2026 legislative recap

REP. SILVA’S ASSIGNED COMMITTEES:

  • House Appropriations and Finance Committee

  • House Tax and Revenue Committee

BUDGET AND TAX HIGHLIGHTS

  • Dedicated $254 million to lowering out-of-pocket healthcare costs, including keeping marketplace insurance premiums affordable due to federal cuts.

  • Allocated $3 million for the state-level expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) amid federal cuts to vital programs.

  • Dedicated $130 million to address housing shortages, homelessness, and tribal housing issues, including funding for regional housing projects, new housing infrastructure.

  • Established a sustainable framework for a high-quality, universal childcare system, including over $60 million annually to ensure early childhood educators are paid a good, living wage.

  • Dedicated $18 million to Career Technical Education programs.

  • Delivered $22.5 million to Lower Rio Grande Water Settlement projects to fulfill Texas v. New Mexico’s obligations and ensure water security in Southern New Mexico.

  • Secured funding for the Secretary of State for safe and secure elections.

  • Provided 1% raises for educators, nurses, police, firefighters, bus drivers, custodians, social workers, and other state employees.

  • Physician tax credit that creates a $10,000 income tax credit for qualified physicians.

Capital outlay and other funding

  • $1 million Chaparral Drainage Improvements

  • $100,000 Chaparral Governance & Economic Study

  • $325,000 LCPS Family Resource Center

  • $100,000 LCPD Regional Driving Track for Training

  • $750,000 Mesa Grande Rd. Extension in Las Cruces

  • $325,000 Chaparral Solid Waste Transfer Station Expansion

SPONSORED BILLS - PASSED!

Medical Malpractice Changes

House Bill 99 makes targeted changes to the state’s medical malpractice laws to improve the climate for healthcare providers while protecting patient safety.

Social Worker Interstate Compact

House Bill 50 allows for Social Workers in other states to practice in New Mexico and vice versa.

SPONSORED BILLS - DIED

Lobbyist Activity Reports

House Bill 164 would have required lobbyists or their employers to report on bills they attempted to influence during a legislative session.

ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS AND BILLS

Immigrant Safety Act

House Bill 9 prevents New Mexico state and local governments from contracting with federal Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain individuals for civil immigration violations, and prohibits these governments from entering into agreements to deputize local officers or employees to perform immigration functions.

Legislative compensation

House Joint Resolution 5 allows voters to decide whether to take steps to modernize the state legislature by allowing lawmakers to receive a salary for their work. Currently, New Mexico is the only fully volunteer, unpaid state legislature in the country.

Regulated Childcare Zoning Requirements

Senate Bill 96 protects licensed, in-home childcare providers from unnecessary restrictions, fees, taxes, or bans from local zoning authorities and HOAs.

Childcare Assistance Program Act

Senate Bill 241 builds on New Mexico’s transformative multi-billion-dollar investments in early childhood education and care to establish a sustainable, high-quality universal childcare system that prioritizes families in need and supports educators.

Public Safety Workforce Building Program

House Bill 255 merges existing workforce funds for various law enforcement into a single Public Safety Workforce Building Program, to help dollars flow to more quickly and efficiently to local agencies to recruit, retain, and train public safety staff, including police, firefighters, corrections and detention officers, and district attorneys and public defenders.

Driver Privacy and Safety AcT

Senate Bill 40 ensures that routine state surveillance data cannot be sold or shared with those looking to misuse it for immigration enforcement, to prosecute protected healthcare activity, or other Constitutionally-protected activities.