Governor signs bill to boost affordable housing in New Mexico

Mar. 4—Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill into law Thursday that creates a dedicated revenue source for the construction and maintenance of affordable housing in New Mexico.

Senate Bill 134, sponsored by Sen. Nancy Rodriguez, D-Santa Fe, and Rep. Nathan Small, D-Las Cruces, allocates 2.5 percent of the state's severance tax bonding capacity to the New Mexico Housing Trust Fund.

Administered by the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, the fund is used to build, rehabilitate and weatherize affordable homes for low- to moderate-income New Mexicans.

Under the legislation, the fund is expected to draw more than $24 million annually, starting in fiscal year 2024, according to a fiscal impact report.

The Governor's Office said the legislation will "provide a dedicated funding stream" to build and maintain "thousands of additional affordable homes."

"Every New Mexican deserves a safe, affordable and comfortable place to live, and this funding stream will make a real difference in the lives of New Mexicans, especially in rural areas of the state," Lujan Grisham said in a statement. "Providing greater access to stable and affordable housing will have profound and positive social implications that ripple throughout New Mexico communities, and I'm grateful to Sen. Nancy Rodriguez and Rep. Nathan Small for sponsoring this important legislation, which passed with bipartisan support."

Small said in a statement that rising housing costs are a burden for many New Mexico families.

"SB134 allows us to dedicate crucial resources to new construction, energy efficiency, and rehabilitation that will make a world of difference for many lower and middle income families across our state," he said.

A study commissioned by the Housing New Mexico Advisory Committee found a statewide shortage of 32,000 units for renters making less than 30 percent of the median income in their area.

"In addition, 218,471 New Mexico households were identified as 'cost burdened' — spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs," the Governor's Office said in a news release.

"This funding is the crucial and consistent investment needed to help address the growing housing needs of the state," Isidoro Hernandez, executive director and CEO of the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, said in a statement. "This investment in affordable housing will transform the lives of many New Mexicans and serve as the foundation for strong families and communities."

During the 30-day legislative session, Sen. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, called the legislation a "historic bill."

"This is one of those bills that you dream that someday you could ultimately have a solution this big, that would be this sweeping, that would rise to the level of the need of the problem, and this really is a huge problem," he said.

The governor on Thursday signed three other pieces of legislation into law. They include:

* House Bill 60, sponsored by Rep. Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo.

Under the legislation, Native American language and culture teachers will earn $50,000 annually, the same salary as educators in the first level of the state's three-tier licensure system.

"It's past time to provide pay parity for our Native American language and culture teachers," Public Education Secretary Kurt Steinhaus said in a statement. "We've promised to provide New Mexico students with a culturally responsive education, and that requires teachers who are deeply immersed in language and traditions that we stand to lose without their participation. This legislation should tell those individuals that we value them and the knowledge they bring to our classrooms."

* House Bill 135, sponsored by Rep. Georgene Louis, D-Albuquerque, and other lawmakers.

Known as the Indian Family Protection Act, the legislation adds protections for Native American children to the state Children's Code.

The Children, Youth and Families Department called the legislation "historic" and said it prevents "the arbitrary removal of Indian children from their homes and tribes."

"The historic collaboration between the State and its 23 Tribes, Nations and Pueblos resulted in the enactment of this unprecedented milestone towards preserving the important cultural connection of Indian children in our child welfare system," CYFD Secretary Barbara Vigil said in a statement.

* House Bill 191, sponsored by Rep. Doreen Gallegos, D-Las Cruces, and others.

The bill streamlines the professional license application process for out-of-state applicants who often have to wait months for approval. It requires state boards and agencies to approve a license request within 30 days if the worker's out-of-state license is in good standing and the worker does not have any record of disciplinary action.

"New Mexico is a business-friendly state, and we are delivering on streamlined professional licensing practices that make our state a more attractive place to live and work," Lujan Grisham said in a statement.

Follow Daniel J. Chacón on Twitter @danieljchacon.