In the immortal words of Big Time Rush, “We’re halfway there,” folks. For readers 40 and older, take Swedish band Europe’s admonition: “It’s the final countdown.” The session is set to end at noon on Feb. 19, and Wednesday evening marks the deadline for lawmakers to introduce any new legislation for the remainder of the 30-day session.
For the 2026 session, as of publication Wednesday, lawmakers had introduced 553 bills – which do not include memorials or resolutions — including 304 bills in the House and 249 bills in the Senate.
According to the Source NM Bill Tracker, Sen. Pete Campos (D-Las Vegas) has sponsored the most bills, with 41 under his belt as of Wednesday morning. Sen. Elizabeth “Liz” Stefanics (D-Cerillos) is second with 29 bills and Rep. Andrea Reeb (R-Clovis) rounds out third with 26 bills.
Since lawmakers were still debating on the floors Wednesday afternoon, the full count of legislation will be updated early Thursday.
Under the wire
A bill to more closely regulate power sources for some data centers is now on the legislative session’s agenda, but is pared down from Sen. Jeff Steinborn’s (D-Las Cruces) original legislation.
Steinborn introduced the bill before the session to empower state regulators to have approval powers and set new rules for “microgrids,” on-site power generators independent from electric utilities proposed in the controversial Project Jupiter data center in southern New Mexico.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a message for Senate Bill 235 Wednesday, sponsored by Steinborn and Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez (D-Albuquerque).
SB235, if enacted, would mandate state utility regulators to create rules in July 2027 that would require microgrids to establish “a renewable energy portfolio” and ensure emission-free generation by 2045. It would prohibit utilities from increasing customers’ electricity bills to pay for the creation of microgrid powerplants. It would also require microgrid operators to report their annual energy and water usage figures.
Steinborn said in a statement that the legislation will address concerns about carbon emissions, energy and water strains caused by these facilities, and called it “urgent” that the Legislature and governor “take the needed steps to protect our air quality and water resources threatened from these massive new data centers.” Project Jupiter alone, he noted “would generate the equivalent of four large coal fired power plants, or 2.6 million cars worth of greenhouse gas pollution into the state’s air.”
Source NM reported last year that Project Jupiter’s developers at the time sought permission to emit as much greenhouse gases as the state’s two largest cities combined.
The Microgrid Oversight Act, Steinborn contends, will “establish meaningful clean energy requirements to protect our air quality, and consumer protections to ensure utility customers are not stuck with the tab of paying for this new power generation.”
Budget hits the House floor
The New Mexico House of Representatives continued to debate a roughly $11 billion budget bill as of publication time Wednesday afternoon.
It remains to be seen whether the House Appropriations and Finance Committee’s proposal to require child care co-pays for higher-earning families will cross the finish line, as Lujan Grisham has consistently opposed the measure and called on lawmakers to fully fund free child care for all New Mexico families.
“With more economic uncertainty now than in any sort of recent time, we’re very mindful about making commitments” the state can’t keep, committee Chair Rep. Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces) told reporters Wednesday morning ahead of the vote.
Familiar proposal, familiar result
The Senate Education Committee voted not to advance a proposal from its chair, Sen. Bill Soules (D-Las Cruces), that would have stripped the New Mexico Public Education Department out of the governor’s cabinet and installed a state board and superintendent to oversee its operations.
Reporter Leah Romero has the story.
Sen. Hamster
Looking ahead
The 30-day legislative session is halfway through, and a number of bills have yet to hit the House or Senate floors.
Some will make their ways through committees on Thursday, including one proposal before the House Labor, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee to have workers compensation cover post-traumatic stress in police officers. Similar proposals in other states have faced uphill battles.
The Senate Conservation Committee at 9 a.m. will hear Senate Bill 154, which would require wildfire insurance to also cover related flood damage.
Tomorrow is also likely to include a large turnout for Climate Solutions Day, with multiple environmental organizations marching to the Roundhouse for a rally in support of the Clear Horizons Act, which seeks to codify the state’s greenhouse emissions, and skirted through its first committee on Tuesday.
