This week on New Mexico in Focus, Politics Correspondent Gwyneth Doland sits down with two groups of journalists to discuss the ins and outs of this year's 60-day legislative session. 

Hundreds of bills made their way through the Roundhouse — Doland asks why only a few dozen landed on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk.

  • Reporters Danielle Prokop of Source New Mexico and the Santa Fe New Mexican’s Margaret O’Hara break down what few education and environment bills passed, while Megan Gleason of the Albuquerque Journal tells us why a paid family and medical leave bill never received a full vote in the Senate.
  • Marjorie Childress of New Mexico In Depth sheds light on changes made to the state’s closed primary election system. 
  • Jerry Redfern of Capital & Main tells Gwyneth why bills for oil and gas reform went nowhere this session.
  •  Albuquerque Journal reporter Matthew Reisen talks about the governor’s push for another special session focused on crime.

For years, journalist Ted Alcorn has written about alcohol-related deaths in New Mexico and the many efforts made in Santa Fe to reduce that number by increasing the state's alcohol tax rate. House Bill 417, introduced during this year's session, would have increased the alcohol tax rate and raised tens of millions of dollars for a prevention and treatment program. Although there was early momentum for the proposal, the bill died in committee before receiving a full vote. Senior Producer Lou DiVizio spoke with Alcorn about the failed measure and asked why the bill seemed to abruptly run out of traction

NMiF airs on NMPBS 5.1 (KNME HD) on Friday, March 28, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 30 at 7 a.m. and streaming on the PBS video app. ​  

NMiF Segments

Roundhouse 2025 Recap: Paid Family Medical Leave, Environment, Education
Correspondent
Gwyneth Doland

Guests
Megan Gleason, co-business editor, Albuquerque Journal
Danielle Prokop, reporter, Source New Mexico
Margaret O'Hara, reporter, Santa Fe New Mexican

Alcohol Tax Increase Bill Dies Again in Roundhouse
Correspondent
Lou DiVizio

Guest
Ted Alcorn, Contributor, New Mexico In Depth

Roundhouse 2025 Recap: Crime, Oil & Gas, Election Laws
Correspondent
Gwyneth Doland

Guests
Marjorie Childress, managing editor, New Mexico In Depth
Jerry Redfern, reporter, Capital & Main
Matthew Reisen, reporter, Albuquerque Journal

Host
Lou DiVizio

New Mexico in Focus is the New Mexico PBS prime-time news magazine show covering the events, issues, and people shaping life in New Mexico and the Southwest. NMiF takes a multi-layered look at social, political, economic health, education, and art issues and explores them in-depth with a critical eye to give them context beyond the "news of the moment."

NMPBS Executive Producer, Public Affairs, is Jeff Proctor. New Mexico in Focus's senior producer for public affairs is Lou DiVizio. “Our Land” Senior Producer is Laura Paskus. The producer of New Mexico in Focus is Antonio Sanchez, and co-producer is Kathy Wimmer.

Funding for New Mexico in Focus is provided by the McCune Charitable Foundation and Viewers Like You.

Funding for the Your New Mexico Government Project comes from the Thornburg Foundation and New Mexico Local News Fund.

The Neeper Natural History Programming Fund for KNME-TV provides funding for Our Land: New Mexico’s Environmental Past, Present & Future.