NM Legislative Recap March 21: ‘We're still here'
Michael Martinez holds a photo of flood damage that occurred near the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire burn scar since the blaze nearly three years ago. "We're still here. We're still waiting," he said. (Photo by Patrick Lohmann / Source NM)
Nearly three years after the biggest wildfire in New Mexico history, a small band of people who lost homes or endured other losses gathered in the Roundhouse on the session's penultimate day, in hopes of reminding the public that many fire victims have not received the compensation they say they deserve.
On April 6, 2022, a small crew of federal wildland firefighters ignited a prescribed burn on a dry, windy day near Hermits Peak in Northern New Mexico. The blaze escaped containment lines and merged with another federal prescribed burn gone awry, burning an area the size of Los Angeles and destroying hundreds of homes.
'It wasn't just a loss of monetary wealth,' said Michael Martinez, an insurance agent who was caring for his grandmother when the fire forced Las Vegas residents to flee. 'It wasn't just a loss of homes. It wasn't just a loss of forest. It was a loss of what I would call generational wealth.
'We're not going to be able to share the beauty and the culture that was in this area for generations, because a lot of these people have been forced to relocate,' he said.
Martinez organized a small gathering in the Roundhouse rotunda on Friday, displaying photos of burned homes and flooded acequias. One homeowner, Jane Lumsden, placed a photo of her house's charred remains and also her cat, Chai, lost in the fire.
Congress allocated $5.45 billion to compensate fire victims for a wide variety of losses. According to the latest figures, the federal claims office tasked with providing that compensation has paid out nearly $2 billion of that money.
But, 1,080 days after the wildfighters ignited that prescribed burn, too many people are still waiting for compensation, particularly those who lost their homes in the fire, Martinez said.
'We're still here,' said Martinez, who said he's been awaiting compensation for lost property since May. 'We're still waiting.'
A House memorial honoring the long wait and the efforts to rebuild after the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon passed a House committee unanimously on Thursday.
Even as both floors took an evening break at approximately 5:15 p.m., no information had emerged about when the tax conference committee will meet to hammer out the rift between chambers on the tax package. The word around the halls is that the meeting is expected sometime Friday evening.
The Senate returns to the floor at 7 p.m., the House will also return, but at the call of the chair.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
As of 5:11 p.m., the following bills cleared the House on Friday, day 59 of the 60-day session:
Senate Bill 155 would amend a section of the state's criminal code pertaining to embezzlement, specifically allowing for the aggregation of multiple incidents of embezzlement within a 12-month period against one victim, among other changes.
Senate Bill 375 would allow early discharge for people who comply with probation and make other changes to parole.
Senate Bill 159 would create a special license for independent movie theaters to sell beer and wine.
Senate Bill 376 would make multiple changes to state employees' health benefits, including increasing the state's contribution to employee health insurance premiums and reducing the amount state employees pay. The legislation also eliminates the state health benefits program's budget shortfall.
'This bill will make a real difference for New Mexico's state employees,' New Mexico Health Care Authority Secretary Kari Armijo said in a statement. 'By reducing health insurance costs for workers and closing the program's budget gap, we're delivering real savings while ensuring long-term stability.'
Senate Bill 31 would create a $150 million Natural Disaster Revolving Fund to provide zero-interest loans to replace or repair infrastructure damaged by natural disasters.
Senate Bill 274 would amend current state statute to increase financial thresholds for state agencies and local governments regarding the sale, trade or lease of public property
Senate Bill 302 would create amplified background investigation requirements for people applying for gaming licenses, work permits and contractor access to facilities regulated under the Gaming Control Act and the New Mexico Bingo and Raffle Act
Senate Bill 303 would eliminate the need for gaming machines to meet the standards and specifications set by Nevada and New Jersey, and instead require they just meet standards set by state law.
Senate Bill 133 would amend the Educational Retirement Act to raise the maximum amount a retiree is allowed to earn annually from work after retirement with an affiliated employer — from $15,000 thousand to $25,000 —without suspending retirement benefits.
Senate Bill 343 addresses teacher salary rates, specifically removing exceptions currently in statute for vocational teachers.
Senate Bill 201 would authorize several state and legislative agencies to approve plans by the Public Education Department for programs funded by appropriations from the public education reform fund, which was created in response to the Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit over inequitable education outcomes in the state.
Senate Bill 88 would create a new Medicaid trust fund, starting with $300 million, to support and match federal funds for the Medicaid health insurance program.
Senate Bill 16 would allow independent voters to participate in primary elections.
Senate Bill 126 would increase the state rural universal service fund's maximum obligation cap from $30 million per year to $40 million per year.
Senate Bill 383 would expand the use of revenue bonds to include rebuilding, repairing, replacing and hardening of municipal property damaged by a flood.
Senate Bill 364 would allow people with work authorizations from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to work as police officers.
Senate Bill 197 would allow local emergency medical services departments to sell bonds to be able to more easily afford ambulances.
Senate Bill 290 would raise marriage license fees from $25 to $55.
Senate Bill 236 would create a motorcycle-sized version of the existing 'look twice for motorcycles' license plate.
Senate Bill 142 would update the grid modernization grant program by asking EMNRD and PRC to create a roadmap, and add new grant programs.
Senate Bill 9 would align penalties for pipeline companies who violate safety regulations with federal standards.
Senate Bill 120 would permanently eliminate behavioral health services cost sharing.
The House voted not to pass Senate Bill 112, which would have created a new property tax exemption for student housing built on land owned by a higher education institution.
The House recessed at 5:15 p.m. for a quick break and to maybe 'catch a bit of the Lobo game,' House Speaker Javier Martinez said.
The Senate voted to concur on three bills the chamber had already passed, but were later amended on the House floor. The bills now head to the governor's desk for consideration. Those bills include Senate Bill 480, which would require the Public Education Department to create a report of the high school students who do not graduate within four years and provide it to the Higher Education Department; Senate Bill 11, which would require local public school districts and charter schools to develop and adopt a wireless communication device policy; and Senate Bill 353, which would amend the Search and Rescue Act to create protocols for federal, state, local and tribal agencies when Search and Rescue is called in an emergency.
The Senate passed House Bill 206, which would allow the New Mexico Finance Authority to award loans or grants to qualifying projects from the water project fund; House Bill 240, which would allow the New Mexico Finance Authority to make grants and loans for drinking water projects and extends the repayment period to 10 years; House Bill 244, which would raise the minimum age of magistrate judges from 18 to 28 years old; House Bill 6, which would require employers working on projects funded by public bonds to pay the prevailing wage to their workers; House Bill 402, which would streamline and regulate credentialing of dental care providers; House Bill 41, which would allocate $13.25 million into the drinking water state revolving loan fund, the local government planning fund and the cultural affairs facilities infrastructure fund; House Bill 56, which would raise Medicaid reimbursement rates at birth centers to match the rate paid to hospitals for similar services; and House Bill 78, which would prevent insurance companies and pharmacy benefits managers from interfering with health care providers' ability to acquire and sell prescription drugs at a discount.
Senators debated a provision to encourage development of brackish water for more than two hours on the floor before passing it with bipartisan support to the governor's desk. House Bill 137, called the Strategic Water Supply, changed drastically over the session.
Sen. Linda Trujillo (D-Santa Fe) proposed an amendment that included additional language for protesting a project through an existing process with the Office of the State Engineer. The Senate rejected the amendment.
During debate, Sen. Angel Charley (D-Acoma) urged the state Legislature to fully fund and map the state's aquifers before making a multimillion dollar investment to develop water sources, saying she's concerned about the extent of available water.
'It's giving gold rush, it's giving extraction, it's giving not thinking seven generations ahead,' Charley said on the floor about HB137.
Sen. Katy Duhigg (D-Albuquerque) asked one of the bill's sponsors, Sen. George Muñoz (D-Gallup), what about his position had changed as he opposed the Strategic Water Supply bill in the 2024 session.
Muñoz said HB137 was 'a completely different bill' noting that this version stripped language for treating oil and gas wastewater, and that he has 'always supported brackish water' treatment and development.
HB137 passed on a 33-6 vote, six Democratic senators voted in opposition.
A debate on an alternative to conservatorships was derailed after a surprise amendment inserted language from a Senate Bill that failed to advance committees last week. House Bill 149, the Supported Decision-Making Act, became a debate on Senate Bill 166, which would redefine 'harm to self' and 'harm to others' in state law to allow for more people to be civilly committed into a locked facility. SB166 passed unanimously on the Senate floor on March 12, but failed to make it through House committees.
Senate Minority Floor Leader Sen. William Sharer (R-Farmington) introduced an amendment to HB149 to incorporate wording from SB166, drawing claims of 'overreach' from Sens. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez (D-Albuquerque) and Linda López (D-Albuquerque), a sponsor of the proposed supported decision-making act. She called Sharer's amendment 'overreaching what we can do.'
Sharer's response: 'This is the way the sausage is made,' he said.
The amendment eventually passed by a 31-7 vote.
The Senate also eventually passed the Supported Decision-Making Act, which now goes back to the House for a concurrence vote.
As we noted on Thursday, the clock is ticking for some bills that have already landed on the governor's desk. On Friday, she signed into law a bill reforming oversight of the Children, Youth & Families Department — a sore spot for her administration —but not without some harsh words for the Legislature and Attorney General Raúl Torrez.
AG excoriates governor over message on CYFD bill

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
St. Landry Parish residents frustrated by sudden bridge closure
ST LANDRY PARISH, LA. (KLFY) – Residents in St. Landry Parish said they're frustrated, cut off and looking for answers after a popular bridge was suddenly closed due to structural concerns. The Bayou Portage bridge, which was rebuilt and reopened in 2022 after weeks of repairs, was closed again on April 15 following a state inspection that uncovered deeper issues with the bridge's pilings. The closure has left many in the community with few options and much longer commutes. 'We're having to drive an extra 60 miles for nothing, when it could take us five minutes,' said local resident Scotty LaGrange. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Beyond the inconvenience, residents said the bridge's closure poses a serious safety risk. 'The [other] bridge if something happens to it, all these people are trapped,' said Paul Calais. 'Hundreds of people trapped. This is their way out. This is an escape route, and it's closed.' According to Saint Landry Parish President Jessie Bellard, the issue lies in the foundation of the bridge. 'The reason for it being closed is because of the pilings underneath,' Bellard said. 'The state does an inspection on these pilings and they said it needs to be shut down. They're going to give us their review, and we haven't received it yet.' Bellard added that the parish cannot begin repairs until the state provides a formal deficiency letter outlining what exactly needs to be fixed. 'As soon as they give us that deficiency letter, we'll know what exactly the problem is. Then we can go get the repairs done,' Bellard said. If that documentation arrives soon, Bellard said repairs could be completed within four to five weeks. Still, he emphasized that safety remains the top priority. 'The decision's on our part, but I'm not going to go against engineers,' Bellard said. 'If they say it needs to be shut down, we're going to shut it down. Safety reasons are our main concern.' But for many in Bayou Portage, waiting for paperwork is not good enough. 'We need an explanation,' Calais said. 'And then let's fix it—because it's our escape route.' St. Landry Parish residents frustrated by sudden bridge closure House Republicans tee up tweaks to Trump megabill Abbeville police chief speaks on drive-by shooting video More Storms Likely For The Rest of The Week, Low End Severe Threat… Suspicious bag prompts evacuation at Lafayette Regional Airport Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Crowley dog saved from house fire by firefighter
CROWLEY, La. () — A Crowley firefighter rescued a small dog from a house fire, authorities said. According to a post on the , fire broke out in a house occupide by Bill Faulk, who was away from home at the time. Firefighter Phobee Spell went into the burning home when she learned that there was a puppy stuck inside. Faulk was not home at the time of the fire, but showed up once he got the news that his home was burning. He was relieved to learn that his small fur friend, Jiggy, made it out unharmed. No other details were released. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Liquid Glass: What is Apple's new design feature, and when is it available? Federal minimum wage would rise to $15 under Sen. Hawley bill House GOP effort to lock in DOGE cuts faces Republican resistance California Republican pushes back against Trump immigration enforcement Cameron Parish couple killed in house fire Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
East Providence celebrates Pride month with flag raising, parade
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — East Providence celebrates Pride month with a flag raising ceremony and a parade. State and local leaders, including keynote speaker Rhode Island Foundation President & CEO David Cilcilline, Senate President Val Lawson and Mayor Bob DaSailva gathered at City Hall, for the flag raising at 10 a.m. A parade then departed, making its way through the city, ending at Weaver Library, where food, entertainment and other vendors were available. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.