2022 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Governor proposes 13 percent state budget increase

Posted

The New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration released Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s FY23 executive budget recommendation Jan. 6, proposing $8.4 billion in recurring spending, a 13.4 percent increase from the current fiscal year.

The proposed budget, which includes 36.4 percent in reserve funds, will be presented to the New Mexico Legislature, which begins a 30-day session Jan. 18.

“There’s a saying that budget is policy, and this executive recommendation paints a clear picture of where this administration stands and where my priorities lie,” Lujan Grisham said. “These are investments that take us beyond the status quo, beyond decades of unnecessary austerity – these are investments that carry our state and its people into a future that lifts up every New Mexican.”

The budget recommendation for FY23 (July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023) includes:

  • $276.9 million to provide seven percent raises to New Mexico education personnel and increase base educator pay levels, putting New Mexico teacher salaries above those of neighboring states
  • $195.1 million to expand pre-K capacity, boost early childhood educators’ salaries and launch new early childhood programs
  • $85.5 million to make tuition-free college available to more New Mexicans through the Opportunity Scholarship
  • $11.4 million in funding for early literacy programs that provide specialized reading instruction and supports for K-12 students
  • $10.5 million for higher education programs that help teachers pay for college and pay off loans
  • $10 million for the state’s dual-credit program for high school students who are taking college-level classes concurrently
  • $100 million to recruit, hire and retain law enforcement officers and staff around the state
  • $14.6 million to provide raises and longevity pay to New Mexico State Police officers
  • $18.2 million for local fire departments to purchase equipment, boost recruitment and upgrade facilities
  • $50 million to create a media academy that provides training, internships and other resources for students seeking to enter the state’s established film and media industry
  • $13 million in recurring and nonrecurring funding for the state’s Job Training Incentive Program (JTIP), plus $50 million in nonrecurring funding for the Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) program. JTIP and LEDA have brought $5 billion in new capital investments to New Mexico since 2019.
  • $6.5 million to support the state’s Cannabis Control Division
  • $52.4 million for state employee raises
  • $14.4 million for the state’s largest investment in hunger initiatives in history, spanning eight agencies and addressing hunger for children, families, adults and seniors
  • $2.5 million to create a 15-person Climate Change Bureau within the state Environment Department to focus on implementing policies that ensure the state meets greenhouse-gas reduction goals
  • $3 million for a home caregivers program within the state Aging and Long-Term Services Department that will provide respite, homemaker services and minor home modifications.

To read the full report, visit www.governor.state.nm.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/FY23-Budget-Exec-Rec.pdf.

NM budget

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