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Committee hears bill to designate August as New Mexico Red and Green Chile Month
Summary
Lawmakers considered House Bill 172 to designate August as the official month to promote New Mexico chile, with proponents citing a decline in acreage and the role of agritourism; the committee discussion included questions about effectiveness and regional timing and did not include a clear recorded final tally in the transcript.
Representative Dow introduced House Bill 172 to designate August as “red and green chile month” in New Mexico, saying the designation would help promote the state’s signature crop and agritourism statewide.
The bill sponsor, Representative Dow, said New Mexico’s chile acreage has fallen from “over 30,000 acres” to “around 8,800 acres,” and she framed the bill as a marketing and branding tool for growers, restaurants and businesses that use chile. She said the month-long recognition would allow communities to hold celebrations and would “promote agritourism” and New Mexico True tours.
Travis Day of the New Mexico Chile Growers Association told the committee the industry has seen “a significant decline in chile production” and cited disease, drought and labor shortages as principal challenges. Day said a formal month would be “another opportunity to promote our state signature crop” similar to a state aroma designation passed the previous year.
Committee members questioned whether a statutory designation would address the production problems raised. Senator Sherry asked, “How will this change any of that?” Representative Dow responded the designation would not fix disease or drought but would be “a toolbox for us to promote New Mexico chile,” including combatting false advertising and supporting marketing efforts.
Members also debated why August was chosen. Representative Dow and supporters said August generally covers peak season across much of the state and would allow different regions to choose weekends for events. Committee members from southern districts noted established events such as the Hatch Chile Festival, which typically occurs in late August or early September; the festival organizer Lisa Neal was named by Dow as having recommended August.
The transcript records the chair calling for a motion and that initially there was “no motion” and “no second.” Later in the discussion a senator indicated a second, and the chair called the roll; the transcript does not contain a clear, complete roll-call tally for HB 172 or an official recorded outcome. The discussion closed without additional programmatic details or funding mechanisms specified in the transcript.
Supporters described the proposal as largely promotional, while critics said the change is unnecessary government action that would take floor time away from substantive matters. Senator Sowell told the committee the designation “doesn’t really hurt anything” but called it unnecessary and said such bills can “tie up time on the floor.”
The bill record and any subsequent committee or floor action were not specified in the transcript excerpt provided to this report.
