HB 169 appropriates $250,000 from the general fund to the University of New Mexico's Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies for two main purposes in fiscal year 2027. It provides year-round scholarships prioritizing New Mexico residents from rural, tribal, indigenous, or underserved communities - especially those planning to offer culturally rooted healing services in the state - and funds statewide outreach including workshops, courses, and collaboration with tribal governments and rural communities. The bill also requires the department to research and develop new curanderismo (traditional medicine) courses to address New Mexico's cultural and health needs. Unspent funds at year-end will revert to the general fund. This bill directly affects UNM students, community health educators, and New Mexico communities through educational and health programming.
SB 179 appropriates $350,000 from the state general fund to fund the University of New Mexico's Health Sciences Center medical Spanish education program. The funding supports curriculum development and implementation for health sciences students, specifically to enhance Spanish-language medical training. This bill directly affects UNM Health Sciences Center students by expanding their language skills for patient care in New Mexico's Spanish-speaking communities. The appropriation is limited to fiscal years 2027-2028, with unspent funds reverting to the general fund.
SB 200 appropriates $500,000 from the government results and opportunity program fund to the Public Education Department for the KANW educational radio station. The funds are specifically for purchasing equipment and adding reporter resources to cover rural New Mexico news during fiscal year 2027. Any unspent money at year-end must revert to the original fund. This bill directly supports KANW's operational capacity to expand local news coverage in underserved rural areas. The measure is a straightforward funding allocation with no additional policy changes.
SB 63 creates a dedicated $2 million "County Dog and Cat Spay and Neuter Subaccount" within New Mexico's Animal Welfare Program Fund, specifically for counties to contract with licensed veterinarians. This subaccount funds spay and neuter services for individual pet owners, directly benefiting pet owners and counties managing these programs. The bill appropriates $2 million from the general fund for fiscal year 2027 and future years, with unspent balances not reverting to the general fund. It does not alter eligibility for other animal welfare grants but establishes a separate funding stream for this specific service.
HB 37 modifies New Mexico's property tax law to allow agricultural land temporarily resting due to a special water district's man-made infrastructure failure (reducing water delivery to 70% or less of prior year levels) to maintain its agricultural tax valuation. This directly affects landowners in areas served by special water districts (like acequias or irrigation districts) whose water supply is disrupted by such failures. The bill requires the water district to certify the water shortage to the county assessor, enabling landowners to retain agricultural tax status without needing to actively farm during the disruption. It updates existing tax rules to include this specific scenario as a qualifying reason for "agricultural use" under property tax valuation.
SB 113 increases New Mexico's agricultural biomass tax credit from $5 to $10 per wet ton for dairy and feedlot owners who transport biomass to facilities generating electricity or biocrude fuel. It directly affects dairy and feedlot operators by allowing them to claim this credit against state income or corporate taxes for eligible biomass transportation. The bill sets a $5 million annual cap on total credits, allows unused credits to carry forward up to four years, and permits credit transfers between taxpayers. This change applies to taxable years ending before January 1, 2030, and aims to incentivize renewable energy production from agricultural waste.
SB 140 sets minimum Medicaid reimbursement rates for personal care services in New Mexico: $23.50 per hour for consumer-delegated services (where the agency manages care) and $19.78 per hour for consumer-directed services (where recipients control care). It requires providers receiving Medicaid funds to spend at least 70% of that reimbursement on direct care worker costs, including wages, benefits, training, and supervision. The bill also appropriates $51.4 million from the general fund for fiscal year 2027 to implement these changes. This directly affects personal care service agencies contracted with Medicaid to provide in-home care for individuals needing assistance with daily living activities.
HB 64 allocates $13.25 million from New Mexico's Public Project Revolving Fund to three specific state funds for fiscal year 2027 and beyond. It provides $6.25 million to the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund to match federal projects under the Safe Drinking Water Act, $2 million to the Local Government Planning Fund, and $5 million to the Cultural Affairs Facilities Infrastructure Fund for facility upgrades. The bill ensures unspent funds remain with the recipient programs instead of returning to the original revolving fund. This directly supports water infrastructure projects, local government planning initiatives, and cultural facility improvements across the state.
SB 168 provides $150,000 in state funding to the Estancia Valley Solid Waste Authority for planning and designing a dedicated facility to recycle wind turbine blades. The bill directly affects the Estancia Valley Solid Waste Authority, which will use the funds in fiscal year 2027 to collaborate on site development. This is a procedural funding measure focused solely on the planning phase, not on building or operating the recycling site. The appropriation expires if unspent by the end of fiscal year 2027, with any remaining funds reverting to the general fund.
SB 4 appropriates $2 million from the general fund to the Health Care Authority for Medicaid-directed payments to the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. This funding directly increases salaries for graduate medical education residents and fellows at UNM. The bill specifies that unspent funds by the end of fiscal year 2027 must revert to the general fund. The measure focuses solely on providing state funding to support resident and fellow compensation through the Medicaid program.
