Gov Lujan Grisham signs electric grid, solar power and cannabis-enforcement bills into law
Gov. Lujan Grisham signed more than 40 more bills on April 8 ahead of an April 11 deadline. (Photo by Danielle Prokop/Source NM)
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed 41 more bills into law Tuesday, including several to boost New Mexico's ability to install solar panels in small communities and allow utilities to seek rate changes for technology to improve electricity transmission.
She has until April 11 to sign or veto legislation.
House Bill 128 establishes a $20 million dollar fund to provide grants for solar energy and battery storage for tribal, rural and low-income schools, municipalities and counties.
'This fund is an investment in our infrastructure, our economy, and our future,' Sen. Harold Pope (D-Albuquerque) one of the bill's sponsors, said in a statement. 'It fills crucial funding gaps for rural and underserved areas, ensuring that all communities — no matter their zip code — can implement solar projects that cut energy costs, lower emissions, and enhance our resilience during fires, blackouts, and intense storms. I'm proud that we passed it.'
House Bill 93 will allow larger electric utilities to incorporate advanced grid technology projects into their grid modernization plans, and incorporate those plans into the ratemaking process before the Public Regulation Commission.
Co-sponsor Kristina Ortez (D-Taos) told Source the alternative: building more transmission lines can be '100 times to 1,000 times more expensive' than using technologies that boost lines capacity to carry more electricity, and state law allows electricity companies to pass on those costs to customers.
'Advanced grid technologies are way cheaper for ratepayers,' Ortez said. 'These utilities now have incentives to try to make their existing lines more efficient rather than building a whole new one.'
HB93 is limited to investor-owned utilities, such as Public Service Company of New Mexico Xcel Energy and El Paso Electric, and does not impact smaller electric cooperatives, she noted.
The governor also signed : House Bill 10, which establishes a new enforcement division under the state's Regulation and Licensing Bureau to enforce state cannabis laws; House Bill 63, which proposes changes to the public school funding formula to generate more money for low-income, English-language learning students and students in seventh through 12th grades; andSenate Bill 19, which requires that members of university governing boards undergo 10 hours of training on ethics, student services and best practices.
Four of the bills she enacted related to water treatment for ongoing climate impacts, addressing so-called 'forever chemicals' contamination and pollution control.
Here's a full list of the bills the governor signed:
House Bill 56: Medicaid Reimbursements for Birth Centers
House Bill: Prohibit Discrimination Against 340B Entities
House Bill 117: Death Certificate by Physician Assistant
House Bill 171: Pharmacy Custodial Care Facilities
House Bill 178: Nursing Practice Changes
Senate Bill 120: No Behavioral Health Cost Sharing
Senate Bill 122: Expand Prescription Drug Donation Program
Senate Bill 249: Health Care Provider Gross Receipts
House Bill 93: Advanced Grid Technology Plans
House Bill 128: NMFA Local Solar Access Fund
House Bill 137: Strategic Water Supply Act
House Bill 140: 'Hazardous Waste Constituent' Definition
House Bill 212: Per- & Poly-Flouroalkyl Protection Act
House Bill 240: Drinking Water System Grants & Loans
House Bill 295: Tax On Property Owned by NM RETA
Senate Bill 21: Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Act
House Bill 19: Trade Ports Development Act
House Bill 368: High Wage Jobs Tax Credit 'Threshold Job'
House Bill 456: Architect & Engineering Services & Construction
House Bill 63: Public School Funding Formula Changes
House Bill 69: Loan Forgiveness Multiplier Act
House Bill 89: Graduate Scholarship Act Changes
House Bill 336: Certain Retirees Returning to Work
Senate Bill 19: Boards Of Regents Training Requirements
Senate Bill 146: Educational Opportunity for Military Children
House Bill 10: RLD Cannabis Enforcement
House Bill 24: Community Governance Attorneys Changes
House Bill 113: Animal Welfare Program and Trust Fund
House Bill 158: Military Base Planning & Impact Act
House Bill 296: Public Accountant Licensure Requirements
House Bill 398: HMO & Contract Provider Exam Time Lines
House Bill 468: Retiring of State Flags
Senate Bill 88: Medicaid Trust Fund & State Supported Fund
Senate Bill 92: Horse Racing & Jockey Insurance Fund
Senate Bill 126: Increase Rural Service Fund Allocations
Senate Bill 159: Independent Theater Beer & Wine Licenses
Senate Bill 221: Additional Unfair Insurance Claims Practice
Senate Bill 267: Housing Application Fees
Senate Bill 280: NMMI In Capital Outlay Act
Senate Bill 290: Raise Marriage License Fees
Senate Bill 357: Essential Services Development Act
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