Latest news with #HouseBill450
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some lawmakers go outside district boundaries with capital outlay funding
May 4—SANTA FE — It's a long haul from Albuquerque to Angel Fire, but that didn't stop several metro-area lawmakers from allocating some of their capital outlay dollars this year for construction of a new veterans' wellness center in the high mountain village. In all, more than 25 Republican legislators chipped in a combined total of $1.2 million for the facility during the 60-day legislative session, even though most of them live far from Angel Fire. "I thought it was worthwhile," said Sen. Jay Block, R-Rio Rancho, a first-term senator and U.S. Air Force veteran who said other veterans in his district could benefit from the new facility. Meanwhile, five lawmakers — a mix of Democrats and Republicans — allocated a total of $355,000 for the Fort Sill Apache Tribe to build a new fire station in Luna County between Deming and Las Cruces. One of those lawmakers, Sen. Bill Soules, D-Las Cruces, said he's made it a point to support tribal projects in southern New Mexico, even if they're not located within the boundaries of his Senate District 37 seat. "I've always provided some funding for whatever project they've got going on," Soules told the Journal, referring to the Fort Sill Apache, who won a 2011 court order to establish a reservation in New Mexico. "They're the ones who were in this area historically," he added. While New Mexico lawmakers generally tend to bring home the "pork," or capital outlay dollars, for road construction, water projects, sports fields and other projects in their districts, it's not uncommon for them to also fund outside projects. Some funded projects are located far from legislators' districts, such as the $500,000 allocation for a new high school football field in Texico made this year by Sen. Joshua Sanchez, R-Bosque. There are no rules that funded projects must be located within a legislator's district boundaries, and until recently, it was difficult to tell how most lawmakers divvied up their available capital outlay funds. While attempts to overhaul the state's capital outlay system have been unsuccessful at the Roundhouse, lawmakers agreed in 2021 to disclose how each legislator divvies up their funding. But that disclosure — in the form of a published list — is not made by the Legislative Council Service, the Legislature's administrative arm, until 30 days after the session's end. How the capital outlay system works Under the state's system for funding public works projects, each lawmaker gets a certain amount of funding during every regular legislative session to distribute for projects. The governor also receives a share. This year's bill, House Bill 450, provided each House member with $2.5 million in available funding. Senators got a slightly larger share of nearly $4.2 million each. In all, the bill appropriates about $1.2 billion for roughly 1,400 projects around New Mexico, though Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoed a number of smaller projects from it last month. Money appropriated under the capital outlay bill generally has to be spent within three years, though lawmakers can extend that deadline by reauthorizing approved projects. 'Everybody asks for money' A review of this year's capital outlay allocations shows top-ranking senators from both political parties gave money to projects outside their districts. Senate Minority Leader William Sharer, R-Farmington, allocated $50,000 for the veterans' wellness center project in Angel Fire and another $50,000 to bolster efforts to build a New Mexico Sports and Cultural Museum in Albuquerque. For her part, Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, gave money to several projects outside her district, including $100,000 for a student-led green initiative at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas and $200,000 for improvements to the Navajo Preparatory School in Farmington. She said those funding decisions stemmed from meetings at the state Capitol and friendships she made with students at the schools. "I try to limit the funding that goes outside my district — I think we all do," Stewart said in an interview, while emphasizing the vast majority of the 31 projects she funded are located within her district. But Stewart also said this isn't the first year she's supported projects outside her district, saying she's also done so in past years. Lawmakers say the volume of requests they get for proposed infrastructure projects around the state is higher than ever, even as the state's cash-flush budget situation has allowed for more money to be spent on capital outlay projects in recent years. "Everybody asks for money," said Stewart. "It's unbelievable." As for the project in Angel Fire, the National Veterans Wellness and Healing Center plans to use the $1.2 million it secured to build eight cabins for veterans who travel to northern New Mexico to take part in weeklong retreats, said Markus Podell, the group's president and post-traumatic stress disorder program director. Podell said he went "office to office" during the legislative session asking lawmakers to support the project, which he said will allow the group to avoid having to rent out an entire condominium complex to house retreat participants.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City, county receive millions from state for housing, infrastructure, more
Ever thought buying a car was a complicated process? Try buying a fire engine. 'It's not like you can go to the dealership down the street and buy one,' Santa Fe fire Chief Brian Moya said in a Wednesday interview. 'You have to order these. And even when we order it, it's two years to three years' from the time of purchase until delivery. The long lag time requires advance planning, which is why the city asked for and received capital outlay during this year's legislative session for a new firetruck for Fire Station 7, something Moya says will be needed several years from now to replace the current truck, which will then become a reserve vehicle. The $1.9 million appropriation is one of 17 projects for which the city secured capital outlay in the 2025 session. Though the truck will take a while to get to Santa Fe, Mayor Alan Webber said residents should expect other projects to materialize more quickly. 'We're conscious that we're got to work hard to put the money to work for the benefit of the people of Santa Fe,' he said Thursday. The city of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County both received millions of dollars in the omnibus capital outlay bill, House Bill 450, which is subject to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's veto until April 11. Officials from both municipalities said they are grateful to the Santa Fe area's legislative delegation for what they secured in the session. 'We have an incredibly great delegation that represents Santa Fe and Santa Fe County, and we're always very grateful when they step up and and respond to our request for help,' Webber said. City of Santa Fe The city's legislative priorities for the 2025 session included a requested $32.1 million in funding, much less than the $150 million it requested from the previous session. In both years it received about the same amount of money: $18.36 million from the 2025 session and $18.9 million from last year's session. Webber said the projects the city received funding for this year match the city's priorities, including money for affordable housing, parks and recreation, and the midtown campus. The 17 projects include $710,000 for permanent and transitional housing construction, $590,000 for phase two of the Santa Fe Regional Airport expansion, $100,000 for the Paseo Real Wastewater Treatment Plant, $100,000 for upgrades to the Genoveva Chavez Community Center, $500,000 for upgrades to the Fort Marcy Park baseball field and $300,000 for the Ragle Park baseball field. The biggest appropriation for recreation is a $3 million allocation for the Municipal Recreation Complex Soccer Valley, making a significant dent in the $5 million that was outstanding for the expansion, something advocates for youth soccer in the city say is badly needed. The midtown campus received several allocations, including $100,000 for design work for the planned creation of a '21st-century' Fogelson library and community center. Public outreach about the library, which will eventually replace the LaFarge Branch Library as the midtown area's public library, is anticipated to start this summer. The city also received $200,000 in funding for the Midtown Arts and Design Alliance, which is in the process of creating a visual arts center on the campus. The single largest allocation the city received is also for a nonprofit group. The Legislature approved $8.975 million for infrastructure for Phase 3 of Tierra Contenta, an affordable housing development on the city's south side. Homewise announced in December it would be the master developer for the long-awaited final phase of the project, which requires infrastructure totaling about $28 million, including an extension of Paseo Del Sol. Homewise executive director Mike Loftin said public funding is essential to make the development work financially, describing the appropriation as 'a huge help' to moving things forward. The affordable housing nonprofit also received $415,000 for the park it will be creating as part of its Los Prados development on South Meadows Road. Loftin said he was grateful to Lujan Grisham and the Legislature for its support of Homewise this session, noting that every member of the Santa Fe delegation put some of their capital outlay allocation toward Tierra Contenta. 'You usually don't get across-the-board support like that,' he said. Santa Fe County This year, Santa Fe County was awarded $6.4 million in capital outlay funding from the state Legislature across 16 projects, according to an email from county spokesperson Olivia Romo, much lower than the $57.6 million requested by the County Commission. That's also down from the $11.4 million the county received in capital outlay for projects in 2024. Among the key funding secured through those appropriations is $800,000 for the Agua Fría village's sewer expansion project, which will allow residents to discontinue the use of existing septic systems and cesspools by connecting to new sewer infrastructure, part of the intent to protect groundwater integrity. A large project with a total cost of $15.1 million, it still has a $7.5 million funding gap, Romo wrote in the email. Commission Chair Camilla Bustamante described the project as 'long overdue.' 'They have waited a long time to have a sewer line,' she said of Agua Fría village residents. Camino de Jacobo Public Housing, a community on the city's south side, can expect some upgrades. That's because the Legislature approved a $390,000 appropriation so the county can restucco 35 'low-income' units, reroof 42 'low-income' units and replace electrical meter bases. 'These improvements will ensure the 100% affordable public housing community meets safe, suitable, and sanitary standards while extending the useful life of the structures,' Romo wrote in an email. Directly benefiting 535 residents — more than 53% of whom are in the low- or moderate-income bracket, according to Romo — a capital outlay allocation of $800,000 will support the design, purchase, construction, installation and rehabilitation of sewer lines in Glorieta Village. Rehabilitation of pipes and manholes in the community is part of the project, as well. Funding efforts to add to the county's labyrinth of trail systems, which seeks to keep bicyclists and pedestrians off major roadways in the name of safety while offering recreational opportunities, also got a boost this session. The Legislature approved $550,000 for the Avenida Azul path project, one that aims to build a safe path next to Avenida Azul for pedestrians and bicyclists traveling on the primary connector road in the Eldorado area. That funding will complete the construction budget for the project, which is currently under design. What is known as the Rail Trail Segment 7 project, which is the final portion that needs to be completed of an 18-mile trail, would run from U.S. Highway 285 to the Lamy train depot. It received $700,000 in funding this session, down from the $2.5 million the county requested for preliminary engineering, design and construction. Other appropriations include $2 million for water lines for the Pojoaque Basin Regional Water System, a sprawling water infrastructure project that is being overseen by the federal Bureau of Reclamation, and the construction of a road sign in the Galisteo area on N.M. Highway 41 for $20,000. A project to widen and resurface the highway had sparked concerns from some Galisteo residents who were worried it would lead people to drive through their small community at high speed. 'Now there's going to be signage that lets people know that this is a historic community and to be respectful as they go,' Bustamente said.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Organizers say Las Cruces reproductive health center expected to open in late summer 2026
Political leaders and representatives from advocacy organizations break ground in Las Cruces for the Center for Reproductive Health. (Photo by Leah Romero / Source New Mexico) Las Cruces could see New Mexico's state-funded reproductive health clinic open its doors on the east side of town by late summer or fall 2026, according to project organizers. Christopher Ramirez, spokesperson for the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, told Source NM that organizers are in the final stages of design and development and expect to present plans to the Department of Higher Education and the State Board of Finance for approval in May and June. Once approved, the search for a contractor will start. 'Our hope is to have a contractor in place and construction to begin by September/October,' Ramirez told Source NM in an email, adding that the goal is to open doors to patients about a year later. The Center for Reproductive Health is part of a $10 million capital outlay project requested by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and approved in 2023 to expand access to reproductive health care in Southern New Mexico. The project is a partnership between UNM and advocacy organizations Bold Futures, Strong Families New Mexico and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. Lujan Grisham, legislators, organizers and local leaders broke ground on the center in September 2024, on East Lohman Avenue near MountainView Regional Medical Center, following over a year of few updates on the project. The center is expected to offer medication and procedural abortion, contraception options, pregnancy loss support and management, lactation support and doula support, along with other services. Lujan Grisham recently requested another $10 million in capital outlay funds for a reproductive health center in Northern New Mexico. Neither the governor nor the Las Cruces center organizers have confirmed that the same organizers will be part of the planning for the second center. A location for the center has not been released, though Republican lawmakers speculated during the legislative session that Santa Fe would be the target. The Legislature passed capital outlay projects in House Bill 450 and it awaits the governor's signature. Ramirez previously told Source NM that 'as with all items relating to UNM, this capital outlay funding will be thoroughly analyzed, and our teams will continue working with the Legislature and the Executive to understand UNM's role.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Mexico Legislature passes $1.2B in local infrastructure, construction spending
Legislative Finance Committee analyst Cally Carswell, Rep. Derrick Lente and Sen. Benny Shendo discuss capital outlay funding with the Senate Finance Committee on March 20, 2025. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source NM) The New Mexico Senate on Thursday afternoon approved $1.2 billion in one-time funding for local infrastructure, buildings and equipment in an annual spending bill called 'capital outlay.' Lawmakers pass a capital outlay bill each year to pay for all or part of new infrastructure or construction — projects like buildings, parks, roads or acequia upgrades. The Senate voted 25-16 in favor of House Bill 450, with Republicans in opposition. The floor vote came minutes after the Senate Finance Committee passed the bill, which will allocate funds to more than 1,400 projects in all 33 of New Mexico's counties. The House of Representatives passed the same version of HB450 on Wednesday; the bill now heads to the governor's desk. Sen. Pat Woods (R-Broadview) opposed the bill in committee on Thursday for the same reasons as his House colleagues the day before: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham added a $10 million request for the construction of a reproductive health clinic in Northern New Mexico. 'I know the governor has all the rights in the world to put in whatever piece she wants in this,' Woods told the committee. 'I'm disappointed it came in so late and that I wasn't able to see it ahead of time.' Some of the big-ticket items in the bill include $50 million for public school buildings statewide; $40 million for a forensic unit at the Behavioral Health Institute in Las Vegas; and $40 million for a humanities and social sciences complex at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Most of the money in the capital outlay bill — nearly $800 million — comes from the state's General Fund, its biggest single pot of public money, while another $292 million comes from the sale of severance tax bonds and the remaining $132.9 million comes from other state funds. Legislative Finance Committee staff have recommended lawmakers consider setting an earlier deadline for local capital outlay requests, and creating a basic method of vetting and tracking projects that receive state money. The Department of Finance and Administration has created an online dashboard that allows people to track capital outlay spending, but lawmakers are considering more changes. Rep. Derrick Lente (D-Sandia Pueblo) told the committee the capital outlay process is a 'work in progress.' He said an LFC subcommittee met over the interim last year to discuss ways to 'modernize' the process. He said he expects a minimum funding amount or a 'floor' to be one of those changes. 'If we don't set this floor, we're nickel and diming this process to a point where they may never be able to spend this money because it's never enough, and the project continues to go up in price, and at the end of the day, we just continue to add to the unspent balance that we have today,' Lente said. Overall, $5.8 billion remains in unspent capital outlay funding, said Cally Carswell, principal capital outlay analyst for the Legislative Finance Committee and an expert witness on HB450. Sen. Michael Padilla (D-Albuquerque) told the committee he coordinates with representatives whose districts overlap with his to collaborate on funding specific projects, and asked if anything can be done to help coordinate capital outlay funding in different parts of New Mexico. Carswell told the committee similar coordination is happening in several parts of the state, it's a good practice and tends to lead to more projects getting more of the funding they need. She said after this session, LFC could start looking at 'some sort of technological solutions or additional tools' to make it easier for lawmakers to coordinate. 'Capital outlay has to change,' Senate Finance Committee Chair Sen. George Muñoz (D-Gallup) said on the Senate floor on Thursday. The state currently has 712 active projects, to which lawmakers had given at least $1 million as of September, accounting for $4.3 billion in total, according to data produced by legislative staff. Of those, 360 are on schedule, 75 are behind schedule and 277 have had no activity, or the local governments responsible have not sold the bonds needed to raise the money, or are facing 'significant obstacles to completion,' according to the report. 'We're spending the money the wrong way. We're wasting money,' Muñoz told the Senate Finance Committee. 'People show up with a project and an idea, and they have no plan. They don't know what the cost is. They just know we're giving away free money. Time and time again, we underfund projects and we don't ever complete them.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
While you were sleeping: Here's what the NM Legislature did last night
Rep. Derrick Lente (D-Sandia Pueblo) during Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's State of the State address. Lente, the sponsor for House Bill 450, which contains $1.2 billion in capital outlay projects from lawmakers, the executive and public entities, navigated an 'eleventh-hour' addition of a $10 million request for a reproductive clinic in Northern New Mexico, sparking a House GOP revolt over the bill in the session's last days. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM) Debate stretched into the evening Wednesday night at the Roundhouse, and New Mexico legislative committees convened into the wee hours of Thursday. Here's what happened if you had other plans (like sleeping). After hitting the three-hour rule of debate adopted in the lower chamber's rules, the House passed House Bill 450 along party lines after House Republicans revolted against a late-addition of a $10 million dollar proposed reproductive health clinic in Northern New Mexico. HB 450 contains $1.2 billion for capital outlay projects across the state, including$600 million in a general fund revenue split between local projects prioritized by House and Senate members and the governor, according to the analysis on the bill. Capital outlay now heads to the Senate side, which has a packed schedule Thursday including the possible tackle of a hefty tax package House Bill 14, which includes a new tax on the sale of oil and gas. The House also passed a bill earmarking $210 million for communities to respond and mitigate the impacts of climate change, carried by House Majority Floor Leader Reena Szczepanski (D-Santa Fe) and Sen Pro Tem Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque). Read our previous coverage here. Senate Bill 48, passed along a party line vote after hours of debate, and now heads to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's desk for approval. Lawmakers rejected three amendments proposed by Republicans on the floor. The House unanimously passed Senate Bill 41, which creates a system to send out statewide alerts when Indigenous people go missing. SB41 heads back to the Senate for concurrence — meaning that body will have to approve changes made by the House Judiciary committee. If passed, it will head to the fourth floor for the governor's consideration. House Judiciary, which convened at 10 p.m. and broke up just after 12:30 a.m., passed Senate Bill 16, which would allow 'decline to state' voters —aka independents— the ability to participate in primaries without changing their voter registrations, sending the bill to the House floor. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
