CVNM’s 2025-2026 Conservation Scorecard

Welcome to CVNM’s 2025-2026 Legislative Scorecard! In this edition, we analyzed votes from the 2025 60-day and 2026 30-day sessions to produce a single combined score for each member of the New Mexico Legislature. Our annual Scorecard is your primary tool in holding legislators accountable for how they voted on climate, conservation, and democracy issues during the past legislative cycle, and also to draw attention to those who have failed to act on the defining crises of our time. Please use this Scorecard to push your legislators to reflect your values in their votes.

In the year between the 2025 and the 2026 Legislative Sessions, anti-conservation leaders at the federal level have continued their assault on our institutions, our civil liberties, our most vulnerable communities, and the very foundations of our democracy. The story of the 2025-2026 legislative cycle was, in many ways, New Mexico’s commitment to fight back in action. 

New Mexico’s legislators stepped up in 2026, supported by a massive public campaign led by advocates and allies, and passed HB 9 – Immigrant Safety Act. The law prohibits the use of public lands for immigration detention, critical not only because the companies that contract and run these sites have a history of environmental abuses, but also because global heating is a predominant contributing factor driving human migration. Equity and climate justice require that all migrants be treated with respect and dignity.

In defense of our civil rights, the Legislature passed SB 264 – Election Rights & Troops at Elections. This bill adds several new sections to our election code. It gives New Mexico the legal tools to prevent and remedy interference with elections and clearly defines and sets penalties for election intimidation, strengthening New Mexico’s nation-leading voter protections even further. Additionally, for the first time in over three decades, the Legislature will put the question of legislator compensation up to the voters. HJR 5 – The Legislative Compensation Amendment is a resolution that would amend our state constitution to allow our legislators to draw a salary equivalent to the median New Mexican income. It took years of effort to move this through the Roundhouse, and now the voters must decide to ratify it or not in November. 

While we made historic progress in protecting the civil rights of New Mexicans, the 2026 legislative session did not see the same success for climate. Governor Lujan Grisham opened the session with a call to pass SB 18 – The Clear Horizons Act, which would have put New Mexico’s climate pollution reduction goals into statute and given state environmental agencies clear authority to measure, track, and guide progress over time. Unfortunately, SB 18 died on the Senate floor. Legislators also passed SB 48 – Community Benefit Act in 2025, unlocking millions in funding for communities impacted by climate change and renewable energy sources. 

Water, and New Mexico’s issues surrounding it, was also top of mind in the 2025-2026 Session, and our legislature was committed to addressing some of those needs. In 2025, legislators passed SB 37 – Strategic Water Reserve, helping to keep water in streams for instream flows and recreational or cultural uses. SB 21 – Pollutant Discharge Elimination Act (2025) also protects the state’s waters by authorizing a state permitting program for waters no longer protected under the federal Clean Water Act. 

In 2026, legislators secured $100 million for projects across the state on water conservation and flood prevention. We also updated the penalty for overusing water, last updated in 1907. The Acequia and Community Ditch Infrastructure Fund, the only recurring stream of funding for acequia infrastructure, was doubled from $2.5 million to $5 million to help ensure that acequia communities have adequate funding for necessary infrastructure projects.  

In 2025, after more than a decade of effort, we were finally able to pass game and fish reform (SB 5). In the 2026 Legislative Session we continued with that work and passed SB 104 – Removal of Wildlife Commission Members. While almost all special commissions in New Mexico use a uniform process to remove members, the Wildlife Commission uniquely did not. This has been changed. Now, if a commissioner is deemed unfit for their position, a New Mexico Supreme Court committee will be created to formally move through a removal process. This is a huge step forward to modernize and improve the quality of Wildlife Commissioners and aligns the Wildlife Commission with other existing commissions.

We live at a critical moment. The Trump Administration continues to dismantle wildlife protection laws, accelerate fossil fuel extraction and logging, and undermine our democracy. The story of the 57th legislative cycle is of New Mexicans taking action to fight back. Through our vigilance, our voices, and our collective resilience, New Mexico is proving that we have the collective courage to chart a new path forward for our state.

As you explore the 2025-2026 Conservation Scorecard, you are equipping yourself with the knowledge to make a difference. Your understanding of this legislation gives you the opportunity to inform legislators that you “know the score” – and won’t be forgetting it anytime soon. Your voice matters, and together we can build a future where our air, communities, lands, water and wildlife are protected and all New Mexicans can thrive.

Thank you for being a Conservation Voter!

What’s new?

Welcome to CVNM’s Scorecard website! We hope our modern, easy-to-navigate and mobile-friendly design will help better facilitate your understanding of how your legislators are representing your conservation values. If you have questions about our website, please contact us at info@CVNM.org.

The 2025-2026 Scorecard offers a snapshot of the conservation performance of the 2025-2026 session of the 57th New Mexico legislature.