Gov. Lujan Grisham releases budget recommendations for 2023 fiscal year

SANTA FE, N.M. – The New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration released Michelle Lujan Grisham’s $8.4 billion budget recommendation Thursday.

The budget is a 13.4% increase from the previous fiscal year but 36.4% of the recommended budget consists of funds for filling gaps.

Public safety

Lujan Grisham wants $14.6 million to give New Mexico State Police officers a 20% raise and $100 million to help departments hire a thousand new officers across the state.

"She’s proposing $100 million to recruit, train and retain police officers that could also go to raises for officers in other communities," said Nora Meyers Sackett, press secretary for the Governor’s Office.

Education

The governor’s budget recommendation also includes $277 million for education – that would increase teachers’ base salaries and provide a 7% pay raise to teachers and school staff.

"With those increases, we are looking to make New Mexico teachers have the highest average salary of any state in the region, and that’s a really big move forward for New Mexico," Sackett said. "Teachers across the country, in many states, are underpaid and we don’t want that to be the case here in New Mexico anymore."

Economic development

The governor is recommending $18.5 million for the Economic Development Department for job training and local economic development.

"These are hugely successful programs that bring exciting new companies into New Mexico and invest in homegrown New Mexico companies to be able to expand," Sackett said. "They bring new jobs into communities small and large all across the state."

The budget recommendation consists of the following:

• $276.9 million for 7% raises to New Mexico education personnel and to increase base educator pay levels
• $195.1 million to expand pre-K capacity, including raising early childhood educators’ salaries and launching new programs
• $100 million to recruit, hire and retain law enforcement officers and staff around the state
• $85.5 million to expand tuition-free college through the Opportunity Scholarship
• $52.4 million for state employee raises
• $50 million to create a media academy focused on training, internships and other resources for students looking to get into the state’s film and media industry
• $50 million one-time for the Local Economic Development Act program
• $18.2 million for local fire departments to purchase equipment, boost equipment and upgrade facilities
• $14.6 million for raises and longevity pay to New Mexico State Police officers
• $14.4 million investment in initiatives to address hunger for children, families, adults and seniors
• $13 million in recurring and nonrecurring funding for the state’s Job Training Incentive Program
• $11.4 million for early literacy programs for K-12 students, including specialized reading instruction and student support
• $10.5 million for higher education programs that help teachers pay for college and pay off loans
• $10 million for the state’s dual credit program for high school students to earn college credit
• $6.5 million for the state’s Cannabis Control Division
• $3 million for a home caregivers program
• $2.5 million to create a 15-person Climate Change Bureau focused on implementing policies reflecting the state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals

Full details on the recommendation are available here.