Santa Fe, N.M. – Today, the House of Representatives passed legislation to help address rising grocery prices in New Mexico on a vote of 39-27.

House Bill 17 would establish a commission to study and make recommendations on how to reduce grocery store prices and improve local supply chain issues that may impact the price of goods. The commission would focus on policies and proposal recommendations to reduce the cost of household essentials like bread, eggs, tortillas, and milk, as well as proposing strategies to expand access to locally-grown products.

"The rising cost of groceries impacts all of us, from seniors on fixed incomes and young families with lots of hungry mouths to feed," said sponsor Rep. Charlotte Little (D-Albuquerque). "House Bill 17 will bring together experts to determine what steps we can take to help bring down the costs of everyday essentials for all New Mexicans."

The bipartisan commission created by this legislation would meet through the end of March 2026. It would consist of nine members with expertise in economics, consumer protection, agriculture, and trade, as well as political, geographic, economic, and cultural diversity.

House Bill 17 now moves to the Senate. The bill is also sponsored by Rep. Sarah Silva (D-Las Cruces) and House Majority Leader Reena Szczepanski (D-Santa Fe).

Today, the House also unanimously passed House Bill 195, which would raise salaries for school nurses in New Mexico public schools. The House Taxation and Revenue Committee today passed House Bill 14, a tax fairness bill that would eliminate state income tax for more than half of New Mexico families and expand existing tax cuts to more than 100,000 families in our state. This measure will now head to the House Floor.

All of these bills are part of a slate of legislation introduced by House Democrats this session to address the rising cost of living by helping to raise pay and strengthen benefits for working people, protect consumers from corporate greed, and lower the costs of essentials, like housing, healthcare, and groceries.

Already this session, the House has more than a dozen bills focused on affordability, including:

Raising minimum pay for workers on publicly-supported projects (HB 6)
Stopping employers from taking credit card fees out of the wages of tipped workers (HB 22)
Providing New Mexicans with job protection and financial support when they welcome a child, fall ill, or need to take care of a loved one (HB 11)
Providing a 4% average salary increase for public school personnel, raising minimum teacher salaries and increasing funding for employee benefits so educators and school staff can keep more of what they earn (HB 2, 156)
Expanding access to the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program within New Mexico (HB 69)
Providing free high school equivalency testing and preparatory services (HB 167)
Delivering $15 billion in state and federal funding for Medicaid and other critical healthcare services (HB 2)
Strengthening New Mexico's healthcare workforce, particularly in high-demand fields, by incentivizing New Mexico alumni working in healthcare to return to the state (HB 5)
Improving food security with $10 million in annual funding for food banks (HB 2)
Directing $110 million to targeted housing development, including transitional housing, with a focus on Bernalillo and Doña Ana counties (HB 2)
Making $45.9 million available to housing providers to focus on specialized housing solutions and a strategic response to homelessness (HB 2)
Improving access to housing and protecting renters from discrimination (HB 339, 253, 453, 448)
Allowing public utilities to implement additional rate structures intended to reduce utility costs for low-income customers (HB 91)
Increasing property tax exemptions for veterans (HB 47)

Members of the public are welcome to attend floor sessions and committee meetings at the New Mexico Roundhouse, and can tune in virtually through the New Mexico Legislature's Webcasts tab. Public comment can also be provided in-person, and via phone or Zoom as directed on the daily schedule.