A Legislative Council staff member reported ongoing exterior stucco refurbishment at the capitol, interim committees having trouble achieving quorums and the creation of a central drafting email during the council's meeting.

Monica Ewing, assistant director for drafting services with the council service, asked council leaders to remind caucus members to notify council service staff about planned attendance for interim committee meetings, saying, "please remind them to notify the council service of planned attendance or nonattendance at interim committee meetings." She said some interim committees had already struggled to attain a quorum or a special subcommittee and that earlier notice helps staff coordinate cancellations or postponements.

Ewing also said the National Hispanic Institute, in partnership with the University of New Mexico, recently "hosted the 2025 Lorenzo de Zavala youth legislative session for New Mexico high school students" and was allowed use of the chambers and committee rooms. She warned that an exterior stucco refurbishment project is underway at the building and described current contractor work: "The contractors are focusing on the southern side, initially," with pressure washing, grout removal from precast concrete and a new cement coat over fiberglass mesh. She said primer and finish work will follow and that "the entire project is anticipated to be completed in kind of the late fall time frame."

On services, Ewing announced a new central email to request drafting and research files: lcsdrafting@nmlegis.gov. She said, "Legislators and authorized staff and other authorized individuals may always, always, always reach out to me, Monica Ewing, assistant director for drafting services, or any other member of the drafting staff to open files," and that the new address is intended to consolidate requests.

Senator Sherr raised concerns about restroom access and broader safety for women, saying, "Just wanna make sure that we're actually addressing the bigger picture of of the women in not only in this building, but everywhere," and urged that protections not be limited to physical changes in the building. The chair responded that a small group is already working on the issue: "So we're already in a small group together, senator Sher, working on this issue that involves other people."

The council moved out of executive session near the start of the public meeting; a member said, "for the purposes of the public ... we had a conversation around safety protocols for the legislature." The chair asked if anyone opposed leaving executive session and, after seeing none, announced they were no longer in executive session and resumed the agenda. The meeting concluded with staff saying future meeting dates will be coordinated with the chair and speaker.

The report combined operational items that could affect committee scheduling and building access during the refurbishment, the new drafting contact point for legislators and staff, and an ongoing internal discussion about restroom and safety concerns raised by a senator.