SANTA FE, N.M. – Several bills are making their way through New Mexico’s capitol building, The Roundhouse. Currently, only five of the proposed bills to the legislature are going to have a direct impact on Cibola County.
While legislative work is occurring, Cibola’s House District 6, one of the 70 legislative seats in the New Mexico House of Representatives, is vacant. While work is being done on the county level to fill this seat, there are only 37 days left in the legislative session.
New Legislation Affecting Cibola
A new bill introduced this week, House Bill 206, could bring direct benefits to Cibola County by providing unspecified amounts of water-related grants and loans through the New Mexico Finance Authority’s Water Project Fund. The bill includes two key projects in Cibola: Funding to the Pueblo of Acoma for a water storage, conveyance, or delivery project.
Funding to Cibola County for a flood prevention project.
There are 62 government entity projects listed in the text of HB206 and, if passed, could help address long-standing water infrastructure needs in the region.
In a more symbolic move, House Memorial 10 proposes designating February 6, 2025, as 'Valencia County Day' in the New Mexico House of Representatives. While this does not impact Cibola directly, it is a nod to the county's history and former ties to Valencia before gaining independence in 1981. There has not been a Cibola County Day since 2019. This is an event typically hosted and supported by the Cibola Communities Economic Development Foundation, over the last several years the foundation has not hosted Cibola County Day, citing COVID-19 and social distancing as the reason. Today, CCEDF is without an executive director, a position which has been vacant for six months.
Updates to Bill’s Affecting Cibola
Senate Bill 115, which authorizes loans for public projects through the New Mexico Finance Authority, has yet to advance. The bill includes funding opportunities for the Bluewater Water and Sanitation District and the Village of Milan but remains stalled in committee with no updates as of this week.
Senate Bill 47, which updates land grant governance to include the Santa Cruz de la Cañada Land Grant, also saw no movement. The bill remains in committee, while it has no impact on Cibola County’s land grants— Cebolleta and Cubero— the bill still mentions them and reaffirms their control as land grants.
Senate Bill 5, which proposes major reforms to the State Game Commission, took a step forward. On January 28, the Senate Rules Committee approved the bill with amendments, adjusting the timeline for hunting fee increases—delaying them until 2027—and shifting the power to remove wildlife commissioners from the New Mexico Supreme Court to district courts. The bill received a “Do Pass” recommendation and now moves to the Senate Conservation Committee, followed by the Senate Finance Committee, before it can reach a full floor vote.
House Bill 2, the state’s proposed budget bill, has undergone changes and is now House Bill 141. Sponsored by Representative Nathan Small, the bill remains under discussion in committees, with further details expected in the coming weeks. Given the bill’s 236-page length and its role in shaping funding for infrastructure, education, and public services, its potential impact on Cibola County remains unclear until more specifics emerge.
Moving Forward
As the session progresses, local leaders and residents continue to monitor developments, particularly the ongoing vacancy in House District 6 and the fate of legislation that could bring new funding and infrastructure improvements to the region.
There are 37 days left in the 60-day session; the coming weeks will determine how Cibola County’s interests are represented at the state level.
Three weeks into the 2025 New Mexico Legislative Session, Cibola County remains without a representative in House District 6. On January 28, the Cibola County Commission voted 3-1, with one abstention, to nominate former state senator Clemente Sanchez to fill the vacant seat. Meanwhile, McKinley County commissioners were still deliberating their nomination as of press time. Once both counties have submitted their nominees, the governor will make the final decision, determining whether to appoint a mutually agreed-upon candidate or select one from the two options.
Until then, Cibola’s District 6, the west-half of the county from Milan to the Arizona border, down to the Catron County border, and all the way north in a snake-like pattern around Gallup up to the Crownpoint area remains without direct representation in the House.