On Tuesday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed House Bill 1, which will grant $100 million in financial assistance to the Ruidoso regions that were severely affected by the fires and floods in June.
During the five hour special session convened by Lujan Grisham on July 18th, the bill emerged as the sole legislation passed. While all public safety proposals were rejected, the session was utilized to obtain funding for the destruction caused by the South Fork and Salt fires, as well as damage caused by subsequent floods.
It took Governor Lujan Grisham almost two weeks to sign the Feed Bill, which included expenses for the Roundhouse operations. During a public safety town hall in Las Cruces, she was asked about the delay and responded that she did not want to harm the victims of natural disasters.
When announcing the signing of the bill, Lujan Grisham expressed her disappointment in the legislature’s failure to prioritize public safety for the people of New Mexico during the special session. Nonetheless, she expressed relief in the fact that the bill managed to secure aid for critical recovery efforts in communities that were damaged by fire and flooding.
Several entities will receive the $100 million, which will be distributed accordingly. Among them, the Mescalero Apache Tribe, the New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department, and the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management will each receive $10 million from the $30 million allotted to them.
As per the legislation, local governments can also qualify for loan payments from the $70 million that has been sanctioned.
As per the signed document by the governor, the allocated $70 million will be utilized for providing zero-interest loans to political subdivisions of the state. This initiative could potentially benefit local governments such as Ruidoso and the neighboring villages. However, it should be noted that this funding is only accessible to those who meet the eligibility criteria during the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years.
Before receiving any state loans, political subdivisions must meet the qualifications for Federal Emergency Management Agency relief. The objective set by lawmakers and the governor is to provide repair funds to local governments more quickly than FEMA. The loan program for the 2022 Hermit’s Peak-Calf Canyon Fire serves as a partial model for this approach.
During this fiscal year, the state has allocated $3 million to support assisted outpatient treatment programs and competency diversion pilot programs through House Bill 1.
According to lawmakers, this was a compromise made for a bill that the governor wished to remove from the special session. The bill aimed to increase assisted outpatient treatment options across the entire state.