About Matthew
Experienced Leadership To Protect Our Public Lands
Matthew McQueen didn’t seek out to be a politician. He fully admits that he is one, though, when public service became his calling early in his life. Falling in love with New Mexico’s landscapes, cultures, and its people, he has dedicated both his legal and public service careers to fighting for New Mexicans.
Representative McQueen serves NM House District 50, which encompasses areas of Santa Fe and Sandoval Counties (prior to redistricting, it also served portions of Torrance, Valencia, and Bernalillo Counties), and he was first elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives in the 2014 election. He assumed office on January 20, 2015, and has served 6 terms over 11 years.
Making Sure Oil & Gas Pay Their Fair Share To Benefit Public Education
Representative McQueen serves as Chair of the House Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Committee, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Vice Chair of the interim Water & Natural Resources Committee, and a member of the interim Land Grant Committee. He has been a leader in the state legislature on issues that are critical to New Mexicans, such as increasing royalty rates to ensure oil and gas companies pay their fair share to New Mexico taxpayers. These increased royalty rates fund our public education system, while guaranteeing that our royalty rates are competitive with neighboring states like Texas.
Modernizing NM’s Wildlife Management System & Protecting Our Water
McQueen led efforts in 2025 to reform the NM Department of Game and Fish into the NM Department of Wildlife, providing the tools needed for a modern wildlife management system. McQueen sponsored legislation that amended the Produced Water Act to restore the ability of the state Oil Conservation Division to assess fines to oil and gas bad actors. He helped lead the efforts to strengthen NM’s Strategic Water Reserve by creating a non-reverting fund to support work related to the strategic water reserve, adding aquifer recharge, and allowing the Interstate Stream Commission to prioritize transactions that benefit recreation or cultural uses in addition to the primary purposes of the Strategic Water Reserve Act.
Banning Trapping On Public Lands
McQueen championed Roxy’s Law – The Wildlife Conservation & Public Safety Act – in 2021 to ban traps, snares, and poisons on public lands. He passed legislation to expand the Forestry Division’s authority to prevent and recover from wildfires through restoration, reforestation and erosion control. McQueen has long been a supporter of New Mexico’s land grants, creating a dedicated fund to ensure long-term sustainability for these historic communities.
Taking On Corruption & Ensuring Transparency
McQueen has also been a leader in the legislature on ethics and transparency measures, including receiving the Foundation for Open Government’s Dixon Award in 2021 for increasing legislative transparency. He led efforts on the Capital Outlay Allocation Transparency Bill which requires publication of capital outlay allocations by legislators and the governor to improve public transparency in infrastructure spending. In the 2025 session, his legislation to change the constitution to require the Governor to explain pocket vetoes passed and will be headed to voters in 2026 for a public vote. McQueen supported legislation that created an independent Ethics Commission to investigate allegations of misconduct and corruption, holding all elected officials accountable to the public. He sponsored the Public Corruption Act and the Elected Official Pension Forfeiture Act to hold bad actors accountable. He has sponsored legislation to expand public financing to include candidates for Secretary of State, because he believes that the state’s top campaign finance enforcement officials should not be raising money from the same system they are regulating.
Public Service Has Been Matthew’s Calling
McQueen began his legal career as a judicial law clerk for the New Mexico Court of Appeals, where he quickly understood the importance of public service. Over his career, he has served for many important New Mexico agencies and organizations, such as Director of Conservation Programs for the Santa Fe Conservation Trust; Director of Land Conservation & General Counsel for the Taos Land Trust; and Attorney for the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer.
In addition to serving in the NM Legislature, McQueen operates his own law practice in land conservation, real property transactions, housing development, and business. Prior to opening his own law practice, he also served as Director of Conservation Programs for the Santa Fe Conservation Trust; Director of Land Conservation & General Counsel for the Taos Land Trust; and Attorney for the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer. He has previously served as a board member for the Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce; Board Member of the Galisteo Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association; Board Member of the Galisteo Community Association; Member of the Galisteo Community Planning Committee; an Advisor for the Small Agricultural Land Conservation Initiative; a Board Member and President of the Santa Fe Watershed Association; a member and chair of the Santa Fe County Open Land, Trails & Parks Advisory Committee; a member of the Santa Fe River Commission; and a member of the Bureau of Land Management Resource Advisory Council.
Raising Family In Northern New Mexico
Matthew earned a BA from Williams College, his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School, his MBA from the University of New Mexico, and a Master of Science from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources & Environment. Originally from California, he has lived in New Mexico for 30 years, and he and his wife are raising their two children in Galisteo, New Mexico. They are proud that their children benefit from New Mexico’s public schools system.
Experience
Current Occupation:
Attorney, Matthew McQueen, PC/Tierra Law
Previous Occupations:
Director of Conservation Programs, Santa Fe Conservation Trust
Director of Land Conservation & General Counsel, Taos Land Trust
Attorney, New Mexico Office of the State Engineer
Judicial Law Clerk, New Mexico Court of Appeals
Previous Organizational Affiliations:
Member, State Bar of New Mexico
Board Member, Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce
Board Member, Galisteo Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association
Board Member, Galisteo Community Association
Member, Galisteo Community Planning Committee
Advisor, Small Agricultural Land Conservation Initiative
Board Member/President, Santa Fe Watershed Association
Member, Land Grant Committee
Prior Public Experience:
Member/Chair, Santa Fe County Open Land, Trails & Parks Advisory Committee
Member, Santa Fe River Commission
Member, Bureau of Land Management Resource Advisory Council
Education:
MBA, University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management
JD, University of Michigan Law School
MS, University of Michigan School of Natural Resources
BA, Williams College
NM Legislature Standing Committee Membership:
Chair, House Energy, Environment & Natural Resource Committee
Member, House Judiciary
NM Legislature Interim Committee Membership:
Vice Chair, Interim Water & Natural Resources Committee