Taos High School Mariachi El Tigre performed on March 10, 2025 in the Rotunda at the New Mexico Legislature for Taos County Day. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source NM)
During Taos County Day at the Legislature on Monday, Source NM asked three Taoseños about what they love — and what they would change — about their part of Northern New Mexico.
Michelle Montez is from the Town of Taos and the interim director of Mariachi El Tigre at Taos High School. Her students performed on Monday in the Rotunda.
What is one thing you love about Taos County?
I love that it is a very tight-knit community and you don’t get that in a bigger city.
What is one thing you would change about Taos County?
More open-mindedness to change and growing.
Estrella Casias is from the Town of Taos and a student at Taos Municipal Schools.
What is one thing you love about Taos County?
One thing that I love about Taos County is how everybody contributes to the community, all of the events. They provide a whole lot of stuff for everybody to go and enjoy like Movies on the Green in the park, the Youth and Family Center, and Workforce Connections allowing teenagers to have jobs and helping those who need it.
What is one thing you would change about Taos County?
One thing I would change about Taos County is offering more opportunities for the youth, and providing more places for the youth to hang out. I mentioned the Youth and Family Center, and there is also a bowling alley, but I feel like most teenagers don’t necessarily have a place to hang out as a group or together in Taos.
Celina Shropshire is from Arroyo Seco and a student at Taos Municipal Schools.
What is one thing you love about Taos County?
I love that Taos County is really safe, and they provide a sense of security. I feel safe in my school district, I feel safe going to parks and the grocery store. I really like the safety that it surrounds you with in your teenage years.
What is one thing you would change about Taos County?
One thing I would change about Taos County is youth encouragement. Sometimes, youth struggle with substance abuse and things like that, and it’s not really talked about. So I feel like things that can encourage students to have a healthier lifestyle would be really beneficial, like providing them a place to stay if they don’t feel comfortable going to the house.
House gives OK to slate of housing bills
The House of Representatives today passed House Bill 448, which would create the Office of Housing Planning and Production;
The new Office of Housing has been a priority of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham since last year. It’s an effort to collect better data and coordinate many of the state agencies that have a hand in housing, amid record housing shortages across the state. Last session, the governor’s proposal
failed to clear a committee in the 2024 session amid concerns from the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority that it was duplicating the authority’s efforts.
This time around, it’s cleared two committees and, today, the House Floor. Several Republicans said they were concerned the governor was creating a new layer of government with little oversight, but sponsor Meredith Dixon (D-Albuquerque) said the office was vital to create a cohesive housing strategy.
“This legislation will consolidate our resources to make sure we’re effectively utilizing all available tools and programs to expand access to affordable, safe, stable housing across our state,” she said in a news release.
Cleared the floors
The House also passed House Bill 253, which would allow eviction court records to be sealed if the tenant wins; House Bill 330, which would create a trust fund to help land grants and acequias pay for infrastructure projects like water, sewer and power lines; and House Bill 453, which would create a creditworthiness assistance program that would provide property managers with assistance for unpaid rent or rental property damages.
The House passed House Memorial 27, which would create an interim committee to come up with recommended rules next year to implement an exception to the anti-donation clause in the state Constitution, approved by voters in 2022, which allows public funds to be spent connecting homes to essential residential services including internet, electricity, natural gas, water and sewer.
The House, without debate, unanimously passed House Bill 209, which would require the Department of Information Technology to add links to the state’s Sunshine Portal that direct users to the state law creating each fund, and their purpose, listed under the New Mexico Compilation Commission’s website; House Bill 298, which would clarify procedures for mayoral vacancies, appointments and the roles of local governing bodies; House Bill 357, which would require the Health Care Authority to establish rules for excluding sales taxes for Mi Via Waiver recipients; House Bill 340, which would allow the DNA of dead people who were arrested for a felony, but passed away before being charged, to be entered into the federal Combined DNA Index System; House Bill 427, which would allow the Water Trust Board to make grants or loans for real-time water quality monitoring; House Bill 192, which would set aside $2.8 million to cover public safety radio subscription fees; House Bill 269, which would require the Health Care Authority to implement an open electronic visit verification system; and House Bill 519, which would move the African American Arts Center from the New Mexico State Fair to a governing board attached to the Cultural Affairs Department.
The Senate unanimously confirmed Elizabeth Anderson to head the Office of the State Engineer and Melanie Kenderdine as the secretary of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals Natural Resources Department on Monday.
Source NM interviewed Anderson after the governor appointed her to the position in August.
The Senate voted 27-15 on Senate Joint Resolution 15, which would send a proposal to voters to decide on a constitutional amendment to create a state education board. If approved by voters, the constitutional amendment would transfer control of the New Mexico Public Education Department to a Board-appointed superintendent of public instruction, rather than the current secretary appointed by the governor. Former Gov. Bill Richardson dissolved the state’s school board in 2003, and created the state’s education authority.
Sens. William Soules (D-Las Cruces) and Sen. William Sharer (R-Farmington) sponsored SJR 15.
“As I said, this is not going to suddenly move us to the top of the rankings,” Soules said about school rankings on the floor. “But if this were to pass, I think it gives us an opportunity to do right by our kids.”
Fifteen Democratic senators cast a vote against the proposed constitutional amendment.
Bill watch
The Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee passed Senate Bill 203, which would require oversight and licensing of massage therapy establishments; Senate Bill 217, which would clarify the Department of Information Technology’s procurement under the General Services Department; Senate Bill 158, which would require the Economic Development Department to present annual reports; Senate Bill 278, which would eliminate copayments for coronary artery calcium screening health insurance coverage; Senate Bill 356 to create a State Diversity Office and hire a director; Senate Bill 443, which would enact an interstate agreement to license dentists and dental hygienists; and House Bill 12, which would make it easier and faster for police to seize guns belonging to a person deemed a risk to themselves or others.
The Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senate Bill 78, which would create a certificate for a registered nurse anesthetist; Senate Bill 105, which would allow for licensing social workers from other states to practice in New Mexico under an agreement; Senate Bill 302, which would increase the state’s Gaming Control Board power to perform background checks; Senate Bill 303, which would clarify gaming machine regulations; Senate Bill 375, which would amend probation and parole laws and remove the requirements that inmates pay for parole services; and Senate Bill 457, which would appropriate $20 million for civil legal services for low-income people.
The Senate Rules Committee passed Senate Bill 40, which would revise the penalty for someone caught driving with a revoked license to install an ignition interlock device within 10 days of conviction; and House Bill 143, which would increase lobbyists and their employers to increase reporting requirements and better document spending during the legislative session.
The House Education Committee passed Senate Bill 8, which would establish a loan repayment program for licensed veterinarians in underserved areas of the state; Senate Bill 133, which would allow a retired teacher to return to work and make up to $25,000 per year, without suspending their retirement benefits; and Senate Bill 343, which would ensure an equal minimum salary for all teachers at each licensure level.
The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee passed House Bill 65, which would make local school boards and charter school governing bodies responsible for determining the total number of instructional days per year and per week; House Bill 304, which would provide up to $25,000 in student loan repayment to police officers; House Bill 412, which would allow emergency services personnel to join a licensing compact with 24 other states; House Bill 414, which would pay back sheriff’s deputies and jail guards for the costs of transporting incarcerated people; House Bill 443, which would allow people over the age of 18 to deliver and stock packaged liquor in some circumstances; House Bill 487, which would integrate community-based organizations into Higher Education Department initiatives to improve education outcomes for Hispanic students; and a substitute version of House Memorial 35, which would require a group of state agencies to come up with mobile home park regulation recommendations by Sept. 1, 2025.
The House Health and Human Services Committee passed House Bill 551, which would direct the Gaming Control Board and the Health Care Authority to intercept gambling winnings by people who owe child support; House Bill 555, which would require massage therapy licenses to include a photograph; House Bill 570, which would prohibit prior authorization for chemotherapy, dialysis, elder care, and home health care services; Senate Bill 199, which would move more liquor excise tax revenues to the Department of Finance and Administration and less to local governments; and Senate Bill 249, which would direct managed care organizations to fully reimburse health providers for sales taxes on their services.
Reporter Patrick Lohmann contributed reporting to this story.