2026 Legislative Session: That’s a Wrap!

The 2026 New Mexico Legislative Session concluded on February 19. Our dedicated Environmental Justice and Reproductive Justice staff spent long hours at the Roundhouse advocating for a number of good bills, and opposing other legislation that would have caused a great deal of harm to our communities.

One of the highlights came the very first day of the session, when YUCCA (Youth United for Climate Change Action) organized young people and our whole community to come out in the streets and demand “real climate action that matches the scale of this crisis, investments in care not criminalization, economic justice that puts people over profits, an end to the systems of violence impacting our communities at home and abroad, and a future rooted in care, community, and collective liberation for all of us.”

Elder Kathy Sanchez offered an opening blessing for the march — watch it here.

While not every bill Tewa Women United supported made it all the way through this short 30-day session, primarily focused on the state budget, we are celebrating these wins along with our community partners:

• HB 9 – The Immigrant Safety Act ensures that state and local governments are not deputized as ICE and are not complicit in federal detention and deportation operations. HB 9 was signed into law by Governor Lujan Grisham on February 9, 2026. We commend legislators for understanding the economic impact that this bill has on communities whose economies have centered around federal detention centers. SB 273, passed on the final day of the session, would give about $10.5 million to Torrance, Cibola and Otero Counties, as well as municipalities within them, if those local governments lose funds due to provisions due to enforcement of HB 9.
• SB 30 – Reporting of Induced Abortion repeals outdated abortion reporting requirements, helping protect patient privacy and modernize New Mexico’s vital statistics laws.
• SB 40 – The Driver Privacy and Safety Act limits the sharing of automated license plate reader (ALPR) data to prevent its misuse for immigration enforcement or to target people seeking protected health care. Along with community partners, we were concerned about the dangers that ALPR systems pose to reproductive and gender-affirming patients and providers and are grateful to see SB 40 pass.
• SB 41 – Statute of Limitations for Certain Sex Crimes eliminates the criminal statute of limitations for certain sex crimes, successfully passed the Senate floor last week. This survivor-centered bill recognizes that trauma does not follow a timeline and allows survivors to seek justice when they are ready.
• SB 193 – The Acequia and Community Ditch Infrastructure Fund increases the funding available for acequia infrastructure throughout New Mexico.

There were some big disappointments as well. SB 53, known as the Community Health Information Safety and Privacy Act (CHISPA) would have protected consumer data from exploitation by big corporations and regulated how consumer information is processed and shared. Our coalition worked hard this past year to get SB 53 into the session and it was favorably received in committee hearings and individual meetings, but in a short and crowded session there wasn’t enough time to move it forward for a floor vote.

SB 18, the Clean Horizons Act, would have mandated tiered emission reductions in state law. The bill made it as far as the Senate floor where it was voted down.

Even though these two bills didn’t make it through this year’s session, we are committed to continue working toward passage of similar legislation in future sessions.

We are very grateful to our community partners who worked so hard during this session, including:

• ACLU New Mexico
• Bold Futures
• Conservation Voters New Mexico
• Equality New Mexico
• Faith Roots Reproductive Action
• Families and Youth Innovations Plus
• GLSEN New Mexico
• Healthy Climate New Mexico
• Indigenous Women Rising
• Interfaith Power and Light
• New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women
• NM Climate Justice
• NM Native Vote
• New Energy Economy
• Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountains
• Progress Now
• Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club
• Somos Un Pueblo Unido
• Sovereign Energy
• Together for Brothers
• Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico
• Tribal Energy Alternatives
• YUCCA

And thanks to all of you for participating in this Session alongside us – onward!