Bill 392, which would ban single-use plastic bags statewide and require stores to charge a minimum $0.10 fee for paper bags, will have to go again before the House Energy and Natural Resources committee next wee, after members requested the sponsors to clean up the bill's fee section and a few other tweaks.