Latest news with #JointResolution2
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Lujan Grisham has signed more than half the legislation sent up by lawmakers
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed more than half of the legislation sent to her from the 2025 session. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed another 10 bills into law on Wednesday, including bills to require all schools to install heart defibrillators; adding additional crimes to the state's organized crime laws and approving a pilot project for grandparents raising grandchildren. House Bill 54 requires all public schools to develop plans for addressing cardiac emergencies and have electronic devices on site. The bill originally requested high schools to meet the requirements, but lawmakers amended it to include all schools. High schools are required to install automated external defibrillators by the 2026 school year, and elementary schools must comply by 2027. Senate Bill 70 adds additional crimes that qualify for racketeering charges, including dog and cockfighting, human trafficking, sexual exploitation of children, criminal sexual penetration; criminal sexual contact and bringing contraband into prisons and jails. House Bill 252 develops a $4 million dollar pilot project for the Aging and Long Term Services Department to provide funding for grandparents or next-of-kin raising children. The bill will address 50 families in five to seven counties. Lujan Grisham has signed 128 bills — about 65% — of the 195 bills the Legislature passed, and vetoed two bills. That leaves 67 bills pending, including the $10.8 billion budget funding the state government in House Bill 2. Lujan Grisham has until Friday to approve or veto bills. Any legislation not signed by the April 11 deadline will not go into law, a move called a pocket veto. Lawmakers unanimously passed a measure to remove the governor's pocket veto power in House Joint Resolution 2. Voters will have the chance to vote on the constitutional change in 2026, unless officials call a special election before then. Here's a full list of the bills signed into law on Wednesday: House Bill 6: IRB Project Minimum Wage House Bill 20: Technology & Innovation Division Senate Bill 59: Public Works Minimum Wage Definitions House Bill 54: Defibrillators In Every High School House Bill 532: Student Water Safety Guidance Senate Bill 070: Add Racketeering Crimes Senate Bill 168: Travel Insurance Act House Bill 172: New Mexico Red & Green Chile Month House Bill 218: Tax Changes House Bill 252: Kinship Caregiver Support Pilot Program
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The clock is ticking: See which bills NM Gov has signed, vetoed
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Lt. Governor Howie Morales speak at a post-session news conference March 22. The governor has one more week to act on 169 remaining bills that lawmakers sent her. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source NM) The Legislature sent nearly 200 bills to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for a signature by the end of the 60-day legislative session March 22. The governor has another week to act on those bills. If she doesn't by April 11, they are vetoed. Lawmakers this session unanimously passed House Joint Resolution 2, which would remove the governor's ability to veto bills simply by not acting on them, known as a pocket veto. Voters will have the power to approve that change in the next general election, unless a special election arises before that. So far, the governor has signed 24 bills and vetoed two others. That leaves 169 bills hanging in the balance. With a week left, where do things stand? See a list below of all the bills the governor has signed, what she's vetoed, and what is still on the chopping block.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Post-session probe
The Roundhouse in Santa Fe in April 2022. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source NM) New Mexico lawmakers in the House and Senate wrapped up the 60-day session, gaveling out for the final time just after noon on Saturday. According to Source NM's Bill Tracker lawmakers passed 194 bills — proposed laws —along with three joint resolutions. Resolutions are formal declarations the Legislature either can't or doesn't want to control via lawmaking; the joint resolutions propose amendments to the constitution and will require voter approval. Lawmakers also passed 48 memorials, which are non-binding formal requests or intentions typically addressed to another governmental body. For example, House Memorial 15 requests that the United States Congress once again try to expand the Radiation and Exposure Compensation Act to include New Mexico victims. Neither memorials nor resolutions require the governor's signature. In total, lawmakers passed 18.5% of all the legislation introduced and 16.4% of the bills. You can check out all of Source's 2025 legislative coverage here. Proposed bills passed by both chambers then head to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's desk as their final destination. For the majority of the legislation that passed within the last three days of the session, the governor has until April 11 to act by either signing or vetoing with an explanation. If a bill goes unsigned by the deadline, it fails to become law in what's called a pocket-veto, which happens without explanation, and is a move whose days may be numbered. Lawmakers this session unanimously passed House Joint Resolution 2, which would remove the governor's pocket veto power if voters approve a constitutional amendment to that effect in the next general election (unless a special election arises before that). For appropriations bills — ones allocating money— the governor also has the power to line-item veto, which means she can strike specific provisions while leaving the rest of the law intact. Lawmakers sent nearly two dozen bills up to the governor before the final three days of the session, which the New Mexico Constitution requires her to sign on a three-day clock. As of publication, the governor had signed 22 bills into law, including allowing Native American students to wear tribal regalia at graduations; bills related to veteran tax credits and access to state parks; and a bill to make it easier and faster for police to seize guns belonging to a person determined to be a risk to themselves and others. The signings haven't been entirely without controversy. Lujan Grisham line-item vetoed a bill overhauling the state's wildlife agency, sparking pushback from advocates; and she traded barbs with Attorney General Raúl Torres' office when she signed a law establishing an office to watchdog the state's child welfare agency. On Saturday, the governor vetoed Senate Bill 17, which would have enacted a series of changes to modernize the Parole Board and how the body considers incarcerated people's requests for parole. Lujan Grisham wrote in her veto message the legislation created an 'unnecessary set of obstacles' to remove members from the parole board. Currently, Lujan Grisham can remove members of the board at will. Members of the American Civil Liberties Union, who championed the bill, criticized Lujan Grisham's veto in written statements. 'This bipartisan bill would have brought essential reforms to our parole system, benefiting both the community and crime victims,' said Leon Howard, the interim ACLU-NM executive director, in a written statement. 'Especially amidst brazen federal executive overreach, we expect our state governor to respect the legislative process and not substitute her own individual judgment for the will of the people as demonstrated by the unanimous passage of SB 17 through both chambers.' Lujan Grisham also vetoed House Bill 65, which would have allowed school districts to set their own calendars, aligning with a recent court ruling over the Public Education Department's controversial 180-day rule. In her veto message, the governor wrote of a 'troubling trend' of school districts and charter schools condensing the required instructional hours into fewer days. 'While this may provide administrative convenience and reduced costs, the consequences for our students are deeply concerning,' she said. 'Spreading instructional hours over more days, she continued, 'allows students to absorb material more effectively, supports consistent teacher-student interaction, fosters a stable learning environment and reduces summer learning loss.' In the session's final hour, the House voted unanimously to override the governor's veto on instructional days, but the Senate did not join the lower chamber. In remarks to reporters on Saturday, Senate Pro Tem Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque) characterized the lack of agreement as a timing issue. So far, not very much. Earlier in the legislative session, Lujan Grisham floated calling a special session to address potential state shortfalls from a loss of federal funds. On the session's final day, Lujan Grisham lambasted lawmakers for what she called 'appalling and unacceptable' inaction on juvenile crime after the March 21 shooting in Las Cruces that killed three people and injured 15. Democratic leadership told Source NM Saturday they expect Lujan Grisham to call a session on both priorities. 'We've talked about coming back for a special session on crime,' said Democratic Senate Whip Michael Padilla (D-Albuquerque). 'I'm really thinking we're going to come back on these federal cuts as well.' The timing for the special session is unclear, with Lujan Grisham telling reporters on Saturday that she plans to call one later this year. 'I am certainly there, in this moment; I'd like to have a cooler head prevail,' she said. 'I think the likelihood is far stronger than not.' A measure to study if the Legislature should combine interim and standing committees into year-round committees, which unanimously passed the House, stalled out in the Senate. Interim committees, whose members come from both houses, meet in the off-months to start the development of legislation for the forthcoming session and hold hearings. Agendas are typically released in April and May. Unlike the legislation session when committees meet at the Roundhouse, these committee meetings rotate to different locations around the state. Senate Majority Floor Leader Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe) told reporters Saturday he expects provisions regarding juvenile justice will be largely tackled by the Courts and Corrections interim committee, headed by Rep. Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos) and Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces). 'Obviously, this work does need to continue. It needs the type of interim effort that we saw with the public safety package that we ended up passing,' Wirth said. 'I'm really encouraged that we've got a Courts and Corrections interim committee with Chair Chandler and Chair Cervantes, that's gonna do that type of work so when we come into the session we're going to be effective, as we've been effective this session.' Lawmakers also announced some additional interim priorities during the session. House Memorial 2 requests state agencies overseeing public education, child welfare, higher education and information technology convene a working group to develop a set of rules and policies governing artificial intelligence use in educational institutions 'Especially to ensure that artificial intelligence tools are used effectively and responsibly, are accessible to all communities across New Mexico, are tailored to New Mexico's cultural and educational contexts and are not used as a substitute for meaningful human connection,' the memorial stated. The memorial requires the working group present findings by Oct. 31 of this year. House Memorial 27 requests legislative staff assign an interim committee to tackle how to implement an exemption to the anti-donation clause that voters approved in 2022. The anti-donation clause is a section of the New Mexico Constitution that limits state government from giving anything to the private sector. Voters in 2022 approved an exception to allow the state to spend state money on residential 'infrastructure that allows internet, energy, water, wastewater or other similar services.' The memorial requests lawmakers develop proposals in time for the 2026 30-day session. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
