New Mexico Governor Signs Law Boosting Local Journalism, Newspaper Printing

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed SB151 into law, establishing two targeted tax credits designed to shore up local newsrooms and preserve the printing infrastructure that community newspapers depend on across New Mexico.

The legislation creates the Local Journalist Employment Tax Credit and the Local News Printer Tax Credit, recognizing both the editorial workforce and the physical machinery behind local news. SB151 was among 33 bills the governor signed, alongside measures addressing water security, infrastructure, and economic development.

"Local journalism is essential to informed communities and a healthy democracy," said Belinda Wheeler Mills, President and CEO of the New Mexico Press Association. "We are deeply grateful to Governor Lujan Grisham for recognizing the importance of local news and for signing legislation that provides meaningful support for the journalists and printing operations that make community newspapers possible."

The bill arrives as New Mexico's local news landscape has contracted sharply. Rebuild Local News President Steven Waldman, writing to the governor on March 3, noted that New Mexico ranks 38th nationally with just seven journalists per 100,000 people, a major decline over the past two decades. The recent closure of the Gallup Independent underscored the trend. Nationally, local news organizations have faced declining advertising revenues as digital platforms have come to dominate the advertising marketplace, driving shrinking newsrooms and the closure of hundreds of papers.

Dorsey, quoted by the New Mexico Press Association following the signing, credited two state legislators for advancing the bill. "I can't thank Senator Wirth and Senator Hamblen enough for their strong advocacy and commitment to support independent local journalism, and Governor Lujan Grisham for signing this critical legislation," Dorsey said. "Local newspapers are critical to the New Mexico local news environment and fundamental to maintaining access to trusted local news. These tax credits will help sustain newsroom jobs while also preserving skilled manufacturing jobs and printing infrastructure the citizens of New Mexico rely on."

Waldman framed SB151 alongside a companion measure, HB2, which he urged the governor to also sign. His March 3 letter called for continued support of local news fellowships administered through the Department of Workforce Solutions and a $3 million emergency appropriation to stabilize public media included in HB2. "With your signature on these bills, New Mexico will become the new national leader in rebuilding local news," Waldman wrote.

The Los Alamos Daily Post, the Official Newspaper of Record in Los Alamos County since its founding by Carol A. Clark on February 7, 2012, reported the signing on March 12. The paper stands among the local news outlets the new law is designed to sustain.