Ad
Featured
5 things that happened in the New Mexico Legislature last week
Rep. Elizabeth "Liz" Thompson, D-Albuquerque, with actress Jennifer Garner on the House floor on Thursday. Garner was at the Roundhouse representing Save the Children.
Published
Modified
With only two weeks to go, the pressure is on in New Mexico's Legislature. Here are some highlights from last week:
1. The House passed a $10.18 billion budget on to the Senate. The budget has a 6.5% recurring increase from last year.
2. Actor Jennifer Garner was a guest in the Roundhouse on Thursday. Garner spoke on the Senate floor, representing humanitarian organization Save the Children.
3. The Senate confirmed Teresa Casados to lead the Children Youth and Families Department, which has struggled with staffing shortages and case backlogs. Casados was a former aide of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and is the third CYFD secretary since 2019.
4. The Paid Family and Medical Leave Act, which would allow employees to take up to 12 weeks of time off for their or their family's medical needs, narrowly passed the Senate Rules Committee Saturday morning and is headed to the full Senate. The bill would create a state fund that employees and employers would contribute to and then pay employees who are on leave.
5. The House narrowly passed a bill that would establish a clean transportation fuel standard program, so it moves on to the Senate. The goal of the bill is to reduce carbon intensity by 30% below 2018 levels by 2040.
