2025 Legislative Outcomes

At a time when the stability of the country is in uncertain, it’s reassuring to be in the state of New Mexico where we have a strong economy, growing local food system and agriculture sector, and where communities, organizations, agencies, legislators, and the Governor care about continually connecting where our food comes from, who grows it, access, and the water and
land that are of the essence.

The New Mexico 2025 Legislative session ended March 22nd and on April 11th Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham declared her commitments to substantive legislation and the budget.

High priorities include a $10.8 billion budget that, for the New Mexico Food & Agriculture Policy Council (NMFAPC) and our many partner organizations and agencies, will provide more than $81 million in local food and food access resources and resources for farmers, ranchers, food hubs, farmers’ markets, and food retail. Our water and land stewards will benefit from millions of dollars towards conservation programs, acequia infrastructure, and healthy soils initiatives.

Important attention was given to early childhood education, child welfare, public safety, behavioral health, affordable housing, $25 million for health care in rural communities, $50 million for natural disaster revolving loan fund, and $65 for transportation projects.

THANK YOU for the highly coordinated effort among organizations, agencies, the Office of the Governor and policymakers! For NMFAPC and partner organizations, our coordinated efforts paid off with important “wins.”

NM Food & Agriculture Policy Council Legislative Outcomes

A top priority for NMFAPC is a long-term focus on protecting water for New Mexico as stated in our NMFAPC Water Policy Statement. Key to that was the passage of the Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Act, SB21 and SB22 combined, passed the House and Senate and were signed by the Governor. This legislation will have a major impact on water in New Mexico. Given that New Mexico was recently listed as having the most endangered river levels in the country, this legislation takes urgent steps to address New Mexico’s ability to manage its surface water. Senate Bill 21 and 22 is landmark legislation that empowers New Mexico to take charge of its own water quality permitting, ensuring stronger protections for waterways and communities.

Here are New Mexico Food & Agriculture Policy Council budget priorities (or items of interest) in the Budget FY2026, HB2 & 3 as passed by the House and Senate (these may be abbreviated descriptions and may require further clarification):

$1 million for WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, NM Department of Health
$430,000 for the NM Grown Approved Supplier Program, NM Department of Agriculture
$5 million for Ag Water Resilience Program, New Mexico State University (NMSU)
$2 million for the Healthy Food Financing Fund (HFFF), Economic Development Department
$41 million baseline funding for the Healthy Universal School Meals Act, SB0004EDS and fiscal analysis SB0004.doc. The PED will carve out $2 million to meet the needs of the New Mexico Grown K-12 Program. The NMFAPC legislative request was for $2.3 million additional funding.
$7.848 million for the Healthy Universal School Meals for fiscal year 2025 shortfall, NM Public Education Department
$3.054 million for the Healthy Universal School Meals prior year shortfall
$5 million for the Healthy Universal School Meals
$500,000 for outdoor classrooms, PED
$3 million for Tribal and Local Health Councils
$30 million for Food Assistance Programs (over three years)
$1.2 million Acequia and Community Ditch Fund
$9 million for soil and water conservation districts
$3.3 Grants to Assist Meat Processing, NM Department of Agriculture
$1.55 million Veterinary Loan Repayment Program, NM State University. SB8, enacts the Veterinary Medical Loan Repayment Program that provides veterinarian students with an incentive to practice in New Mexico.
$1 million Early Childhood Education Department Scratch Cooking
$4.7 million Food is Medicine Program to benefit pregnant women and senior

Here are some of the Council’s priority bills that made it through:

SM19 NM Meat, Cheese and Produce in Schools
This is memorial that sets the stage for the NM Department of Agriculture to put together a working group to develop recommendations to add locally produced and processed in New Mexico meats, dairy, and cheese to school meal programs. This Memorial passed in both houses and does not need the Governor’s signature.

SB21 and 22 Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Act
This bill passed the House and Senate and is awaiting the Governor’s signature. This legislation will have a major impact on water in New Mexico. Given that New Mexico was recently listed as having the most endangered river levels in the country, this legislation takes urgent steps to address New Mexico’s ability to manage its surface water. Senate Bill 21 and 22 is landmark legislation that empowers New Mexico to take charge of its own water quality permitting, ensuring stronger protections for waterways and communities. It aligns with the NMFAPC’s Water Policy Statement.

SB8 Veterinary Repayment Loan Program
Relating to higher education; enacting the veterinary medical loan repayment program; providing powers and duties; establishing selection criteria and eligibility requirements; providing for contracts between recipients and the higher education department; providing for release from contract or recoupment; creating a fund.

NMFAPC priorities that did not receive specific funding in the FY2026 Budget as passed by the Legislature yet are programs that are very important to the NMFAPC and agencies include:

$2.3 million New Mexico Grown for K-12 (NM Public Education Department will need to pull funding from unencumbered funds or other areas as deemed appropriate)
$1.5 Million for NM Grown for Senior Meal Programs (in the NM Aging and Long-Term Services Department Kiki Saavedra Fund)
$4 million for basic needs funding for Higher Education Institutions (may have received some funding)

Bills which had momentum, but ran out of time:

HB330 Land Grant-Merced & Acequia Infrastructure

Provide for the creation of a land grant-merced and acequia infrastructure trust fund (trust fund) and two related project funds, the land grant-merced infrastructure project fund and the acequia infrastructure project fund. LFC staff conclude that there is no revenue source for the trust fund, absent a separate appropriation into the trust fund of at least $5 million each.

HB459 the Pollinator Research bill, received a strong and favorable hearing and has plenty of opportunity to be considered in the future.