{"id":48417,"date":"2026-01-20T11:40:02","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T18:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/?p=48417"},"modified":"2026-01-20T11:40:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T18:40:08","slug":"get-ready-for-the-roundhouse-and-the-governors-final-regular-session","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/get-ready-for-the-roundhouse-and-the-governors-final-regular-session\/","title":{"rendered":"Get Ready for the Roundhouse \u2014 and the Governor\u2019s Final Regular Session"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Here we go! The 2026 New Mexico legislative session starts up on Tuesday. It\u2019ll 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\u2019s final regular session, so we\u2019re not expecting it to be all budget all the time \u2014 she\u2019s 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\u2019ll hear from Albuquerque Journal<\/em> Capitol Bureau Chief Dan Boyd<\/a>, Source New Mexico Editor-in-Chief Julia Goldberg<\/a> and Santa Fe New Mexican<\/em> government reporter Daniel Chac\u00f3n<\/a>. They\u2019ll 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 \u2014 from dueling budget proposals, to banning ICE contracts for immigrant prisons in New Mexico, to bringing some relief to the state\u2019s doctor shortage and public safety reforms.

You\u2019ve likely turned for years to New Mexico in Focus starting each January to watch the Roundhouse at work. And while we\u2019ll continue to bring you the in-depth legislative coverage you\u2019ve come to expect from us, we\u2019re 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<\/a>. He chats with NMiF Executive Producer Jeff Proctor this week about what he\u2019s 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\u2019s walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019ll show you the human impact of these policies from the ground. I\u2019ll toss this newsletter over to Cailley for more on that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Nash Jones, Host\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Help Us Tell the Story of Universal Childcare<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s 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.\u00a0

Earlier this month, legislative leaders released an $11.1 billion budget proposal for fiscal year 2027 \u2014 which begins this July \u2014 that came in short of the governor\u2019s 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.\u00a0 \u00a0

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.\u00a0 \u00a0

Are you a grandparent who provides regular childcare so parents can work? Would expanded childcare funding \u2014 or cuts to it \u2014 change your family\u2019s situation? Maybe you\u2019re retired, and additional income from childcare support would make a meaningful difference. Maybe you\u2019ve been caring for children with low or no pay because your family or community couldn\u2019t afford it \u2014 and formal support would ease the financial strain. Or maybe you\u2019re balancing care giving with your own fixed income, health needs, or part-time work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your experience can help put this debate into context.\u00a0

If you\u2019re willing to share your story \u2014 especially on camera \u2014 I\u2019d like to hear from you. You can reach me at 505-633-8927.\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Cailley Chella, NMiF Reporter<\/p>\n\n\n\n