As of Wednesday, Jan. 31, at least 641 bills, resolutions and memorials had been introduced at the 2024 New Mexico Legislative session.
Among them were bills submitted by Otero County Rep. John Block, a Republican who took the seat in 2022. Block sponsored 30 pieces of legislation targeting controversial topics like the death penalty, abortion and pretrial detention.
The New Mexico Legislature will wrap the 30-day session Feb. 16, during which it primarily focused on the passage of a budget for the upcoming fiscal year while wrestling with record levels of revenue driven by the oil and gas industry in the state.
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Among the handful of policy bills introduced by politicians during the session were gun rights, paid family medical leave and oil and gas regulation reform.
Most of the bills bearing Block’s signature have stalled in committee. Here’s a breakdown of the bills Block said residents should keep an eye on.
House Bill 51
House Bill 51 that is a reintroduction of 2023’s H.B. 163, according to Block, which would give small businesses a 25% credit on gross tax receipts.
The bill was referred to the House Commerce Committee and House Taxation and Revenue Committee where it is stalled.
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House Bill 110
Block introduced House Bill 110 which would limit certain types of abortions, a reintroduction of the 2023 House Bill 258 which proposed criminalizing abortions. HB 258 was postponed indefinitely.
HB 110 targets healthcare employees that don’t warn their patients of a heartbeat.
“A health care provider who knowingly performs an abortion and thereby kills a human fetus without determining, according to standard medical practice, whether the fetus has a detectable heartbeat; without informing the pregnant woman of the results of that determination; or after determining, according to standard medical practice, that the fetus has a heartbeat is guilty of a third-degree felony resulting in the death of a human fetus,” read the bill language.
HB 110 was stalled in the committee assignments process.
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House Memorial 10
House Memorial 10, titled “Foster Children Task Force,” would create a joint taskforce among the Children, Youth and Families Department and Health Care Authority Department to tackle placement of foster children.
“Also, in the House Government, Elections, and Indian Affairs Committee (HGEIC), HM 10, I am co-sponsoring with many other representatives, will bring a solution to children sleeping in N.M. Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD) offices. The memorial passed the committee unanimously,” Block said.
The memorial received a “do pass” recommendation from the House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee.
Impeachment, death penalty, gun permits and pretrial detention
Block sponsored several other stalled pieces of legislation alongside fellow Republicans.
House Resolution 1 proposed the impeachment of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. The resolution was referred to the House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee and House Judiciary Committee where it stalled.
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House Bill 78 proposed the permitless carry of firearms by adults. It stalled in the committee assignment process.
House Bill 77 asked the Legislature to reinstate the death penalty in New Mexico. It stalled in the committee assignment process.
House Bill 44 would have created an avenue for defendants to rebut pretrial detention orders if proven they are dangerous. It stalled in the committee assignment process.
Senate Bill 17
While Block did not sponsor Senate Bill 17, he said he was an avid supporter of it.
Senate Bill 17 introduces ways to sustain and improve hospital care statewide, including addressing funding.
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“SB 17, the Health Care Delivery and Access Act (HDAA) would increase the federal Medicaid matching dollars available to the state to support statewide hospital access, workforce and quality and is funded through a hospital assessment,” said Pamela Blackwell with New Mexico Hospital Association Government Relations and Communications.
More: Gun buyers would have to wait one week under bill passed by NM Senate
In a news release from the New Mexico Hospital Association, the bill will have some of the best benefits for the state.
“Improve recruitment and retention of providers and workers, provide enhanced quality of care to patients, continue to reinvest any gains into services for our communities,” said Blackwell in the release.
Updates on pieces of legislation can be found at nmlegis.gov.
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Juan Corral can be reached at JCorral@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter at @Juan36Corr.
NM FAST (New Mexico Federal and State Technology) is now accepting applications for a free space-sector accelerator cohort designed to help New Mexico-based technology companies compete for federal funding through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The cohort targets founders and researchers pursuing grants from NASA, Space Force and related federal agencies, with programming set to launch July 21.
The cohort will admit six to 10 New Mexico companies and run for 10 to 12 weeks, meeting in weekly sessions of approximately one and a half to two hours. Programming covers the full arc of federal commercialization strategy, including space-sector SBIR/STTR opportunities and federal funding pathways, proposal development for technical narratives and commercialization components, federal procurement positioning and agency discovery, capital strategy and follow-on funding options, and transition planning from Phase I to Phase II awards. Participants also receive targeted one-on-one advisory support throughout the program. The cohort is offered at no cost to accepted companies.
The program is open to companies at both the pre-award and early-award stages. The majority of cohort seats are designed for Phase 0 companies preparing to submit Phase I SBIR/STTR applications to NASA or Space Force. A limited number of seats are available for Phase I awardees working toward Phase II readiness and Phase III transition planning.
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“New Mexico has a deep base of research and a growing pipeline of founders ready to translate that work into companies that can compete for federal R&D dollars,” said Carlos Murguia, director of the Technology and Innovation Gateway at Arrowhead Center. “This cohort focuses specifically on the space sector, pairing New Mexico companies with Larta’s expertise in SBIR and STTR commercialization to give founders a clear, structured path from early-stage research to federal award.”
Larta Institute, NM FAST’s commercialization partner for this program, will lead the full design and delivery of the accelerator curriculum. Larta has supported startups that have collectively raised more than $23.7 billion since 1993 and brings that track record to founders working in New Mexico’s growing aerospace and space technology sector.
The cohort aligns with the aerospace priority sector named in the New Mexico Entrepreneurship Programmatic Support Grant and is relevant to companies working at the intersection of advanced computing, bioscience and advanced energy applications in space-related contexts.
NM FAST is administered by Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University and operates statewide, serving founders in Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Los Alamos and rural communities across New Mexico. Over more than a decade of programming, NM FAST has supported more than 470 New Mexico startups and helped companies secure nearly $28 million in federal SBIR awards. Targeted outreach is directed to rural, women, veteran and minority entrepreneurs.
The program is sponsored by the New Mexico Economic Development Department’s Technology and Innovation Office through the New Mexico Entrepreneurship Programmatic Support Grant, which supports continued statewide programming for SBIR/STTR-eligible companies in the four priority sectors.
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Applications are open now and will be accepted through July 14, 2026. Interested companies can apply at forms.gle/CqSwEL7LahqB5pGu9. Space is limited, and selected companies will be notified before the program launch.
SANTA FE, N.M. – Santa Fe County and Edgewood approved a new agreement and ordinance that secures ongoing fire and EMS services for Edgewood residents.
According to a joint announcement from the Town of Edgewood and Santa Fe County on June 19, the two governments negotiated and adopted a new Joint Powers Agreement and ordinance to keep the Santa Fe County Fire Department serving the town.
County and town representatives drafted the agreement together. The town adopted the ordinance unanimously at a special meeting on June 16, putting an end to weeks of uncertainty.
Santa Fe County District 3 Commissioner Camilla Bustamante said, “I believe we are all relieved to know that the people of Edgewood will continue to have the fire and EMS services necessary to protect their homes, their families, and their community. This community deserves nothing less.”
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The announcement said the ordinance takes effect five days after final publication. The statement also said no further action or approval is needed to guarantee continued fire suppression, fire prevention, and EMS services for Edgewood residents.
Both governments noted the agreement will continue indefinitely unless either side ends it with five years’ notice.
