New Mexico House Kicks Off 2021 Redistricting Special Session

Category: Non-Local News Releases Non-Local News Releases
Published: 16 February 2023 16 February 2023

Session to include redistricting for the state’s Congressional Districts, State Senate, State House & Public Education Commission, as well as appropriation of American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Santa Fe, N.M. – Today at 12 p.m., the New Mexico House of Representatives called to order the Second Special Legislative Session of the 55th Legislature. The session will be focused on redistricting for the state’s Congressional Districts, State Senate, State House and Public Education Commission. 

“We are pleased to safely welcome our members and the public back to the Roundhouse for this special session,” said Speaker of the House Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe). “Thanks to the hard work of the Citizen Redistricting Committee created last session, the legislature is coming into this special session with a strong foundation to transparently complete the people’s work on the critical, once-in-a-decade redistricting process.”  

The session’s redistricting process will continue the work of the independent and non-partisan Citizen Redistricting Committee (CRC), which took comment from more than 800 statewide New Mexicans online and at 23 public meetings over the course of two months.

Taking into account this feedback, as well as the state’s significant demographic and population changes over the past decade, the CRC produced three concept maps for each noted entity. These maps, which all received an “A” grade from the nonpartisan Princeton University Gerrymandering Project and top marks for fairness from other third party evaluators, will now be reviewed by the legislature.  

“House Democrats are committed to adopting maps that reflect the cultural diversity of our great state and the demographic and geographic changes we’ve seen over the last 10 years,” said House Majority Floor Leader Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque). “Nothing is more important than safeguarding our democracy and making sure that every New Mexican has their voice heard and vote protected.” 

Caucus Leader Rep. D. Wonda Johnson (D-Church Rock) added: “This redistricting process is a vital opportunity to ensure that historically marginalized voices, like those of Native Americans and communities of color across our state, will have a voice to elect representatives that share their unique interests. By respecting communities of interest, we can protect the voices of all New Mexicans and secure their role in our democratic process.” 

Maps for the State House (HB3, HB4, HB5 & HB8) and Public Education Commission (HB6, HB7 & HB9) will begin in the House, going through the House State Government, Elections & Indian Affairs Committee and House Judiciary Committee, before moving to the Senate. Meanwhile, maps for the State Senate and New Mexico’s Congressional Districts will begin in the Senate, and then proceed to the House. The fourth House map (HB8) represents the CRC map incorporating a tribal consensus reached after the CRC completed its work. 

Per the Governor’s proclamation, this session will also include the allocation of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). This bill will begin in the House (HB2), to be discussed in the House Appropriations and Finance Committee before going to the House Floor for a final vote and proceeding onto the Senate. 

Today’s Opening Day proceedings also included passage of the feed bill (HB1) to fund this special session, the formal swearing in of new Representatives Pamelya Herndon (D-Albuquerque) and Kay Bounkeua (D-Albuquerque), and the formal naming of Representative Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque) as House Majority Floor Leader.

“We are thrilled to welcome Reps. Herndon and Bounkeua to our body, and to have Rep. Martínez formally join our strong leadership team,” said Majority Whip Rep. Doreen Gallegos (D-Las Cruces). “This group of leaders is uniquely equipped to help move New Mexico forward, which is what this session is all about - setting us up for a successful future through effective pandemic recovery and proper representation for our voters.” 

The Roundhouse is open to the public for this special session, and proof of full COVID-19 vaccination will be required to enter the building. Virtual public participation will also be available. Members of the public can view floor sessions and committee meetings on the New Mexico legislature’s Webcasts tab, and provide comment via phone or Zoom as directed on the daily schedule. 

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