Dear Friends and Neighbors,

My warmest greetings to you following the 2024 Legislative Session! Although the 30 days proved to be a fast and furious experience shaped by passing the FY25 budget and addressing legislation the Governor deemed germane, we accomplished a lot for the West Side, Albuquerque, and New Mexico as a whole.

As a member of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, I joined in finalizing the budget this session, building on the work we did on the Legislative Finance Committee throughout the interim. Our final budget reflects our New Mexican values, and I am committed to protecting your hard-earned tax dollars while prioritizing investments in healthcare, public safety, housing, education, and the environment. We increased early childhood education funding by 6% to expand and improve programs, and increased funding for public education by 6.1%. The budget also sets aside $1.2 billion in endowments and expendable trusts for the future to insulate us from down years.

Several of the bills I sponsored this session were signed into law, including:

●     HB 5: Workforce Development and Apprenticeship Trust Fund - Supports apprenticeship programs to train New Mexicans for good-paying jobs in high-demand trades.

●     HB 195: Housing Fund - Helps local communities build, acquire, and rehabilitate housing for middle and working-class New Mexicans, as well as workforce housing, and housing for individuals with behavioral health needs and survivors of domestic violence.

●     HB 28: Public Project Revolving Fund Projects - Authorizes the New Mexico Finance Authority to provide public project funds to state entities, local governments, and schools.

●     House Bill 29: Public Project Fund Appropriations – Dedicates millions to vital public projects in every corner of the state to jumpstart local economic development, expand access to clean drinking water, improve community infrastructure, and preserve museums and historic sites.

This session, I continued to serve on the House Education Committee as Vice-Chair, as Chair of the House Printing & Supplies Committee, and as a member of the House Appropriations & Finance Committee. During the interim, I will serve as Vice-Chair of the New Mexico Finance Authority Oversight Committee, as well as a member of the Legislative Education Study Committee, the Science, Technology & Telecommunications Committee, and the Transportation Infrastructure Revenue Subcommittee. I will also serve as a standing advisory member of the Legislative Finance Committee and an advisory member of Economic and Rural Development & Policy Committee. I am honored to advocate for the needs of our community on all of these important and influential committees.

I value your opinion and would like to hear from you. If you have ideas, comments, or questions, feel free to contact me at 505-977-5039 or joy.garratt@nmlegis.gov. I also encourage you to visit the New Mexico legislative website (www.nmlegis.gov) to read legislation and follow discussions in our committees throughout the interim.

In the spirit of service,

          Joy

 2024 Legislation PDF Download

2024 Capital Outlay and GRO allocations PDF Download

2024 Wrap up of Legislation and Allocations PDF Download

2023 Session Overview Letter PDF Download

2022 legislation PDF download
2022 Capital outlay PDF download

2021 Capital outlay PDF download
2020 Capital outlay PDF download
2019 Capital outlay PDF download