Building Momentum for a Prosperous New Mexico
Press Release From The New Mexico Legislative Council – Senator Pete Campos, D-Las Vegas
A distinguishing characteristic of the 2025 legislative session was an incoming class of 10 senators and 12 representatives, which means about 1-in-5 legislators were new to the sausage-making process known as lawmaking.
The new legislators were a welcome addition, with fresh energy and perspectives. Dedicated and quick to learn, they contributed meaningfully to productive discussions on issues that veteran legislators had worked on during the interim months between sessions and, in some cases, for several years.
Key initiatives during the fast-paced session included a solid platform to address behavioral and mental health, substance abuse, and recovery from drug addiction. The foundation for transformative change was laid, addressing critical needs that impact individuals and communities across the state.
The approved budget for the 2025-2026 budget year includes the funds and commitment to pay our teachers and public employees better, strengthen our strategies to improve math and reading at the early childhood and elementary education levels, focus more support and oversight on the Children, Youth and Families Department, and expand housing and economic development opportunities.
We also committed to important health and safety projects, like a new addition to the University of New Mexico hospital in Albuquerque and a new Behavioral Health Institute forensic unit in Las Vegas, and continued to fund pilot projects with revenue from the government results and opportunity fund, which allows us to try new approaches and see if they work before we obligate state funds long term. Other GRO projects addressed everything from advanced research and development at our higher education institutions to support for rural and frontier communities that will elevate quality of life.
Along with $2.2 billion for GRO projects and one-time funding for special and transportation projects, other important legislation that has been signed into law:
- Creates the behavioral health trust fund (Senate Bill 1),
- Funds public health and safety initiatives (Senate Bill 2),
- Creates a behavioral health executive committee to coordinate services and policy and authorizes the Administrative Office of the Courts to coordinate regional health plans as part of the Behavioral Health Reform and Investment Act (Senate Bill 3),
- Appropriates $222 million for water projects in the next two years (Senate Bill 29),
- Authorizes bonds and appropriates funds to pay for $1.2 billion in construction projects for state agency, judicial, higher education and local agencies (House Bill 450)
- Reforms the State Game Commission and renames the Department of Game and Fish as the Department of Wildlife (Senate Bill 5),
- Establishes zero-interest loans for local governments harmed by natural disasters (Senate Bill 31),
- Allows local governments to borrow from the low-interest loans public project revolving fund for emergency medical services improvement projects (Senate Bill 197), and
- Creates a frontier areas task force to study the needs of rural communities and other unincorporated areas of counties that are sparsely populated and isolated from larger population centers and services (Senate Joint Memorial 2).
These transformational new laws, along with the substantial funding for state services and initiatives, will propel the state forward and launch another productive interim before the next legislative session. The interim period provides an opportunity to analyze, refine, and plan the next phase of improvements. With rapid, unpredictable change on the federal level, thoughtful and strategic planning is especially essential.
By working smarter, fostering job creation statewide, and collaborating on the health, education, and economic well-being of our families and communities, New Mexico is creating momentum toward the health, education, and economic growth that means a brighter, more prosperous future for all.
Senator Campos, a Democrat from Las Vegas who holds a doctorate in educational leadership and a master’s in guidance and counseling, has been a member of the Senate since 1991 and a member of the Senate Finance Committee since 1997. Campos is also a member of the Legislative Finance, Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy, and Water and Natural Resources committees. He has served as the senator from District 8 in northern New Mexico since 1991 and has served as president of Luna Community College, superintendent of the Las Vegas City Schools, and mayor of Santa Rosa.
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