The Legislature hits 3/4ths of the way: big moves

The 2026 New Mexico legislative session concludes on Thursday, February 19. There are several important things happening that will impact our state economically and in terms of personal freedom.

1. In a HUGE victory SB 18 the Clear Horizons bill which would have mandated massive reductions in CO2 emissions with “net zero” required by 2050 died on the Senate floor. Passage would have been a disaster for New Mexico’s economy and for little/no gain. Here is a list of who voted to stop SB 18.
2. HB 99 Medical Malpractice reform passed the House Judiciary Committee and has been restored to its original intent of protecting doctors practicing in ALL circumstances from absurdly high lawsuit amounts. The bill heads to the House floor next and then needs to go through the Senate with a week left. The Gov. has said she’ll call a special session if the bill doesn’t pass, so this could get interesting.
3. SB 17, the most anti-gun bill in New Mexico history, is headed to the House Judiciary before it heads to the House floor for final passage. This one is VERY bad and VERY unconstitutional, but will be an extremely important bill to watch in the next week.
4. Free childcare is very much in flux but the Gov. is likely going to get much of what she wants. SB 241 which is heading to the Senate floor as soon as today is the primary vehicle for that along with the state budget.
5. SB 151 is a complicated and mixed bag tax bill that ultimately represents a significant tax increase and includes some dubious tax benefits (such as subsidies for “free childcare”). It is heading to the Senate Finance Committee. At very least the tax hike should be pulled out of the bill. Otherwise it should just be rejected.