Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s mighty pen hasn’t seen much action since the end of the 60-day session last month.
Of the 195 bills the Legislature passed, only 22 have been signed into law, one reluctantly and another with line-item vetoes.
With an April 11 deadline for the governor to take action on bills — whether it be signing or vetoing — it’s all hands on deck at the Governor’s Office.
“The governor’s review process for legislation is thorough and deliberate,” spokesperson Jodi McGinnis Porter said in a statement Friday.
“Each bill undergoes a comprehensive evaluation by policy experts who analyze its implications, potential benefits, and any concerns,” she said. “The governor personally reviews each piece of legislation with senior policy staff, discussing the nuances and considering stakeholder input.”
As the deadline approaches, the governor’s team “is indeed working diligently to ensure each bill receives proper consideration,” McGinnis Porter said.
“This is always a busy period for the Governor’s Office, with staff dedicated to ensuring the governor has all necessary information to make informed decisions,” she said.
Two of the more far-reaching bills awaiting action from the governor include the budget bill and a tax package.
Asked about potential line-item vetoes or the exact distribution of bills that will be signed, vetoed or “pocket vetoed” — an effective veto that happens when the governor declines to sign a bill — McGinnis Porter said Lujan Grisham is still in the review process for remaining legislation.
“It would be premature to speculate about decisions that haven’t yet been finalized,” she said.
“What I can tell you is that the governor approaches each bill on its individual merits, considering how it serves the interests of our state’s residents and aligns with our administration’s policy goals,” McGinnis Porter added.
Chris Nordstrum, a spokesperson for Senate Democrats, said the wait is simply part of the process.
“Over the 60-day session, we passed several key pieces of legislation, including measures to strengthen and improve [the state Children, Youth and Families Department], provide tax incentives for medical providers and foster families, protect our waters and environment in response to climate change and an uncertain federal landscape, and many other bills aimed at improving the lives of all New Mexicans,” he said.
“While waiting for the signing deadline is never easy, it also gives people the chance to review the legislation that was passed and reach out to the Governor’s Office to encourage her to sign the bills that matter most to them,” Nordstrum added.
Bills that go unsigned by the deadline are considered “pocket vetoed” and won’t become law — although that could change if voters in November 2026 approve a constitutional amendment to take away the governor’s ability to pocket veto legislation by refusing to sign it. New Mexico is among 11 states where the governor has pocket veto power; in other states, bills the governor declines to sign become law anyway, and New Mexico would join their ranks if voters approve the amendment.
Bills the governor has already signed into law include a public safety package that combined six public safety bills into one, including reforming criminal competency laws, prohibiting devices to transform semiautomatic firearms to fully automatic and measures to crack down on shooting threats, fentanyl trafficking and drunken driving.
That measure — House Bill 8 — as well as Senate Bills 1 and 3, which have also already been signed into law, were top priorities of the first half of the session.
SB 1 establishes a trust fund for spending on behavioral health initiatives while SB 3 creates an organizational framework for the state’s revamped behavioral health system, requiring region-specific plans to address local needs. Funding for those changes is now in the state’s budget bill, House Bill 2.
“Some bills move through this process relatively quickly when they align clearly with established priorities or have straightforward implementation paths,” McGinnis Porter said.
“Others require additional scrutiny, particularly when they involve complex policy considerations or significant fiscal impacts. Our team also carefully analyzes bills that may interact with or potentially conflict with other legislation, as the sequence of signing can sometimes be important for proper implementation,” she added.
Camille Ward, a spokesperson for House Democrats, said the caucus focused on passing legislation to address public safety, improve the well-being of children and families and make life more affordable for everyone.
That legislation included the public safety package, as well as “a responsible budget that raises pay for teachers and police officers and invests in key areas of impact” and a tax package that will cut or eliminate state income taxes for hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans and provide tax credits for foster parents and guardians.
“We are grateful that the governor has already signed several of these important bills into law and we look forward to seeing many more of these critical bills signed by Friday,” she said.
The governor has vetoed two bills.
The first, House Bill 65, would have specified the power of local school boards and charter school governing bodies to determine “the total number of instructional days per year.” The bill was a direct legislative response to the Public Education Department’s so-called 180-day rule, which the governor supported and clashed with the Legislature over during the 2024 session.
The House unanimously voted to override the governor’s veto. But the Senate didn’t take up the matter, inaction Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, attributed to a lack of time.
“And now we’re all very tired [from] getting two hours of sleep a night,” Stewart told reporters during a news conference after the Legislature adjourned.
The second vetoed bill, Senate Bill 17, sought to modernize the metrics the State Parole Board uses when considering inmate applications but which the governor said created an unnecessary set of obstacles to remove a board member.