SANTA FE, N.M. – State lawmakers are keeping busy in these final few hours, flying through bills left and right. Fortunately, that includes the only bill they have to approve – the $10.8 billion state budget proposal. 

House lawmakers approved the Senate’s changes Thursday afternoon and sent the historic spending plan up to the governor’s desk for review.

“House Bill 2 also maintains the committee’s 30% reserve target with $3,252,500,000 and no dollars in reserve to ensure the budget can withstand any potential economic downturns, our future is secure until we know what the feds will do with us,” said state Sen. George Muñoz. 

TURQUOISE ALERT SYSTEM

That’s not the only bill ready for the governor’s signature. Lawmakers unanimously approved a bill to establish a new Turquoise Alert System for missing Indigenous people. Think of it like Amber Alerts for missing children. 

Data from the New Mexico Department of Justice shows there’s at least 190 missing Indigenous people in New Mexico, and lawmakers say programs like this work.

“Colorado issued the passage of a Feather Alert that aims to achieve these same outcomes. And in the first year they issued 17 of them. 17 of those individuals were found, one was found that had passed away,” said state Sen. Angel Charley. 

CLIMATE CHANGE-FOCUSED PROJECT FUND

Lawmakers also sent the governor a bill establishing a new $210 million community benefit fund solely dedicated to projects focused on reducing pollution, modernizing energy grids, clean transportation expansion and other climate-change related initiatives.

SLOT CANYON RIVERLANDS STATE PARK

Lawmakers also approved the creation of a new state park. The Slot Canyon Riverlands down in southern New Mexico. If the bill is signed, it will become the 36th state park in New Mexico.

It’s all up to the governor now, and it’s becoming clear she’s not on the same page with lawmakers on certain issues.

GAME & FISH REFORM BILL

The governor revealed Thursday she’s planning to veto parts of a bill reshaping the Department of Game and Fish into the New Mexico Department of Wildlife, specifically the section establishing a formal process for removing state game commissioners.

Her veto message reads, “Rather than tie our hands with a lengthy and complex legal process, we should continue to allow the person that New Mexico voters entrusted to ‘take care that the laws be faithfully executed’ to promptly hold members of the State Game Commission accountable.” 

Advocates say they were trying to take politics out of the equation.

“For too long, that process has been purely political. And the entire intent of this bill is to depoliticize wildlife management, to separate wildlife management from politics,” said Jesse Deubel, executive director of New Mexico Wildlife Federation. 

“I don’t think it was surprising that it was that one, because that was the point of contention with the administration the whole time,” said Judy Calman, New Mexico policy director of Audubon Southwest. 

The governor’s veto message says if a court determines her line-item veto is invalid, then the entire bill is vetoed. Advocates question if she actually has that power.