NM Legislature Recap Jan. 30: Happy Realtors Day!

An amalgamation of realtors gathers in the Capitol Rotunda on Thursday. (Photo by Patrick Lohmann / Source NM)

What’s the word for a group of realtors? A “complex,” maybe? Or a “lot”?

Well, a riot of realtors amassed in the Capitol on Thursday for New Mexico Realtor Day, donning blue scarves and taking over the rotunda to rail against a bill that would allow cities to enact rent control and praise proposed legislation that would make it easier to build more housing quickly. 

The group is tracking 30 housing bills introduced this session, leaders told Source New Mexico, including one bill they oppose that would prohibit private equity from buying single family homes here and others they support that spend taxpayer money on helping affordable housing development pencil out. 

“There’s always a need for more housing, there’s always a need for more money,” said New Mexico Association of Realtors President Daniel Coleman.

After approving a record amount for housing last session, one lawmaker previously told Source New Mexico that this year will feature a flurry of housing funding bills. That doesn’t mean more money isn’t on the table, as well: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is seeking $100 million in new spending to address homelessness and help first-time homebuyers, among other things, this session. 

In honor of Realtors Day, here’s a look at some of the housing-related bills that could be coming up this session:

Source-of-income discrimination: Some New Mexico cities have prohibited landlords from refusing to lease to a prospective tenant based on how they’d pay rent, including if they carry Section 8 vouchers. A measure to enact that statewide, by adding “source of income” to a list of other protected characteristics in the New Mexico Human Rights Act, has failed in the last few legislative sessions, and Rep. Kathleen Cates (D-Rio Rancho) chose not to introduce it again this year, she has said previously. 

Instead, Cates is introducing a bill that would require landlords to account for vouchers and other sources of income when screening tenants for whether they make enough money to cover rent. We hear other lawmakers may pick up the source-of-income discrimination bill. 

Prohibiting ban on rent control: Sen. Linda Lopez (D-Albuquerque) is seeking to end a ban on communities deciding whether they want to enact rent control. That bill has also failed in recent sessions, and the New Mexico Association of Realtors opposes it. The median rent in New Mexico has increased more than 60% since 2017, according to a recent report, much higher than the 27% increase seen in the rest of the country. 

Governor’s Office of Housing: Lujan Grisham is seeking legislative authority to establish a state Office of Housing, seeking $2 million to staff up a small team in her office to gather data, establish goals and develop a statewide strategy. A legislative committee shot down that proposal last year. 

Ban Restrictive Covenants: Rep. Eleanor Chavez (D-Albuquerque) is seeking a statewide ban on housing covenants that allow neighborhoods to discriminate against new neighbors based on race, sex, gender or other protected characteristics. 

$500 million for Housing New Mexico: Sen. Bobby Gonzales (D-Ranchos de Taos) is seeking half a billion dollars for Housing New Mexico, previously known as the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, to spend in its Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Former Sen. Nancy Rodriguez (D-Santa) regularly sought that amount for the fund, which goes toward down-payment assistance and other programs, but never got quite that much. Last year, the Legislature did give the authority $50 million. 

More than 50 bills this session mention the word “housing.” We’ll keep tabs on most of them as the session continues. 

Stansbury and Vasquez

The most high-profile event at the Roundhouse on Thursday was a pair of speeches before a joint session of the state House and Senate by U.S. Reps. Melanie Stansbury and Gabe Vasquez.

Immigrants’ rights organizations released a report showing the ways U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement may use New Mexico motor vehicle, jail records and other data to apprehend people, and previewed digital privacy bills they will push for this session.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers announced an effort to legalize medicinal use of psilocybin mushrooms to treat mental health disorders like major treatment-resistant depression, post traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders and end-of-life care.

The Senate Conservation Committee approved two bills that together would restore and expand protection for New Mexico’s rivers and streams.

Bill watch

Earlier this week, a House panel gave the nod to a proposal to expand the state’s existing ban on scalping tickets for college sporting events to other kinds of gatherings.

Also, a spree of crime bills got their first hearings Thursday in the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee and, as of 5 p.m., two of them were passed following lengthy questioning from Republican committee members John Block of Carlsbad and Stefani Lord of Cedar Crest. 

One bill that would increase the penalty of making a shooting threat from a misdemeanor to a felony advanced but “without recommendation,” meaning it will still be heard in another committee but without the committee’s endorsement. 

Another bill passed by the committee would ban devices that convert semiautomatic firearms into fully automatic firearms, commonly known as “Glock switches.” Sam Bregman, Second Judicial District Attorney, and Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story testified in favor of the bill, but it had opponents in the audience, including the New Mexico Office of the Public Defender and members of a state shooting sports association.

Both bills will get another hearing in the House Judiciary Committee.