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Former NM Governor Apodaca Dead at 88

4/27/2023

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Jerry Apodaca, a Democrat who became New Mexico's first Hispanic governor in 54 years when he took office in 1975, has died. He was 88.

He died at his home in Santa Fe on Wednesday after what may have been a stroke, his son Jeff Apodaca said. His son talked about the legacy his father left behind, one that fellow Democratic politicians say paved the way for more minorities to enter public office and take on leadership roles in corporate boardrooms across the country.

Apodaca ran an insurance business in Las Cruces before being elected to the state Senate in 1966. He was 40 when he was inaugurated as governor on Jan. 1, 1975, making him the first Hispanic governor in New Mexico since Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo left office in 1921.

During his four-year term, Apodaca's administration reorganized state government to its current form by creating a cabinet system with 12 departments. Delivering on a campaign pledge, his administration consolidated agencies and eliminated some boards and commissions.

In an interview shortly before his gubernatorial term ended, Apodaca cited the government reorganization and establishment of a statewide kindergarten system as major accomplishments. He claimed his administration made government more open and responsive to citizens.

Apodaca regularly held open office hours where residents could meet with him. His administration implemented tax relief programs, including tax credits, tax rebates and tax rate reductions, but Apodaca was criticized for appointing close friends to public positions.

"I didn't find any logical reason to exclude anyone from the administration just because he helped in the campaign or because he was a friend," he said in December 1978. "I think the record speaks for itself. The success of this administration does not rest entirely on my shoulders."

Apodaca started in politics as a state senator from Las Cruces, serving four terms from 1966-76. In the 1974 gubernatorial race, he defeated Republican Joe Skeen by just 3,752 votes. Campaigning during the post-Watergate era, Apodaca portrayed himself as “The Man Nobody Owns.”

Born Raymond S. Apodaca in Las Cruces on Oct. 3, 1934, Apodaca graduated from UNM in 1957 and began teaching history and coaching high school football in Albuquerque. He later moved back to Las Cruces, opened an insurance business and branched out into retail and real estate.

He is survived by his ex-wife, Clara, three daughters, Cindy, Carolyn, Judy, and two sons, Jerry Jr. and Jeff.

Roswell escrow manager pleads guilty to wire fraud

4/27/2023

ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced today that Christopher Adam Jensen-Tanner pleaded guilty to wire fraud and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. Jensen-Tanner, 44, of Roswell, is not in custody.

In his plea agreement, Jensen-Tanner admitted that from January 2017 through October 2019 while owning and operating Roswell Escrow Services, Inc. (RES) he knowingly and intentionally engaged in a scheme to defraud and obtain money by making fraudulent and false promises with a provable loss amount more than $550,000 and less than $1,500,000. Specifically, he admitted to making a personal purchase from an RES corporate account and making payment to Living Reflections, LLC, Luxury Rehabilitations in the amount of $53,000.00. Jensen-Tanner also admitted to purchasing a $19,500.00 cashier’s check payable to Bullock’s Jewelry.

Jensen-Tanner faces up to 20 years in prison.

If you were a client of Jensen-Tanner and/or RES and believe you are a victim, please contact the FBI tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or login at tips.fbi.gov to notify the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Roswell Division of the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this case with assistance from the Securities and Financial Institutions Divisions of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department.

Assistant United States Attorneys Ry Ellison and Richard Williams are prosecuting the case.

Roswell escrow manager set to plead guilty

4/24/2023

ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico announced today (Monday) that Christopher Adam Jensen-Tanner is set to plead guilty to wire fraud and engaging in monetary transaction in property derived from specified unlawful activity on April 26, 2023 at 2:30 pm. Christopher Adam Jensen-Tanner, 44, of Roswell, is not in custody.

Jensen-Tanner used his position and access as owner and president of Roswell Escrow Services, Inc. (RES) to fraudulently redirect customer funds for his personal benefit.

If you were a client of Jensen-Tanner and/or RES and believe you are a victim, please contact the FBI tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or login at tips.fbi.gov to notify the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

If you are a victim or potential victim and would like to attend the plea hearing on April 26, 2023 at 2:30 pm, please contact Victim Specialist Jacquie Gutierrez at (575) 522-2304 before the date of the hearing for more information.

The Roswell Division of the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this case with assistance from the Securities and Financial Institutions Divisions of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan Ellison and Richard Williams are prosecuting the case.

Manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin will be dismissed

4/21/2023

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors will dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin in the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western film “ Rust." It was the only charge he faced.

Still, prosecutors alluded to new revelations in the investigation while cautioning that Baldwin has not been absolved.

A follow-up investigation will remain active and an involuntary manslaughter charge against Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the weapons supervisor on the film, remains unchanged, special prosecutors Kari Morrisey and Jason Lewis said. An online status hearing was scheduled Friday in state District Court for both defendants.

“New facts were revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis,” the prosecutors said Thursday in a news release, without elaborating on those facts. “This decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled. Our follow-up investigation will remain active and on-going.”

Lawyers for Baldwin were first to announce that prosecutors were changing course, in a sharp turnaround for the Hollywood luminary who just a few months ago was confronting the possibility of a yearslong prison sentence.

“We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident," defense attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro said in a statement.

Baldwin was pointing a pistol at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.

Baldwin has said the gun fired accidentally and he did not pull the trigger. An FBI forensic
report found the weapon could not have fired unless the trigger was pulled, however.
In March, “Rust” safety coordinator and assistant director David Halls pleaded no contest to a conviction for unsafe handling of a firearm and a suspended sentence of six months of probation. He agreed to cooperate in further inquiries into the fatal shooting.
A defense attorney for Halls said Friday that he is happy for Baldwin and also wishes the best for the Hutchins family.

“Mr. Halls never believed Mr. Baldwin should be charged with a crime. It was a tragic accident that is best resolved out of criminal court,” defense attorney Lisa Torraco said in an email.
When the manslaughter charges were announced in January, Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said the case was about equal justice under the law and accountability in Hutchins’ death, regardless of the fame or fortune of those involved. She said the Ukrainian-born cinematographer’s death was tragic — and preventable.

A new legal team took over prosecution of Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed in late March, after the original special prosecutor appointed in the case resigned.

The dismissal of the charge against Baldwin, also a coproducer on “Rust,” abruptly changes the tenor of the investigation, said John Day, a Santa Fe-based criminal defense attorney who is not involved with the case.

“It does give the impression that the people left holding the bag are the lowest people on that chain,” Day said. “This is very different from what the original prosecutor said."

When word of the dismissal came, Baldwin was at Yellowstone Film Ranch on the set of a rebooted “Rust” production. Preparations for filming were underway Thursday at its new location in Montana, 18 months after the shooting shut it down, a representative for Rust Movie Productions said.

Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys said they fully expect her to be exonerated in the judicial process.
“The truth about what happened will come out and the questions that we have long sought answers for will be answered,” the lawyers, Jason Bowles and Todd Bullion, said in a statement.
The case against Baldwin had already been diminishing. A weapons charge that could have meant a much longer sentence was dismissed.

The A-list actor's 40-year career has included the early blockbuster “The Hunt for Red October” and a starring role in the sitcom “30 Rock,” as well as iconic appearances in Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed” and a film adaptation of David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross.” In recent years he was known for his impression of former President Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live."
The 65-year-old has worked little since the shooting but hardly went into hiding. He stayed active on social media, making Instagram videos, posting podcast interviews and pictures of his wife and seven children.

Plans to resume filming were outlined last year by the cinematographer's widower, Matthew Hutchins, in a proposed settlement to a wrongful death lawsuit that would make him an executive producer. Souza has said he will return to directing “Rust” to honor the legacy of Halyna Hutchins.
Despite the settlement, attorneys for the Hutchins family said they welcomed the criminal charges against Baldwin when they were filed. They had no immediate comment on the pending dismissal Thursday.

After a scathing safety review by regulators in New Mexico that detailed ignored complaints and misfires before Hutchins' death in October 2021, the production company agreed to pay a $100,000 fine.

Baldwin has not traveled to New Mexico to appear in court, which is not required of him under state law. Evidentiary hearings had been scheduled for next month to determine whether to proceed toward trial.
___
Dalton reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed.

NM  Department of Health moves into new phase of COVID-19 response

4/11/2023

PHoto Credit: Mayo Clinic

NM Notify app to be shut down, data reporting changes

SANTA FE – Changes are coming to the way the New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) is addressing COVID-19. Starting today, epidemiological reports covering COVID-19 will change from bi-weekly to monthly. In addition, the COVID-19 Data Dashboard will be discontinued and archived on May 11.

“These changes reflect the new phase of COVID-19 that we are in today,” said DOH Deputy Secretary Laura Parajon. “We will continue to actively monitor trends related to COVID-19, but with fewer COVID-19 tests being taken and inconsistent reporting of home COVID-19 tests, the day-to-day numbers are not as meaningful as they once were.”

NM Notify, New Mexico’s COVID-19 Exposure Alert system, also will be shut down on May 11. The system was supported by the Association of Public Health Laboratories in partnership with Google, Apple and Microsoft. The national resources that made this system possible are no longer going to be available after May 11.

During the pandemic the majority of New Mexicans activated the NM Notify app on their phone. More than 1.5 million notifications were sent to users who may have had sufficient exposure to COVID-19 to become infected.

“We are proud of how well New Mexicans picked up and used this technology to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” said Daniel Sosin, a medical epidemiologist with the NM Department of Health. “NM Notify was an important tool early in the pandemic and 54% of New Mexicans with smartphones activated the app. We will need this tool in the future, and we will be ready to use it even more effectively.”

Users of NM Notify will be automatically notified when the application is no longer operational. They will not need to do anything at that time.

Police dispel active shooter threat at New Mexico resort

4/11/2023

A Santa Ana Pueblo police cruiser is stationed at an intersection not far from the Tamaya Resort and Spa on tribal land in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M., after police responded to an active shooter call Monday, April 10, 2023. Santa Ana Pueblo Police Lt. Chuck Weaver said there were no injuries or deaths and the officer investigation was ongoing. He said some staff and hotel guests were evacuated. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN

SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. (AP) — A call to authorities about a possible active shooter on a pueblo north of Albuquerque on Monday that led to the evacuation of some guests at a hotel appears to be unfounded, according to an FBI agent.

There were no injuries or deaths and officers didn't find any weapons after law enforcement cleared the hotel rooms following the call, FBI special agent in charge Raul Bujanda said.

"There’s still an ongoing investigation, but what I can tell you right now is there’s no threat to the community or to the resort itself,” he said.

Federal, state, local and tribal officers responded to the initial call, blocking off the narrow winding road to the remote hotel with police cruisers, their lights flashing.

The resort is tucked into the hills along the west side of the Rio Grande on tribal land north of Albuquerque.

“We take everything seriously because you don’t know exactly what it is that you have until you actually go in and investigate,” Bujanda said.

Federal and tribal officials said these kinds of threats have been happening across the country — some are connected, some are not. Authorities said they will know more about the origins of the threat called in Monday afternoon when their investigation is complete.

After the call came in, staff and guests were evacuated to the adjacent golf course, where authorities conducted interviews as rooms were cleared.

By Monday evening, the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort had lifted the lockdown and started allowing people to return.

Santa Ana Pueblo Gov. Nathan Garcia said he was thankful there was no truth to the call.

Pueblo emergency managers said it served as a training opportunity and that more training is being planned with multiple jurisdictions in the area.

“We have to have plans in place. Look at this district right here,” Garcia said, as rush-hour traffic passed through a major intersection nearby. “It can happen anywhere but we have to be cohesive, together to make this work and keep our people safe.”

No one answered at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort when The Associated Press called seeking information about the situation.

March showfall should help NM drought

4/10/2023

Photo Credit: NOAA

SANTA FE - March was an anomalously snowy month across nearly all the mountainous regions in New Mexico, leading one NRCS Forecast Hydrologist to describe the month as a “bonanza” for productive winter storms.

Several SNOTEL stations have broken daily Snow Water Equivalent [SWE] records since their installation, mostly west of and along the Continental Divide in the Chuska, and Zuni and Northern Jemez Ranges. These robust statewide increases in both SWE and total precipitation during March continue to paint an optimistic water supply picture for New Mexico’s major river basins for this water year.

Many lower elevation and more southerly survey points still held a considerable amount of snow on April 1st when they would typically be close to or completely snow-free. This remarkable snowfall has substantially improved the outlook for snowmelt translating into observed streamflow during the spring runoff period compared to calculations produced last month.

When compared against April 2022 observations, the snowpack and overall water supply picture are dramatically improved as New Mexico moves into the growing season.

Vehicle pursuit near Rodeo, New Mexico, results in one death and several injured

4/9/2023

On March 23, 2023, at approximately 9:26 a.m., a Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office deputy witnessed a 2014 GMC Sierra four door pickup truck traveling northbound on Highway 80 south of Rodeo, New Mexico, at approximately mile marker 1. The Sierra was traveling approximately 80 miles per hour in a 55 mile per hour speed zone. The deputy attempted to initiate a vehicle stop at mile marker 2 but the Sierra failed to yield to the deputy’s emergency equipment. The sheriff's deputy pursued the Sierra for approximately one mile and then deactivated his emergency equipment at mile marker 3, pulled over, and parked on the side of Highway 80 discontinuing his pursuit. The deputy did not have direct radio communication with the U.S. Border Patrol.

A Border Patrol agent who was parked at mile marker 2 spotted the Sierra being pursued by the sheriff's deputy at approximately 9:28 a.m. The agent followed the sheriff's deputy and continued the pursuit with his emergency equipment activated when the deputy terminated the pursuit at mile marker 3. The pursuing agent notified a Supervisory Border Patrol agent that the Sierra had failed to yield and was traveling at a high rate of speed. The agent reported there was limited non-involved vehicle traffic in the area. A second agent joined the pursuit after mile marker 4 and took the lead position. The pursuing agent notified the supervisory agent that the Sierra veered into oncoming traffic at approximately 9:38 a.m. The supervisory agent instructed the agents to back off from the Sierra to see if the fleeing driver would slow down. The pursuing agents kept the Sierra in sight while increasing their distance to approximately one-half mile.

Two Border Patrol agents with vehicle immobilization devices were positioned separately ahead of the pursuit, near mile marker 27.5 and 30.5. The agent at mile marker 27.5 requested, and was granted, permission from the supervisory agent to deploy the immobilization device but did not deploy the device due to the presence of a non-involved vehicle in front of the Sierra as it passed. This Border Patrol agent then joined the pursuit following the first two agents, who were approximately a half mile from the Sierra. One of the two agents at mile marker 30.5 radioed he had successfully contacted the left tires of the Sierra with the vehicle immobilization device at 9:44 a.m. These agents recovered the immobilization device and then followed the pursuit to assist once the Sierra came to a stop.

The Sierra continued northbound for approximately two miles at a high rate of speed but slowed down to drive around an RV traveling in the opposite direction which had pulled in front of it to enter the Shady Tree truck stop. The Sierra then accelerated onto the on ramp for Interstate 10 after passing the RV, veered into the opposing lane of traffic and, at 9:45 a.m., collided with a New Mexico Department of Transportation vehicle which was not involved with the pursuit.

The five pursing Border Patrol agents contacted El Paso Sector Communications via radio and requested Emergency Medical Services after arriving at the scene of the collision. Two agents, who were emergency medical technicians, triaged the injured on scene, provided medical care and assisted in extracting both drivers from their respective vehicles. Hidalgo County EMS and Hidalgo County Fire Department arrived at the scene and the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator declared the driver of the Sierra, later identified as a United States citizen, deceased. A female citizen of the U.S. and an undocumented migrant, who were passengers of the Sierra, were taken by Hidalgo County EMS to Gila Regional Medical Center where they were treated for injuries and later released. Native Air Ambulance flew two undocumented migrants, who were occupants of the Sierra, to University Medical Center in El Paso, Texas, where they were treated for injuries sustained in the collision. The driver of the New Mexico Department of Transportation vehicle was transported by Native Air Ambulance to Banner Main Medical Center in Tucson, Ariz., where he was treated for injuries sustained in the collision.

New Mexico State Police and Customs and Border Protection's Office of Professional Responsibility special agents responded to the scene of the collision.

This incident is under investigation by New Mexico State Police and under review by CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility. The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General was also notified.
Story provided by USBP

USBP Agents fire service weapons on non-compliant man after he strikes agent with wooden club; man dies at scene

4/9/2023

LAS CRUCES - On April 2, 2023, at approximately 8:37 p.m., a Border Patrol agent observed a white Nissan Rogue sports utility vehicle circumvent a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint located on Interstate 10, approximately 23 miles west of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and began to follow. The agent activated his emergency equipment to conduct a vehicle stop at approximately 8:39 p.m. A second agent responded to assist. The driver of the SUV failed to yield and continued traveling west on I-10 at approximately 40 miles per hour, before exiting onto the I-10 frontage road at mile marker 116. The driver of the SUV turned off of the frontage road at approximately 8:44 p.m. and headed west onto County Road C001, where a third agent responded to assist.

After traveling approximately 7.6 miles west on C001, the driver of the SUV approached a closed vehicle gate near a residence on the Burris Ranch at approximately 9:01 p.m. The driver of the SUV turned his vehicle around and stopped the SUV facing east toward I-10 on C001. Agents exited their vehicles and approached the SUV positioning themselves at the driver side, rear driver side, and front passenger side windows with their weapons drawn. Agents ordered the driver to show his hands and exit the vehicle, but he did not comply. Agents attempted to open the driver side door by pulling the handle but were unsuccessful. An agent then struck the driver side window with his collapsible straight baton; however, the window did not break. At that point, the driver of the SUV drove away from agents and travelled east on C001. Agents requested assistance from additional personnel via radio and the deployment of a vehicle immobilization device.

Responding agents successfully deployed an immobilization device on the SUV approximately 0.4 miles west of the intersection of C001 and the I-10 frontage road at approximately 9:18 p.m. Three of the SUV’s tires came into contact with the device. The driver of the SUV continued eastbound on the I-10 frontage road at approximately 22 mph and traveled approximately 1.7 miles east, before turning north onto County Road C003.

After traveling approximately 1.4 miles north on C003, the driver of the SUV stopped and exited the vehicle on foot at approximately 9:26 p.m.
The driver of the SUV drove for a total of approximately 22.7 miles and for a duration of approximately 49 minutes between the time he circumvented the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint and ultimately exiting his vehicle and walking north on C003, an unpaved road.

Three U.S. Border Patrol agents, wearing body worn cameras, began capturing video footage at approximately 9:26 p.m., which was reviewed by Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility. The video showed the driver of the SUV moving north on foot on C003, away from the three agents, as they repeatedly ordered him to stop. The driver was holding a shirt in one hand and a wooden club in the other.

The driver was approached by several agents at gunpoint approximately 15-20 seconds after he began walking north on C003. The driver then swung the club three times in close proximity to one of the agents, who holstered his weapon and moved backwards to create distance. The driver once again began to walk away from the agents who repeatedly instructed him to stop and to drop the club. The driver once again swung the club three times at an approaching agent approximately six seconds later. An agent attempted to deploy an electronic control weapon twice over the next minute after instructing the driver to stop and drop the club. The driver appeared to prevent the taser from successfully deploying on both occasions by blocking the prongs with a shirt he was holding.

The driver continued to walk away from the agents, who continued to follow and order him to stop and drop the club, over the next three minutes. As the driver continued to walk along a fence line parallel to C003, another agent arrived in a marked unit and approached the driver with his extended baton in hand. This agent ordered the driver to stop and put the wooden club down. The driver swung his club as the agent approached, making contact with the agent’s baton, and swung his club a second time but did not strike the agent as the agent fell backward. The driver continued advancing toward the agent, who was now on the ground, swung the wooden club a third time and struck the agent. The driver struck the agent a second time as he stood over him and was preparing to do so again when three other agents fired their service weapons, striking the driver. The agents fired approximately 16 rounds.

The driver fell to the ground a few feet from where the agent had fallen on his back. Agents then approached the driver, removed the wooden club from his hands, secured him and then placed him into a recovery position. An agent who was trained as an emergency medical technician checked the driver for a pulse while other agents requested an ambulance along with medical assistance from emergency medical services. Agents did not observe any movement or signs of life from the driver of the SUV, who has since been identified as an adult male citizen of the United States.

The Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office and EMS personnel arrived on scene at approximately 10:08 p.m. The sheriff’s deputies secured the perimeter of the scene until CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility arrived. The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General was also notified and arrived on scene. The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator arrived on scene at approximately 4:40 a.m. on April 3, and declared the male driver deceased at 5:16 a.m.

Approximately four minutes and 20 seconds elapsed between the time the driver began walking north on C003 after exiting his vehicle and when shots were fired. The driver, and the agents following him during that time, traveled approximately 0.2 miles.

The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator conducted an autopsy on the male driver on April 4. Further information on the cause and manner of death will be released by that office at the conclusion of their review.

CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility and the DHS’ Office of Inspector General responded to the scene. This incident is under investigation by CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility. The matter was also referred to DHS’ Office of Inspector General.

The agents involved in the use of force are on administrative leave, pursuant to standard practice at this point in an investigation following a use of deadly force. CBP is committed to expeditious release of the body worn camera footage of this incident as soon as is appropriate to do so without impacting the ongoing law enforcement investigation, in line with the May 25th, 2022, Executive Order on Advancing Effective Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety.
*story provided by USBP

Governor Lujan Grisham approves $500 rebates

4/7/2023

Photo Credit TheSun

Governor also approves multiple tax cuts, credits targeting working families, health care, economy

SANTA FE – Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday signed into law key tax priorities that she proposed earlier this year. With her signature, $500 rebates will be delivered to more than 900,000 taxpayers this spring.

The governor also signed provisions supporting tens of thousands of New Mexico families who will save money through an expanded child tax credit, as well as expansions of the gross receipts tax deduction for health care practitioners and the film tax credit program.

“Every one of these provisions directly helps New Mexicans through supporting working families, bolstering the health care workforce and fostering continued economic growth,” said Gov. Lujan Grisham. “Expanding the Child Tax Credit will help over 200,000 New Mexico families and broaden our successful effort to reduce child poverty rates, which dropped by a full percentage point between 2019 and 2021. Cutting the gross receipts tax for health care practitioners will lower costs for patients and keep more doctors in New Mexico, and increasing our support for film and television will leverage more private investment in our state and mean more jobs for New Mexicans.”

Rebates of $500 for single filers and $1,000 for married couples, heads of household and surviving spouses will be distributed in June. More than 900,000 tax filers will receive this rebate. A separate appropriation of $15 million to the Human Services Department was included in House Bill 2 to provide relief payments to low-income New Mexicans not eligible for the rebates.

The expanded child tax credit provides for more than $100 million in tax relief for an estimated 214,000 families who will be able to claim a larger credit of up to $600 per child, depending on family income.

The bill as signed will also help make health care more affordable by allowing health care providers to deduct copays and deductible payments from gross receipts tax on many health care practitioner services covered by insurance or managed health care plans. The change could save taxpayers up to $52 million. New Mexico was one of just two states that lacked such a deduction.

“I am so pleased that Governor Lujan Grisham continues to support health care providers and ensuring access to care by expanding the gross receipts tax deduction for health care,” said Dr. Barbara McEneny, CEO of the New Mexico Cancer Center. “With this step, New Mexico just became more competitive in recruiting and retaining doctors.”

The Governor also approved the portion of the bill that supports expansion of the highly successful film and television production industry, one of the state’s nine target sectors to diversify the economy.

The industry is coming off record years of direct spending into New Mexico’s economy - $1.5 billion over the last two years and now supports 8,000 jobs from film and technical crews to small businesses such as hardware and lumber stores, carpenters, electricians, security crews, transportation businesses, hotels, restaurants, and salons. The hourly median wage of a film worker in New Mexico is now $32.

“We have delivered a strong industry that is creating higher-paying jobs for New Mexico’s families and business owners. This bill builds on that momentum so New Mexico can remain a leader in this innovative jobs-rich industry well into the next decade,” said Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes.

“We have been in the travel business for 28 years and now are seeing consistent bookings from film and television production companies,” said Sandy Levinson, president of Aquila Travel, which has eight employees in Albuquerque. “In fact, it was the first industry to come back after pandemic-era travel restrictions and today accounts for 75% of our bookings. The travel industry has faced many challenges and without Film and Television as a steady, reliable customer, we would not be as successful helping build New Mexico’s economy.”

The governor vetoed other provisions in House Bill 547, which would have reduced the State’s annual revenue by $1.1 billion. These large reductions would risk significant funding cuts in future years for critical services, including education, health care, and public safety, which make up 83% of the state budget. As signed, the bill will reduce recurring state revenues by about $150 million in Fiscal Year 2024, growing to $246 million in Fiscal Year 2027. The governor is also ensuring fiscal responsibility by maintaining 35.6% in reserves in the budget.

“We can and should consider permanent and meaningful tax reform, but it must be accomplished in a fiscally responsible manner that will not jeopardize the state’s future,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said. “We are fortunate to have record revenues right now, but we know from past experience that this won’t last forever. While I am proud of our efforts to diversify our economy, our state budgets are still heavily reliant on the oil and gas industry and its boom-and-bust cycles. We must prudently manage our finances now to prepare for inevitable economic downturns. Our kids shouldn’t have to bear the burden of future budget cuts.”

The governor’s original proposal to the Legislature included about $500 million in recurring tax relief.

A second, 1/8 cent Gross Receipts Tax rate cut approved by the governor last year—the first rate cut in 40 years – will take effect on July 1, 2023. Combined with the 1/8 cent cut that took effect last July, New Mexico consumers and businesses will save approximately $215 million in taxes every year.