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Do you ever wonder what lawmakers do when the legislature is not in session? Aside from their regular jobs and personal lives, they’re attending interim committee meetings around the state to hear from experts and the community on pressing issues impacting New Mexico.

Nationwide, more law enforcement agencies are adopting license plate readers to solve crimes including speeding, vehicle thefts, and missing persons cases. Last week, the New Mexico State Police used these computer-controlled cameras to arrest a suspect in the fatal shooting at the University of New Mexico. Lawmakers on Wednesday discussed the advantages and disadvantages of this technology with an eye on possible legislation to regulate it.

As concerns about artificial intelligence continue to grow, lawmakers on Tuesday debated how, and even if, the state should regulate the technology.

New Mexico’s poverty rate is sitting at 18.1%, which is 5.7% higher than the national average. This contributes to the state’s unstable housing challenges.

Human trafficking continues to be a problem in the state. The National Human Trafficking Hotline had 350 reports from New Mexico in 2021, the most recent data available. It’s an issue that also intersects with the 193 missing and murdered Indigenous people here. Two organizations spoke with lawmakers last week about how they could help.

More than half of Native Americans in New Mexico live in urban areas, and many rely on programs to help them transition from the reservation to cities, including workforce training. But the Trump administration is proposing federal cuts that could defund such programs.

About 12% of New Mexico’s population is Native Americans, but it’s still rare to see them in political positions. A new program is hoping to change that by offering training to Indigenous people interested in leadership roles. ¾ÅÉ«Íø spoke with Joey Sanchez, the tribal liaison with the Native Land Institute on how his organization is helping foster future Indigenous leaders.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham traveled to Ruidoso on Thursday where she gave an update on the recovery efforts of the aftermath of Tuesday’s devastating 20-foot flash flood that left three people dead.

Officials with the Mescalero Apache Tribe told state lawmakers on Monday, they’re concerned about the impact of potential cuts to federal law enforcement on the reservation.

The Institute of American Indian Arts is facing the loss of all its federal funding – about $13 million – as outlined in President Trump’s budget proposal. A student and an alumn talked with ¾ÅÉ«Íø about what that could mean.