HB 284 New Mexico House · 2025 Regular Session

FREE-ROAMING HORSES & LIVESTOCK CODE

HB 284 amends New Mexico's Livestock Code to establish a new framework for managing free-roaming horses. It creates a "free-roaming horse expert" designation requiring approval by the New Mexico Livestock Board, allowing these experts to use fertility control, relocation, or adoption to manage horse populations on certain lands. The bill prohibits the slaughter or export for slaughter of free-roaming horses and mandates that facilities caring for rescued horses must register with the Livestock Board and meet specific health, safety, and staffing standards. These provisions directly affect ranchers, land managers, and equine rescue organizations by standardizing horse population management and care requirements.

Bill status vetoed 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

House Passage

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Mar 2025

Vetoed

Apr 2025

Introduced Feb 5, 2025 Vetoed Apr 14, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

JC substitute → Final Version · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was reformatted and cleaned up from a committee substitute version to the final legislative version, removing formatting artifacts and consolidating the text. No substantive policy changes were made to the actual content of the bill.

TECHNICAL

Removed formatting artifacts, page numbers, and markup symbols (like brackets and underscores) that were present in the committee substitute version but are not part of the actual law.

Reorganized the text structure from a multi-column layout to a standard single-column legislative format for final printing.

introduced version → JC substitute · 8 edits

MODERATE

This bill expands New Mexico's livestock code to specifically address free-roaming horses by creating a new registration system for 'free-roaming horse experts' who can manage horse populations through fertility control, relocation, and adoption rather than slaughter. It adds detailed definitions for equine-related terms and establishes new regulations for equine rescue facilities, including registration requirements and fee structures. The bill also prohibits the slaughter or export of free-roaming horses for slaughter, introducing misdemeanor penalties for violations.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from general livestock regulations to include specific provisions for free-roaming horses, equine rescue facilities, and herd management services that were previously not explicitly covered in the livestock code.

DEFINITION

Added new definitions for 'free-roaming horse expert', 'free-roaming horse', 'equine rescue or retirement facility', and 'fertility control' to clarify the legal framework for horse management.

REQUIREMENT

Created a new registration system requiring individuals to be registered as 'free-roaming horse experts' before providing herd management services, with specific qualifications including expertise in herd surveys, land ownership status, carrying capacity analysis, and horse biology.

Added mandatory registration requirements for equine rescue or retirement facilities with specific fee structures (initial fee up to $250, annual fee up to $100) and required board oversight of facility standards including health, sanitation, and veterinary care.

Added requirements that free-roaming horse experts must obtain permission from landowners before entering private or state land, and from appropriate federal or tribal entities before managing horses on federal or tribal land.

Added new humane management methods including fertility control via immunocontraception or castration, relocation to registered rescue facilities, relocation to suitable land, and humane euthanasia for horses with untreatable medical conditions.

ENFORCEMENT

Established new prohibitions against slaughtering or exporting free-roaming horses for slaughter, with misdemeanor penalties for violations, and gave the New Mexico Livestock Board authority to set registration fees and revoke expert registrations.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified the definition of 'estray' to exclude free-roaming horses that lack evidence of private ownership or domestication, distinguishing them from traditional stray livestock.

TIMELINE

Provided a three-month transition period for existing horse management service providers to apply for registration as free-roaming horse experts after the board promulgates related rules.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 21, 2025 · House Mar 5, 2025

How they voted

36–0

Passed · 4 other

Total votes 40

Mar 21, 2025

D Democratic24

22 Yea 2

91% Yea

R Republican16

14 Yea 2

87% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 14, 2025

Vetoed

Pocket Veto

executive

Mar 22, 2025

Upper · Passed

passed Senate

upper

Mar 21, 2025

Upper · Passed

DO PASS committee report adopted

upper

Mar 21, 2025

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (36-0-4)

senate

Mar 11, 2025

Upper · Passed

DO PASS committee report adopted

upper

Mar 5, 2025

Introduced

Sent to Senate Conservation Committee & Senate Judiciary Committee

upper

Mar 5, 2025

Lower · Passed

passed House

lower

Mar 1, 2025

Lower · Passed

DO NOT PASS, replaced with committee substitute

lower

Feb 14, 2025

Lower · Passed

DO PASS committee report adopted

lower

Feb 5, 2025

Introduced

Sent to House Agriculture, Acequias & Water Resources Committee & House Judiciary Committee

lower

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors