Statute

The Commission on Indian Affairs was created by statute in 1953 by the New Mexico State Legislature. The statute established a state agency, the Office of Indian Affairs (OIA), which would serve as a vehicle between the State's governor and legislature to the twenty-two separate and distinct tribal groups of New Mexico (and vice versa, from the tribal governments to state government). Former Governor Bill Richardson signed Order No. 2003-022 on June 20, 2003, elevating the OIA to the Indian Affairs Department (IAD), a cabinet-level department.

In April of 2004, House Bill 39 which formerly established the Indian Affairs Department by legislative statute, elevating the IAD from being a state agency to a State Department. By raising the status of IAD to a cabinet-level department, the Secretary of Indian Affairs has a voice at the table and the ear of the governor.