State House redistricting bill signed

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Wednesday signed into law a bill creating new election district boundaries for seats in the state House of Representatives, a spokesman announced.

“This is a sound map that is representative and respectful of New Mexico’s varied communities of interest and will, I believe, ensure that the will of the people will continue to be done in that chamber,” the governor said in a statement after the signing.

The redistricting legislation, House Bill 8, was approved by the Legislature in a special session earlier this month. It drew fierce criticism from House Republicans because of its effect on a veteran GOP lawmaker. Rep. Jane Powdrell-Culbert, R-Corrales, who represents House District 44, was pushed into a new and heavily Democratic district, lessening her chances of winning her next election.

Powdrell-Culbert, who is Black, said after the special session on redistricting — a politically controversial process held every 10 years based on U.S. census data — it will affect New Mexico for years to come.

She urged fellow lawmakers to address the conflict.

But the new House district map was not the most contentious legislation during the session. A far more heated fight erupted over a Senate map that eventually was approved by both chambers following allegations of elitism and racism toward Hispanics.

Tripp Stelnicki, the governor’s spokesman, wrote in an email Wednesday, “I don’t know when or if she will sign the Senate map, but action is not imminent. Final decision TBD, still under discussion. She has until noon on Jan. 6 to act on that one.”