A package of appropriations bills that have cleared both houses of Congress contains hundreds of millions of dollars for New Mexico communities.
U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján issued news releases Friday detailing the bills, which now head to President Donald Trump for his signature.
Sandoval County infrastructure awards identified in the legislation include $2,090,000 for the City of Rio Rancho’s aquifer reinjection system and $1,092,000 for the Town of Bernalillo’s wastewater treatment plant. Secured by Luján, Heinrich, and U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury.
The legislation also includes $253 million for the COPS Hiring Program, which Luján says will help law enforcement agencies in New Mexico and elsewhere hire more officers.
“I’m proud to have secured nearly $982 million in federal funding for vital New Mexico projects that will provide clean drinking water, strengthen infrastructure, and protect our communities,”Luján said in a news release. “The passage of these appropriations bills will strengthen our water infrastructure, equip law enforcement with the tools they need to keep us safe, and deliver critical funding to complete the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project. I will continue to fight to bring more federal dollars home for New Mexico.”
A Heinrich news release focuses on more than $112 million for commerce, justice, and science initiatives.
That money includes:
$1,668,000 for the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, Inc. to increase the capacity of the Statewide Sexual Assault Helpline and provide comprehensive, trauma-informed training and supervision for mental health professionals.
$1,959,000 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with the Middle Rio Grande Endangered Species Collaborative Program, to provide scientific, conservation, and educational services to support endangered species recovery activities in the Middle Rio Grande Basin.
$500,000 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to perform construction activities to support wildfire prevention and restoration in the Middle Rio Grande Bosque
$500,000 to implement the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act, which prohibits the exporting of sacred Native American items and increases penalties for stealing and illegally trafficking Tribal cultural patrimony.
$350,000 for New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence to expand its youth gun violence prevention programs.
Additionally, Heinrich and Luján (D-N.M.) included $1 million for the University of New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator to renovate its DNA processing lab and acquire new equipment to expand the array of forensic analyses available in New Mexico.
Heinrich, Luján, Stansbury and Rep. Gabe Vasquez included $1,031,000 to expand wireless capabilities inside State Police patrol vehicles.