Get Ready for the Roundhouse — and the Governor’s Final Regular Session

Here we go! The 2026 New Mexico legislative session starts up on Tuesday. It’ll be a 30-day sprint with a focus on the budget. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will kick it all off with her annual State of the State address, which you can watch live on NMPBS, the PBS app or YouTube that afternoon. This will be the termed-out governor’s final regular session, so we’re not expecting it to be all budget all the time — she’s likely to call on lawmakers to also get some important priorities of hers done.

This week, we gather what, in my opinion, is a best-of-the-best panel of local statehouse journalists to preview the session. You’ll hear from Albuquerque Journal Capitol Bureau Chief Dan Boyd, Source New Mexico Editor-in-Chief Julia Goldberg and Santa Fe New Mexican government reporter Daniel Chacón. They’ll dig through everything we know so far and make some educated guesses about what else we might see in Santa Fe over the next month — from dueling budget proposals, to banning ICE contracts for immigrant prisons in New Mexico, to bringing some relief to the state’s doctor shortage and public safety reforms.

You’ve likely turned for years to New Mexico in Focus starting each January to watch the Roundhouse at work. And while we’ll continue to bring you the in-depth legislative coverage you’ve come to expect from us, we’re excited to introduce some new additions to telling this story. A biggie will be a weekly update on oil and gas proposals from a New Mexico journalist who knows this world like no other: Jerry Redfern of nonprofit newsroom Capital & Main. He chats with NMiF Executive Producer Jeff Proctor this week about what he’s watching for and what you can expect from his weekly visits to the show. Another means of rounding out our Roundhouse coverage this year will come from beyond the Capitol’s walls.

In Focus Reporter Cailley Chella will be looking at some of the big proposals working their way through the chambers, but not from the (Senate or House) floor, like Gwyneth Doland and me. Instead, she’ll show you the human impact of these policies from the ground. I’ll toss this newsletter over to Cailley for more on that.

– Nash Jones, Host 

Help Us Tell the Story of Universal Childcare

Come Tuesday, lawmakers will have to make decisions on how to allocate billions of public dollars, among them: whether to fully fund Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s proposed universal childcare program. The program, which officially launched in November, ostensibly made New Mexico the first state in the nation to offer free childcare regardless of income. But the future of that program is still undetermined. 

Earlier this month, legislative leaders released an $11.1 billion budget proposal for fiscal year 2027 — which begins this July — that came in short of the governor’s spending plan. The governor is asking for about $465 million for the Early Childhood Education and Care Department, the agency that runs the universal childcare program. The Legislative Finance Committee has proposed $315 million for the department.   

As these budget negotiations play out, we want to hear from New Mexicans who are directly affected. Personal stories help show what the decisions made at the Roundhouse mean for real families across New Mexico.   

Are you a grandparent who provides regular childcare so parents can work? Would expanded childcare funding — or cuts to it — change your family’s situation? Maybe you’re retired, and additional income from childcare support would make a meaningful difference. Maybe you’ve been caring for children with low or no pay because your family or community couldn’t afford it — and formal support would ease the financial strain. Or maybe you’re balancing care giving with your own fixed income, health needs, or part-time work.

Your experience can help put this debate into context. 

If you’re willing to share your story — especially on camera — I’d like to hear from you. You can reach me at 505-633-8927.   

– Cailley Chella, NMiF Reporter