New Mexico House restores public employee pay raises, Los Alamos among beneficiaries

Rep. Derrick Lente, D‑Sandia Pueblo and chair of the House Taxation and Revenue Committee, introduced an amendment on Feb. 18 that restored pay raises the Senate had cut from the state budget; the House passed the amended Senate Bill 151 by a 43‑19 vote and the measure now returns to the Senate to concur. House members adopted the amendment after the Taxation and Revenue Committee acted that morning, according to coverage carried by the Los Alamos Reporter.

The amendment, described in the House Democrats news release and reported by the Los Alamos Reporter, lists teachers, law‑enforcement officers, firefighters, nurses, custodians, school bus drivers and other public employees as beneficiaries. Those statewide categories encompass Los Alamos County workers from Los Alamos Public Schools to county law enforcement and county fire personnel, all of whom were named among the groups the House moved to reinstate.

Rep. Lente said the amendment includes about $63 million for raises and that the funds come entirely from discretionary tax‑package dollars the committee can include. Source NM characterized the restoration as providing state workers a 1% salary increase, restoring a 1% raise the Senate had removed; the House language reported by the Los Alamos Reporter does not list a percentage in the excerpts provided. Lente framed the choice as a policy priority: "Rather than just expanding tax cuts for high‑earners or big business, we are directing public dollars to the public workers who protect our communities and maintain the vital services that all New Mexicans rely on." He added that "These raises were already well‑vetted in the House budget process and are necessary to help workers and their families keep up with the rising cost of living."

The House action required tradeoffs inside SB 151. Reporting from Source NM and syndicated coverage via Yahoo said the $63 million was reallocated from discretionary elements of the tax package, and that including the raises meant trimming or delaying certain tax credits and deductions, including credits tied to solar projects, by about a year, according to a fiscal analysis referenced in that reporting.

Senate Finance Committee chair Sen. George Muñoz, D‑Gallup, had defended removing the raises in the Senate budget, arguing the state needed to hold pay flat to fund programs such as elder care and food assistance. Muñoz also pointed to a $74 million budget item increasing the state's share of educators' health insurance premiums and said of that change, "If that's not taking care of New Mexicans, I don't know what is."

Labor leaders pressed a different point. Whitney Holland, president of the American Federation of Teachers New Mexico, said some educators and higher education employees would not benefit from stepped‑up insurance assistance because they already receive it, and that stripping proposed salary increases came as many New Mexicans face rising costs.

Background data in a Public Education Department analysis dated Jan. 29, 2025, cited 2024 figures showing 737 teacher vacancies in New Mexico, a starting teacher salary of $50,628 and a state average educator salary of $63,580, below the national average of $69,597 and, the analysis noted, below the state’s minimum living wage for one adult and one child. Those figures shaped lawmakers’ debates over recruitment, retention and compensation.

SB 151 now goes back to the Senate to decide whether to concur with the House amendments; the final vote and any negotiation over precise language, effective dates and the detailed list of offset credits remain outstanding. Reporters seeking the amendment text, the fiscal analysis that details which credits were delayed or cut, or a breakdown of the $63 million by agency should contact legislative staff and the House Taxation and Revenue Committee for the official documents.