By Jesse Jones
Republican Sen. Jay Block of Rio Rancho, who represents Senate District 12, returned to familiar ground in April, giving Sandoval County commissioners a rundown of legislative wins and losses from the 60-day session.
The freshman senator sponsored 37 bills during his first session, which included major wins like a $1 billion behavioral health endowment, tax relief for veterans and funding for infrastructure. He served on several committees, including Health and Public Affairs and Senate Rules, and contributed to interim committees on Economic and Rural Development, Health and Human Services and Military and Veterans’ Affairs. Block also advised the Science, Technology and Telecommunications Committee.
“These are huge wins for New Mexico,” Block said.
According to the Secretary of State’s website, lawmakers passed 194 bills and three joint resolutions this session, with 160 bills signed into law—about 82% of those sent to the governor.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed off on New Mexico’s largest budget in history — $10.8 billion for Fiscal Year 2026, a 6% bump from last year, according to Source NM. The budget, which covers July 1 through June 30, 2026, was approved through House Bills 2 and 3.
Block said serving on the Sandoval County Commission taught him the value of collaboration. He worked with tribal leaders and mayors from Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, Corrales and Cochiti Lake, building partnerships across the county’s diverse communities.
He said the commission often found common ground, with Republicans and Democrats working together on what they felt were the best solutions for everyone.
“Being a county commissioner and then going up to Santa Fe is huge,” Block said. “It’s a lot of great experience because you have a county feel for what you’re doing up there.”
The behavioral health package
Two of the senator’s biggest wins were Senate Bill 1 and Senate Bill 3, known as the behavioral health package. Block said they’re the most significant mental health, behavioral health and substance use bills in state history.
According to Source NM, the budget includes $3.9 billion in one-time spending, including a $100 million “down payment” on the new Behavioral Health Trust Fund, part of reforms to New Mexico’s mental health system.
The governor said the new laws resulted from strong bipartisan cooperation, with lawmakers in both the House and Senate making them a top priority for the 60-day session.
According to the bills, the behavioral health trust fund was created to support mental health and addiction services long-term. It acts like an endowment, growing through investments and keeping unused funds from year to year. Starting July 1, 2026, and annually after that, 5% of the fund’s average value over the previous three years must be transferred to the behavioral health program fund, which lawmakers can use to support services statewide.
“The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) is going to be the belly button getting this done,” Block said.
The AOC plays a key role by helping lead regional planning, tracking how people move through the justice and health systems, sharing data and being part of the oversight committee.
Medical legislation
Block co-sponsored Senate Bill 176 with 23 lawmakers from both parties and chambers. The bill aimed to address medical malpractice by requiring payments from the Patient’s Compensation Fund as costs arise. It also proposed that 75% of any extra damages in malpractice cases go to the state, capped attorney fees and created a fund to improve patient safety. However, the bill died in the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee.
“Quite frankly, the trial attorneys are the ones that really screwed the pooch on this,” Block said. “Our state was the only state last year to lose doctors.”
He said the bill’s failure will especially hurt people in rural areas and their travel partners. But he plans to bring it back during the next 60-day session.
“We’re going to fight this one again, and we’re going to win because we have to win,” he said. “People here just don’t have access to appropriate health care, especially in the rural areas.”
According to Block, they passed some “interesting medical legislation” related to compacts.
“Because we just can’t get anyone to come to New Mexico,” Block said. “It’s just not a great place to practice medicine, for obvious reasons, because of the trial attorneys.”
Block said lawmakers passed a bill giving certified nurse anesthetists more responsibilities. Senate Bill 78 lets nurse anesthetists in New Mexico work independently without a doctor. They can now provide full anesthesia care, prescribe certain medications and order tests. The bill also simplifies licensing for out-of-state CRNAs and clarifies their role in healthcare settings, whether working alone or with other providers.
“There’s a little bit of risk there, but we need all the help that we can get,” he said.
He added that the Healthcare Workers Conscience Protection Act, which would have allowed healthcare workers to opt out of procedures they find morally or religiously objectionable, didn’t make it through.
Veteran bills
Block, a retired Air Force officer, had one bill signed into law and another one he was hoping would be a huge benefit to veterans.
House Bill 161 gives all honorably discharged New Mexico veterans free day-use and camping passes for unlimited access to state parks, expanding a benefit once limited to disabled vets, according to Block.
The other bill Block backed — vetoed after his presentation to the Commission — was sponsored by Rio Rancho Republican Alan Martinez.
House Bill 494 would have let veterans keep their property tax exemption without reapplying each year, as long as their eligibility stayed the same.
“I have decided to veto HB 494, which purported to enable veterans to claim a property tax exemption,” Lujan Grisham wrote in the veto. “However, HB 494 actually makes it harder for veterans to obtain this important benefit by changing the current one-year window to apply to a mere 30 days. At bottom, this bill benefits county assessors more than veterans. ”
Down but not out
Other bills that were tabled that Block said he wants to bring back include:
- Senate Bill 398, which would give every New Mexican a $500 tax rebate based on the oil and gas industry’s small business income tax withholding, similar to what Alaska has.
- Senate Bill 484 would’ve established a Government Accountability to Taxpayer Office (GATO), would use artificial intelligence to track state spending, issuing annual reports and referring fraud or misuse to the State Auditor or Attorney General.
- Senate Bill 485 aimed to reduce early voting hours, set specific hours for early voting locations and remove exceptions. It also requires counties to establish multiple alternate voting locations based on population.
- Senate Bill 341 would’ve allowed the death penalty for certain crimes, including killing a child, a law enforcement officer, or during a felony. It includes a process for appeals and mitigating circumstances.
- House Bill 274 would’ve made trafficking fentanyl a first-degree felony punishable by life in prison. It increases penalties for trafficking fentanyl, including stricter sentences for offenses committed within drug-free school zones.
Capital Outlay for Sandoval County
Block said he, along with Representatives Kathleen Cates, Martinez, Joshua Hernandez and Senator Craig Brandt, worked together to prioritize funding requests, which created “a lot of synergy” and led to “a lot of wins” across Sandoval County and Rio Rancho.
- $4.1 million for multicultural centers to preserve New Mexico’s cultural history
- $50,000 for Coronado Historic Site
- $100,000 for Jemez Historic Site
- $50,000 for Lincoln Middle School AV upgrades
- $500,000 to help build the Rio Rancho Fire Station 8 near Unser and Cabazon, to serve the Los Diamantes area
- $100,000 for Rio Rancho police vehicles
- $100,000 for Rio Rancho multi-facility parking lots at Esther Bone Library and Veterans Monument Park
- $100,000 for public school fine arts equipment
- $100,000 for Sandoval Academy of Bilingual Education
- $500,000 for the 13th Judicial District Court
- $250,000 for the Sandoval County public safety emergency communications center
- $350,000 to fully fund a stormwater transmission facility
- $25,000 for the ASK Academy
- Funding for a backhoe at Cochiti Lake
Drawing on his experience as a former county commissioner, Block urged the commission to present a united front ahead of the next session to ensure Sandoval’s priorities stay competitive in Santa Fe.
Michael Meek, Sandoval County Board Chair, thanked Block, saying, “Thank you so much for all of your hard work up there obtaining money for the county. There’s a reason why we all got behind you and elected you. You’re doing a great job and we thank you for all your hard work.”