By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper.
Local businesses and nonprofits lose money to hackers every year, and three Sandoval County-area legislators want to talk about what state law should do about it. Reps. Kathleen Cates and Joshua Hernandez and Sen. Jay Block join a bipartisan panel of lawmakers July 24 for a forum examining cybersecurity’s grip on New Mexico’s economy.
The Cybersecurity Legislative Symposium runs 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the New Mexico Society of CPAs, 3400 Menaul Blvd. NE in Albuquerque, according to a press release and event flyer from host SecureNM. Cates, who represents Sandoval County, is organizing the panel, which also includes Sen. Heather Berghmans, Rep. Michelle Abeyta and Sen. Angel Charlie.
Legislators will pitch cybersecurity bills headed for the 2027 session and field questions from business and nonprofit leaders on fraud, data breaches and reputational damage, the release states. SecureNM Executive Director David Sahd called cybersecurity “an executive leadership responsibility affecting organizations of every size” in the release.
More details
- Confirmed legislators: Sen. Jay Block, Sen. Heather Berghmans, Rep. Kathleen Cates, Rep. Michelle Abeyta, Rep. Joshua Hernandez, Sen. Angel Charlie
- Livestream sites planned in Carlsbad, Silver City and Las Cruces
- Deanna Dopslaf moderates legislator remarks; Bob Daniel moderates audience discussion
- Sponsors: NM Society of CPAs, Rook Advisors, US Secure, The Southwest Life Real Estate Group/eXp Realty
Cybersecurity Legislative Symposium
- When: Friday, July 24, 2026, 8:30–11:30 a.m.
- Where: New Mexico Society of CPAs, 3400 Menaul Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87107 (general seating limited; also livestreamed on Zoom)
- RSVP: Legislators contact Rep. Cates’ office at kathleen.cates@nmlegis.gov; public registration and full agenda at www.SecureNM.org