$100M headed to Ruidoso after lone special session bill signed by Gov. Lujan Grisham

Floodwaters race past homes in Ruidoso on Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Albuquerque).

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed House Bill 1 Tuesday, which will provide $100 million in monetary relief for the Ruidoso areas devastated by fires and floods in June.

The bill was the only legislation to come out of the five hour special session that Lujan Grisham convened on July 18. Lawmakers rejected all public safety proposals but used the time to get money for South Fork and Salt fire destruction, and the damage from subsequent floods.

Lujan Grisham took nearly two weeks to sign the piece of legislation, known as the Feed Bill, because it also covers costs for operations at the Roundhouse When questioned about the delay during a public safety town hall in Las Cruces last week, the governor said she did not want to “punish” victims of the natural disasters.

“The legislature’s failure to prioritize public safety for New Mexicans during the special session is deeply disappointing,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement announcing the bill signing. “However, I am relieved that we managed to secure aid for critical recovery efforts in communities damaged by fire and flooding.”

The $100 million will go to multiple entities including $30 million split $10 million each to the Mescalero Apache Tribe, the New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department and the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Local governments will also be eligible for loan payments from the remaining $70 million approved with the legislation.

The $70 million will go toward zero-interest loans for political subdivisions of the state, which could mean local governments like Ruidoso and its surrounding villages. That money is only available for those that qualify during the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years, according to the text signed by the governor.

Political subdivisions must also qualify for Federal Emergency Management Agency relief before getting any state loans. The goal here for lawmakers and the governor was to get money to local governments for repair faster than FEMA. It is modeled in part by a loan program for the 2022 Hermit’s Peak-Calf Canyon Fire.

House Bill 1 also appropriated $3 million to fund assisted outpatient treatment programs and competency diversion pilot programs in the state during the current fiscal year.

Lawmakers said this was a concession for a bill the governor wanted out of the special session that would have further expanded assisted outpatient treatment options statewide.

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