Weeks after the conclusion of the regular legislative session,  Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is finally breaking out her pen to sign a handful of bills into law. Many of the bills from this year’s session are still awaiting a signature and running close to the Friday deadline for the Governor’s action. Yesterday the Governor signed over 50 bills addressing everything from trapping on public lands, to solar garden projects and medical debt. 

Curiously, some of the larger and more consequential bills are still awaiting her final approval. These bills include items like the State’s $7.4 billion budget plan, some tax breaks for working families and the contentious redistricting bill for up coming elections. For the bills passed in the regular session, Friday is the deadline for approval. Any of the bills not acted upon by the Governor by Friday become “pocket vetoed” and die on the spot. The legislation from the Special Session however, have a little more time since they were passed last week. The deadline for Special Session bills in April 20th. Click HERE to read more.

Some of the bills signed yesterday by the Governor:

• Senate Bill 140, updates New Mexico’s child support laws to allow the state to continue receiving $148 million in federal funding.
• House Bill 222, establishes an ombudsman’s office to investigate and resolve problems with special education.
• House Bill 29 and Senate Bill 80, prohibits discrimination in schools based on a student’s hairstyles or headdress, such as braids, cornrows or weaves.
• House Bill 6, sends an extra $60 million to school districts smaller small tax bases because they cover tax-exempt land for Native American communities and military bases.
• Senate Bill 17, distributing extra funding to certain schools based on a family income index.
• Senate Bill 32, bans traps, snares and wildlife poisons on public land with exemptions for Native American traditional and religious trapping.
• Senate Bill 160, extends public financing to District Court candidates in an effort to assist with financing and increase transparency in the process.
• Senate Bill 84, establishes a Community Solar Act.
• Senate Bill 42, increases taxpayer contributions to the educator pension system.