The State Budget Committee (SBC) is where delegates decide how New Mexico’s money is spent. Part of the Legislative Branch, the SBC models the New Mexico Legislature’s Appropriations and Finance Committee. Delegates hear agency budget requests, weigh them against the state’s expected revenue, and build the state budget as one bill. This branch offers hands-on experience with how public priorities become funding decisions, and the tradeoffs that come with them.

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What Participants Do

SBC Delegates:​

• Take on an assigned Budget Perspective, a priority area such as public education, rural communities, or fiscal responsibility, to bring to deliberations.

• Hear budget presentations from Governor’s Cabinet Secretaries and ask questions about each agency’s request.

• Evaluate requests and decide whether each should be fully approved, partially funded, reduced, deferred, or denied.

• Negotiate tradeoffs and draft the Appropriations Bill (House Bill 2), along with a budget summary and agency funding table.

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The budget process includes three main stages:

• Agency Budget Hearings: Cabinet Secretaries present Agency Reports and proposed budgets, then answer the committee’s questions.

• Building the Budget: The committee reviews the revenue estimate, evaluates every request, and negotiates a balanced Appropriations Bill. 

• House & Senate Floor Sessions: The State Treasurer introduces the Appropriations Bill to the Legislature for debate and a vote. If amendments significantly change the budget’s fiscal structure, the committee may reconvene for a fiscal review. Once passed, the bill goes to the Governor.

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Leadership & Oversight

• The State Treasurer chairs the committee, runs agency hearings, maintains procedure, monitors revenue, and presents the committee’s budget to the Legislature.

• Governor’s Cabinet Secretaries represent their agencies and present budget requests.

• Decisions belong to the committee as a whole, guided by the Budget Committee Rules.

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Why Join the State Budget Committee? 

• You enjoy numbers, data, and making tough decisions with limited resources.

• You’re curious how New Mexico decides what gets funded, and what doesn’t.

• You want to negotiate and build agreement across different priorities.

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What Delegates Will Learn

By participating in the State Budget Committee, delegates will:

• Learn to read a budget request, ask sharp questions, and judge whether a cost is justified.

• Build confidence weighing competing priorities and defending funding decisions.

• Strengthen skills in analysis, negotiation, and consensus-building.

• Understand how a state budget is built, passed, and signed or vetoed in practice.

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