Sen. Jay Block reviews 2025 session wins, capital outlay for Sandoval County

Sen. Jay Block (D–District 12) gave the Sandoval County Board of Commissioners a summary of legislation he sponsored and the capital outlay he said he secured for county projects during the 2025 New Mexico legislative session.

Block said SB1, SB2 and SB3 together set aside about $1 billion intended to fund behavioral and substance-use treatment statewide and create metrics and guardrails for how that funding is spent. "We took a billion dollars, set it aside, and we're gonna be skimming off the top with our market...to help fund behavioral health across New Mexico," Block told the commission.

He listed other bills he sponsored or supported that either passed, were pulled or failed in committee, including an IPRA-related bill he said was pulled and will be refiled with local input; SB176, a medical-malpractice measure he co-sponsored that he said died in committee; and several measures related to election procedures, veterans' benefits and emergency-communications licensing fees. "The mental and behavioral and substance abuse [legislation] was huge this year up at the session," he said.

Block walked the commission through capital-outlay items he said were allocated with Sandoval County priorities in mind. He identified about $4.1 million for multicultural center facilities, $50,000 to Lincoln Middle School for audio-visual upgrades, $500,000 toward a courthouse project, $250,000 for dispatch-center work and funding for stormwater transmission work. He credited coordination among local officials and the county's legislative delegation for the results. "When we get representative Kates and representative Martinez and representative Hernandez and myself and senator Brent in a room together...that produced a lot of synergy and I think a lot of wins for you guys," Block said.

Commissioners asked procedural and strategic questions about working with legislative committee chairs and how best to present unified priorities. Commissioner Hurd asked how the commission could become better acquainted with committee chairs; Block replied that short face-to-face meetings during session were most effective and urged the county to present a coordinated ICIP (capital-improvement plan) when lobbying for capital outlay.

Block also noted several bills that did not advance, including a state holiday to vote, certain election-integrity measures and a proposal he described as a citizen tax rebate tied to oil-and-gas receipts. On medical-malpractice reform, Block said he planned to refile or pursue other approaches during the next 60-day cycle. "We're gonna come back at the next 60 days. We're gonna fight this one again, and we're gonna win," he said.

He closed by urging the commission to present unified legislative priorities in November so the county's delegation can more effectively advocate in Santa Fe.

Block's remarks were legislative and advisory; the commission did not take formal action on any of the items he discussed during this presentation.