CVNM’s 2026 Legislative Session Outcomes

This summary is divided into five sections:

1. Budget Outcomes
2. Pro-conservation legislation that passed
3. Pro-conservation legislation that didn’t pass
4. Anti-conservation legislation that passed
5. Anti-conservation legislation that didn’t pass

**Starred bills are high priority. Votes on these measures may be weighted on CVNM’s Conservation Scorecard.

1. Priorities for New Mexico state budget appropriations

As New Mexicans continue to grapple with the impacts of climate change and threats to our democracy, it continues to be a priority for us to ensure that our state agencies and programs have the funding they need to tackle the issues that face us.

CVNM, along with many of our partners, worked together this session to ensure that the legislature funded key programs and needs for the entire state. $6 million was included in the final capital outlay (SB 240) requests for the Secretary of State’s Office for election tabulators and equipment, ensuring that New Mexicans can be confident in their ballot casting and the election process. In addition, we are pleased to say that we secured the following key funding priorities in the House Budget bill (HB 2), which now awaits the Governor’s signature:

• Office of the Natural Resource Trustee, $70 million for the public lands investment and recovery package
• Office of the State Engineer 
  • $13 million for the Strategic Water Reserve fund 
  • $2.5 million to implement the Water Security Planning Act, the fifty-year water action plan and  modernization of agency online information and engagement tools
• Department of Environment 
  • $20 million uranium mining reclamation fund
  • $5 million remediation of neglected contaminated sites  
  • $10 million for the River Stewardship program
  • $1.5 million for the State Surface Water Permitting program
  • $25 million for industrial decarbonization initiatives
  • $130,000 to study pollution reduction and cost-saving opportunities through a state composting program
• New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology 
  • $11.5 million for the characterization of groundwater and aquifer monitoring

2. Pro-Conservation Legislation that Passed 

HB 9: Immigrant Safety Act (Chavez/Rubio/Romero/Anaya/Cervantes)** It is well documented that ICE is sweeping up people who “look like” criminal immigrants and warehousing them in facilities far from where most of them live. Aging infrastructure and lack of functioning climate control systems in these detention centers leave people in ICE custody vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including heat waves, cold snaps and dust storms. Additionally, detention centers and the private companies who run them have a long history of environmental abuse. 

Several have contaminated soils and groundwater with toxic chemicals, including asbestos, benzene, lead, and mercury that continue to contaminate watersheds and rivers. CVNM strongly supported this legislation because we know that global heating and climate change impacts everyone, and is a predominant contributing factor driving human migration. Equity and climate justice require that all climate migrants–whether U.S. residents moving internally or international climate migrants crossing the border into the U.S.–be treated with respect and dignity. **PRIORITY BILL – votes on this bill may be weighted. Passed the House Floor (40-29), and the Senate Floor (24-15), and was signed by the Governor on Feb. 5, 2026.

HB 63: NMFA Water Project Fund Projects (Cates/Block/Campos)/ SB 187: NMFA Water Project Fund (Campos) HB 63 allows the Department of Finance Authority to make loans or grants to fund essential state water projects, as outlined under the water trust board. This funding will support various projects across New Mexico, from supporting soil and water conservation districts to water conservation and flood-prevention initiatives. The funding for these projects is elevated in SB 187, calling for a transfer of money to this fund. HB 63 passed in the House (66-0) and in the Senate (39-0), and is now awaiting the Governor’s signature. SB 187 ultimately was included in HB 2, at the level of $100 million. 

HB 111: Water Law Violation Maximum Penalty (Ortez/Stewart/Romero/Stefanics/Townsend) The penalty for overusing or diverting water has been nominal and unchanged since 1907. HB 111 would bring up the fee for overusing water rights, and provide the Office of the State Engineer (OSE) an effective enforcement mechanism to discourage overuse of water. Supporting our water agencies in their ability to monitor and enforce water rights will help the state in addressing the water crisis. Doing so will ensure that vulnerable communities and our water rights are protected. Passed in the House (51-3) and in the Senate (39-3), and is now awaiting the Governor’s signature. 

HB 124: New Americans Division in WSD (Parajón/Nava/Szczepanski/Lara/Gurrola) This bill will codify an existing division within the Workforce Solution Department. The New Americans Division focuses all of its effort on helping non-citizens integrate into the economy, navigate international license transfers, identify ways for non-citizens to play roles in promoting New Mexican economic development priorities, and support them in their journey to citizenship. In order to meet climate and conservation goals, New Mexico must embrace a whole-of-society approach to economic development and economic transition, leaving no group out. Passed in the House (40-21) and in the Senate (22-12), and is now awaiting the Governor’s signature.

HB 153: Low-Carbon Construction Material Rebate Act (Dixon/Ortez/Small/Lujan/Borrego) Construction materials, like cement and steel, account for 30-40% of global climate emissions. With such a substantial contribution to the climate crisis, it is imperative the state take steps to reduce the carbon footprint of this sector. HB 153 establishes an independently verified “environmental product declaration,” a life-cycle assessment of a product’s potential greenhouse gas emissions expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents over a 100-year time line. The declaration would make it easier to compare the environmental impacts of products that perform the same construction function. The bill would also define “low-carbon construction material” to mean a covered construction material with a global warming potential at or below the emissions benchmark established by the New Mexico Environment Department. Passed in the House (48-15) and in the Senate (30-6), and is now awaiting the Governor’s signature.

HB 184: Investment of Conservation & Legacy Funds (Small/Chatfield/Sanchez/Trujillo) HB 184 makes necessary updates to the Land of Enchantment Legacy (LOE) fund from 2023 and 2024. It moves the LOE and related matters from Chapter 75, Section 12 – Miscellaneous Natural Resource Matters, Legacy Funds, to Chapter 6, Article 4 – Public Finances, State Funds and Capital Programs. This is the logical place for the LOE. The rest of the bill recompiles the Act into the new Chapter and Section. The bill also clarifies the role of the Department of Finance and Administration in administering the LOE and making annual distributions as outlined in the bill in specific amounts to specific agencies and programs. Passed in the House (67-0) and in the Senate (25-11), and is now awaiting the Governor’s signature.

HJR 5: Legislative Compensation, CA (Parajón/Rubio/Abeyta/Nava/Charley) ** This resolution would amend the New Mexico constitution to allow for compensation for legislators. The salary would be set at the annual median household income of New Mexico. The salary cannot be raised unless the annual median income goes up, and the salary will go down if the annual median income goes down. The implementation of the salaries would not kick in until 2029. 

New Mexico is the last state in the Union to have an unpaid, volunteer citizen legislature. By paying legislators New Mexico will benefit from more ordinary, working New Mexicans having the ability to step up and represent their communities in the Roundhouse, which strengthens our democracy and greatly benefits civil society. **PRIORITY BILL – votes on this bill may be weighted. Passed in the House (41-26) and in the Senate (23-19), and now goes to the people for ratification in the November 2026 election.

SB 40: Driver Privacy and Safety Act (Wirth/Chandler/Nava/Berghmans/O’Malley)** With political polarization and violence on the rise, individuals are also increasingly being targeted for peacefully protesting their first amendment rights. SB 40 will prevent personal information from being used by bad actors who aim to suppress free speech and political discourse by preventing government entities from using license plate data and readers to track and intimidate peaceful protesters. New Mexico has continued to stand strong in our values; supporting & protecting communities who experience oppression the most, including LGBTQ+ people, immigrants and those who seek reproductive healthcare; those who experience climate disasters firsthand, and often. SB 40 will ensure that New Mexicans are protected from hostile governments neighboring our state by ensuring they cannot access this information to harm New Mexicans.**PRIORITY BILL – votes on this bill may be weighted. Passed in the Senate (32-8) and in the House (42-22), awaiting the Governor’s signature.

SB 46: Explore Diversion of Organic Waste (Campos/Stefanics) The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that landfills are the third-largest source of human-caused methane emissions in the United States. A key way to reduce this carbon footprint is to reduce the waste that ends up in landfills through composting or recycling. SB 46 allocates a small amount of funding ($130,000) to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) to explore a composting program for New Mexico. NMED will now explore pollution reduction and cost-saving opportunities resulting from the diversion of organic waste from the solid waste stream and conduct a waste characterization study to assess the current types and quantities of solid waste, organic waste and composting feed stock produced and disposed of in the state. Moved out of Senate Conservation Committee with a do pass recommendation, died waiting to be scheduled in Senate Finance Committee. The full appropriation was included in the final version of HB 2.

SB 66/SB 226: Abandoned Uranium Mine Cleanup (Steinborn/Pinto/Charley/Shendo/Johnson)** SB 66 appropriates $50 million from the General Fund to the NM Environment Department in fiscal years 2027 through 2029. The department would continue its work to assess and clean up abandoned or neglected contaminated sites, across the state that do not have viable responsible parties to fund and conduct cleanup actions. New Mexico has hundreds of abandoned uranium mines, primarily on Navajo Nation lands, left from intense Cold War-era mining with significant radioactive contamination affecting air, water, and health. Affected communities have asked for decades for help cleaning up these sites, with historically minimal action beyond mostly flawed federal EPA Superfund projects and recent NMED efforts to address the problem. **PRIORITY BILL – votes on this bill may be weighted. SB 66 moved out of Senate Conservation Committee with a do pass recommendation, died waiting to be scheduled in Senate Finance Committee Ultimately $5 million was included in HB 2 for remediation of contaminated sites, and $20 million for the uranium mine reclamation fund.

SB 110: Bosque Management Projects (Stefanics/Sanchez/Charley) SB 110 asks for a special appropriation of $15 million to support management and other projects in the Middle Rio Grande Valley. These projects can range from wildfire mitigation, to riparian restoration work, to removal of invasive species along the river, all of which can be extremely beneficial to river and streambed health. Moved out of Senate Conservation Committee with a do pass recommendation, died waiting to be scheduled in Senate Finance Committee, though ultimately $9 million was included in HB 2.

SB 104: Removal of Wildlife Commission Members (Wirth/Campos/Small/McQueen/Brantley) ** In 2025, the legislature passed SB 5, though not the specific part of that legislation updating the removal process for the Wildlife Commission. Currently in New Mexico, a variety of commissions have a uniform removal process, and this bill seeks to apply that process to the Wildlife Commission. If a commissioner is deemed unfit for their position (by way of incompetence, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office), the Governor can initiate the removal process. From there the commissioner will be notified of a hearing, where they may comment, before the supreme court then decides whether or not removal is appropriate. The supreme court decision is final. This allows for a more unbiased and just viewpoint within the removal process. **PRIORITY BILL – votes on this bill may be weighted. Passed in the Senate (36-0) and in the House (69-0), and was made law on Feb. 19, 2026.

SB 193: Acequia & Ditch Infrastructure Fund Transfer (Campos/Jaramillo/Gonzales) The Acequia and Community Ditch Infrastructure Fund (ACDIF) is the only recurring stream of funding for acequia infrastructure. SB 193 doubles the funding allocation from $2.5 million to $5 million to help ensure that acequia communities have adequate funding for necessary infrastructure projects. Passed in the Senate (28-10) and in the House (66-0), awaiting the Governor’s signature.

SB 264: Election Rights & Troops at Elections (Duhigg/Berghmans/Nava/Charley/Cervantes) SB 264 adds several new sections to the Election Code which gives New Mexico the legal tools to prevent and remedy interference with elections, sets forth procedures for holding elections during an emergency, and clearly defines and sets penalties for election intimidation. These common-sense reforms to our Election Code help strengthen New Mexico’s nation leading voter protections even further. Election integrity is the foundation of democracy, and maintaining a healthy democracy is core to Conservation Voters New Mexico’s mission. Passed in the Senate (26-16) and in the House (41-26), now awaiting the Governor’s signature.

SJR 1: School Election Timing, CA (Trujillo/Figueroa) This resolution would amend the New Mexico Constitution to remove the language that requires school elections to be held at different times than partisan elections. This change would, in effect, allow school elections to be folded into regular elections, which would increase participation in and awareness of school elections. This resolution would be beneficial to New Mexican democracy and civic engagement. Passed in the Senate (38-0) and in the House (50-9), goes to the people for ratification in the November 2026 election. 

2. Pro-Conservation Legislation that Didn’t Pass

HB 21: Land Grant-Merced and Acequia Infrastructure Act (García/Jaramillo/Serrato/Campos) HB 21 would have created a Land Grant-Merced Fund and an Acequia Infrastructure Trust Fund that would have evenly supported a Land Grant-Merced Project Fund and an Acequia Infrastructure Project Fund for underfunded infrastructure projects. The Legislative Finance Committee estimates this could generate approximately $23 million per fund each year. Currently, several acequia infrastructure projects lack the funding they need, making this a critical investment for acequia and land-grant communities to address their needs. Passing this legislation would have allowed us to continue supporting and protecting our traditional communities and their economies. Passed out of its first committee, House Rural Development, Land Grants, and Cultural Affairs Committee, but died waiting to be heard in the House Taxation and Revenue Committee.

HB 62: Rename & Create Geothermal Tax Credits (Roybal Caballero/Woods/Murphy/Ferrary/Berghmans) Geothermal energy is a clean, renewable energy source, but will require continued investment to achieve our state’s climate goals. New Mexico is ranked 6th in the nation for geothermal potential, and tax incentives will help create a pathway for the state to realize that potential. HB 62 would have created a new geothermal electricity generation tax credit and corporate tax credit. These types of incentives are designed to encourage the construction of geothermal electricity generation facilities. This measure would have helped grow New Mexico’s renewable energy infrastructure with significant renewable base energy production. Passed out of its first committee, House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee, but died waiting to be heard in the House Taxation and Revenue Committee.

HB 178: Sun Shades for Rural Parks & Recreation (Mason) As climate-induced extreme heat becomes more common, many New Mexicans seek refuge from high temperatures in state parks and recreation areas. However, without adequate shade, temperatures above 80 degrees in combination with direct sunlight can quickly cause heat stroke and other illnesses. Ensuring that our parks are climate-ready with shade structures is essential for community resiliency and public health. HB 178 would have helped provide those structures and helped support the health of our communities. Passed out of its first committee, House Health & Human Services Committee, but died waiting to be heard in the House Appropriations & Finance Committee.

HB 186: Tax Credit for Conveyance of Property (Herrera/Dow/Gonzales) HB 186 would have updated and increased the caps on tax credits offered to those interested in creating and developing conservation easements on their working lands. This change would have allowed more small-scale landowners and farmers to utilize this program to keep New Mexico heritage alive. Conservation easements benefit agricultural land, wildlife habitat, watershed health, and even sensitive cultural sites throughout our state. Passed out of the House Commerce & Economic Development Committee, but died waiting to be heard in the House Taxation & Revenue Committee.

HB 254: Avoided Gasses in PRC Cost Test (Ortez) HB 254 would have made a single change to the Efficient Use of Energy Act (2005) that would allow the Public Regulation Commission (PRC) to include the value of avoided greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when determining the cost-effectiveness of energy efficiency and load management measures undertaken by investor-owned utilities like PNM. The 2005 Act mandates that utilities undertake these measures, but the PRC must first determine their cost-effectiveness and that the measures provide benefits across all customer classes. The 2005 Act mandates that utilities undertake these measures, but the PRC must first determine their cost-effectiveness and whether they provide benefits across all customer classes. The Act also includes periodically amended targets for customer savings and energy demand reductions. Allowing credit for GHG emissions offers further incentive for utilities to increase measures that will continue the state’s energy transition to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal. Passed the House Floor (65-0), but died waiting to be heard in the Senate Conservation Committee.

HJR 3: Environmental Rights, CA (Ferrary/Roybal Caballero/Sedillo Lopez/Hernandez) HJR 3 would have constitutionally mandated that state and local decision-makers protect the environmental rights of all New Mexicans. This would have given communities experiencing environmental injustice legal recourse to protect the air and water they breathe, and ensured that government decisions prioritize environmental protection for all. Died after being rolled indefinitely in the House Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee.

SB 18: Clear Horizons & Emissions Codification (Stewart/Ortez/Charley/Romero/Nava)** The Clear Horizons Act (CHA) is a long-term planning law that would have put New Mexico’s climate pollution reduction goals into statute and given state environmental agencies clear authority to measure, track, and guide progress over time. CHA would have set in law limits on how much greenhouse gases New Mexico can emit, aiming to greatly reduce pollution by 2030, even more by 2040 and to stop it completely by 2050. Rules adopted under CHA would have applied only to large industrial sources that leak 10,000+ metric tons of pollution per year or groups of sources under common ownership emitting 25,000+ metric tons of pollution per year combined.

The Clear Horizons Act responded to the real and growing costs New Mexicans are already paying as extreme weather becomes more frequent and severe. New data presented to legislators during the interim shows that climate-driven disasters are placing increasing strain on both household budgets and state finances. **PRIORITY BILL – votes on this bill may be weighted. Passed through Senate Conservation Committee and Senate Tax, Business, and Transportation Committee, but failed to pass on the Senate floor (19-23).

SB 47: Food Recovery & Composting Act (Campos/Stefanics) Studies estimate that composting could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from landfills by more than 50%, especially if conducted on a community-wide scale. SB 47 would have created a food recovery and composting program in the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) to provide grants, education and outreach to advance composting and organic waste reduction across the state. Funding for a new food recovery and composting fund would have come from a surcharge of $3.00 per ton of solid waste processed at each solid waste facility in the state. Many other local programs exist that will allow for drop-off or pick-up of organic waste, and many other cities throughout the United States have adopted composting programs. Died waiting to be scheduled in the Senate Conservation Committee.

SB 53: Community & Health Info Safety & Privacy Act (Charley/Jaramillo/Chandler/Anaya/Herndon)** In today’s age of rampant misinformation, disinformation, and political polarization, the ability of the public to access fact-based information and exercise their first amendment rights is crucial for the stability of our democracy. Right now, public data is currently being sold without consumer consent to corporations who then use that data to track the public or share targeted and biased or misleading information to sow disruption or disbelief in our democratic systems. SB 53 would have required companies to protect consumer data by establishing default privacy settings to the highest level, and provide clear information to the public about how their privacy settings work. It also would have required systems to protect minor users, disable contact from unknown people, and disable notifications. It would have prohibited brokerage of harvested personal data without a consumer opt-in, and it prohibits geolocation tracking without notification. **PRIORITY BILL – votes on this bill may be weighted. Moved out of Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee with a do pass recommendation, died waiting to be scheduled in Senate Judiciary Committee.

SB 55: Solar Market Income Tax Credit (Stewart/Szczepanski/O’Malley/Stefanics/Tobiassen) SB 55 would have helped to fill a necessary gap left by the federal government in solar tax rebates to New Mexicans. It would have increased the amount that people can get back for installation of solar panels, and continues to support eligibility and access to solar power for more people in our state. As one of the sunniest states in America, it is imperative that we take advantage to support our move to a cleaner New Mexico, and ensure as many people as are interested in utilizing renewable energy have a reasonable and affordable way to do that. Passed in the Senate (26-10), received a do pass recommendation in the House Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee, but was tabled in the House Taxation & Revenue Committee.

SB 122/HB 183: Private Drinking Water Well Owner Support (Campos/Zamora/Gonzales) Many people throughout New Mexico have their own drinking water wells, but not all of those people have the means or ability to test their water source. With the increased prevalence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in our land and water, it is imperative that people have access to testing that can shed light on potential pollutants in their drinking water system. SB 122 would have helped fund resources to test water wells, which could greatly support rural and lower income well owners. SB 122 moved out of Senate Conservation Committee with a do pass recommendation, died waiting to be scheduled in Senate Finance Committee. SB 183 died waiting to be heard in the House Appropriations and Finance Committee. 

SB 154: Insurance Coverage for Wildfire & Floods (Duhigg/Chandler/Gonzales) As New Mexico continues to see increased wildfire occurrence, we are also seeing the array of damage related to those fires increase and be more devastating for more people. This bill would have helped support those who have wildfire coverage, to now also have post-fire flood coverage included in their insurance coverage for their property. This kind of coverage is extremely important to ensure that communities susceptible to post-fire flooding can be protected. Moved out of Senate Conservation Committee with a do pass recommendation, died waiting to be scheduled in Senate Tax, Business, and Transportation Committee.

SB 189: Reproductive Health Care Coverage (Berghmans/Hamblen/Stewart/Stefanics) Extreme heat and natural disasters from the climate crisis have been found to exacerbate stress and mental health, leading to increased incidents of domestic and sexual violence, bullying and hate crimes. This has been widely documented following natural disasters like wildfire, floods, and hurricanes. The state has a responsibility to ensure New Mexico communities remain resilient in the climate crisis, and a key part of this is ensuring people have the resources they need to survive and thrive despite the harmful ways climate is impacting society. SB 189 would have ensured that individuals most frequently targeted by violence and bullying, especially following climate disasters, had access to the essential health care resources they need. Moved out of Senate Tax, Business, and Transportation Committee with a do pass recommendation, died waiting to be scheduled in Senate Finance Committee.

SB 198: Las Vegas Endangered Species Hatchery (Campos) SB 198 would appropriate $10 million to the Department of Game & Fish to plan, construct and execute an aquatic endangered fish hatchery facility in Las Vegas. Protection of endangered species is a key component of water, land and ecosystem health and protection. Finding creative solutions to help bolster their populations is a simple way that we can support and even improve the populations of endangered species. Died waiting to be scheduled in the Senate Conservation Committee.

SB 235: Microgrid Oversight Act (Steinborn/Sedillo Lopez) Microgrids, also referred to as “self-source generation resources,” are multiplying rapidly in New Mexico alongside the rapid expansion of larger data centers. Investors in these data centers are pushing for methane gas-fired electricity as the primary power source. Current policy excludes microgrids from adhering to the same greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions that public electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives must attain to reach 100% zero-carbon electricity by 2045 and 2050, respectively. SB 235 would have addressed this issue by requiring microgrids to attain 100% zero-carbon electricity generation by 2045 through steady investment in renewable and zero-carbon resources, or to cease operation. The bill would have also prohibited the Public Regulation Commission (PRC) from approving a public electric utility’s purchase of a microgrid if the costs of microgrid development would have increased customer bills. Passed in the Senate (22-20), then died waiting to be scheduled in the House Judiciary Committee.

4. Anti-Conservation Legislation that Passed

None!

5. Anti-Conservation Legislation that didn’t Passed 

HB 207: Water Quality Commission Produced Water Rules (Brown/Mason/Murphy/Henry/Cortez) A waste product from the oil and gas industry, produced water contains hundreds of known and unknown chemicals. Many of these chemicals are toxic to human health and the environment, including carcinogens and radioactive pollutants. New Mexico does not currently have surface water quality standards for at least 180 potentially toxic chemicals found in oil and gas wastewater. Once these chemicals contaminate water, it is impossible to fully reclaim it based on currently available technologies. The use of produced water has already been heavily debated and analyzed by the Water Quality Control Commission, which promulgated a rule in May 2025 that prohibits the discharge of produced water into streams, rivers, and groundwater for five years. HB 207 would have circumvented the weeks of deliberation, thoughtful and deep public engagement, and expert analysis that went into the WQCC’s decision by mandating the state allow for the discharge of water anyway. Tabled in the House Agriculture, Acequia, and Water Resources Committee.

SB 78: Nuclear Energy as Renewable Energy (Thornton/Dixon/Brown/Tobiassen) Nuclear fission energy is not a renewable energy source. The intensity and invasiveness of the mining operations that are required to mine the materials needed for this type of energy are incredibly destructive to the environment and the communities around mining and waste disposal sites. Nuclear mining and waste disposal is also a legacy issue in New Mexico, and has had a lasting impact on the native and minority communities throughout the state. Nuclear energy is not a renewable form of energy. Died waiting to be scheduled in the Senate Conservation Committee.