Dear Neighbor,
Now that the 2025 Legislative Session is over, I would like to take a few moments to update you on some of the good things we worked on. As you may know, I was recently elected by my fellow House Republicans to serve as the Minority Floor Leader. This has been an incredible honor and one that I take very seriously. When first elected to office, I took an oath to uphold the state and federal constitutions and to be a leader on issues that would put the people of our state first. I am proud to have honored that commitment this session as the Floor Leader.
House District 49 is geographically the largest legislative district in the state, yet the needs of frontier New Mexico are often overlooked in favor of urban priorities. So, I work extra hard to ensure our needs receive the attention they deserve and be a vocal advocate for the rural nature of our community. Protecting our agricultural industry, improving our roads and infrastructure, and helping small businesses grow and expand are just some of the issues I continue to prioritize as a rural legislator.
Another important issue to rural New Mexico has been the ability of local school boards to set their school calendars without interference from Santa Fe. For example, the Governor last year instituted a rule that required all public schools to have 180 days of class time, but such a rule would have ended the four-days a week school schedule that best fits the needs of our students and community. Therefore, I sponsored a bill this session to overturn the Governor’s rule and restore local control of our schools. The Governor, in turn, vetoed my bill and said that she knew better than local communities as to what is best for our students. After the Governor announced her veto, I led an immediate effort to overturn the veto, and the veto override was successful on a unanimous vote of 64-0. I am hopeful the Senate will override the veto next year, and that will stop the Governor from dictating to local school boards how to run our schools.
In addition to addressing the needs of rural New Mexico, I came into the session with many other goals, such as reducing crime, making healthcare more accessible and affordable, lowering the cost of living, and fixing our broken Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD). While the progressive-led Legislature failed to make inroads on healthcare and crime, we were successful getting CYFD reforms up to the Governor for her signature. I am proud to have been a lead sponsor on many of the CYFD reform bills that passed, including the creation of the Office of Child Advocate that will add protection for our most vulnerable children. I am also proud of helping to stop one of the largest tax increases in our state’s history that would have forced employers and employees to pay a new payroll tax.
Representing you in the State Legislature continues to be an honor, and I look forward to working with you over the next several years to make meaningful progress for our community. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if there's anything I can do to help, or if you have thoughts or concerns you'd like to share. I always value hearing from the people of House District 49.
Sincerely,
Gail Armstrong
House Republican Floor Leader
District 49
