SANTA FE, N.M. – While there’s still a lot to get done in the last five days of the legislative session, there are quite a few bills already on the governor’s desk.

About 30 bills have crossed the finish line so far, including a behavioral health reform plan, and a bipartisan public safety package which is a collection of six different proposals. But that’s not all lawmakers accomplished so far.

“We’ve had enormous push back in the past, and yet we stand here today with a push to move this forward,” said state Sen. Crystal Brantley. 

After years of trying, a bill to establish a new Office of the Child Advocate, providing new independent oversight of CYFD, is finally sitting on the governor’s desk.

“Unfortunately, far too many children who are in state custody do not have someone advocating for them, and that’s exactly what House Bill 5, Office of the Child Advocate will do,” said state Rep. Michelle Paulene Abeyta.  

Lawmakers also approved a bill ensuring children in CYFD custody receive the federal benefits they’re eligible for.

The governor told lawmakers she wants more public safety bills this year, and they sent her a proposal expanding New Mexico’s red flag law to law enforcement officers, and getting rid of the current two-day confiscation period. 

“We say there’s an immediate risk that is so extreme that it requires our courts to step in to protect this person and others. But then we give a two-day break, and that two day break opens a very dangerous window,” said state Sen. Katy Duhigg. 

Bills modernizing New Mexico parole board and giving the Cannabis Control Division Law Enforcement Authority are both waiting for the governor’s signature. That includes a proposal to reshape the Department of Game and Fish into the New Mexico Department of Wildlife. 

“What it really does is it brings our state wildlife agency into the 21st century, so it’s properly equipped to handle the challenges of 21st century wildlife management,” said Jesse Deubel, executive director of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation.  

Lawmakers unanimously approved new benefits for New Mexico veterans, including free day passes to state parks. and more than doubling the current property tax exemptions, something voters already approved.

There are also a few education-related bills on the governor’s desk, including one increasing training requirements for all university regents, and one ensuring all Indigenous students can wear tribal regalia during high school graduations.

“It’s just one more way for us to celebrate that diversity in a moment when it’s really special for these young people,” said state Sen. Benny Shendo. 

State lawmakers brought well over a thousand bills to the Roundhouse this year, and we’re expecting many more to cross the finish line in these final few days. That could include a bill declaring tortillas the official state bread of New Mexico. That bipartisan bill cleared the Senate floor, but not without a little lighthearted debate.