HB 151 New Mexico House · 2026 Regular Session

CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS

HB 151 extends the time for New Mexico residents to file civil lawsuits related to childhood sexual abuse. It sets the deadline as the later of the victim's 58th birthday or three years after first disclosing the abuse to a licensed medical or mental health provider. The bill also revives lawsuits barred by previous deadlines on or before July 1, 2026, allowing them to be filed by June 30, 2029. This change removes all other time limits for such cases, making the new deadline the sole applicable statute of limitations.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 26, 2026 Last action Mar 24, 2026

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What changed between versions

introduced version → JC substitute · 8 edits

MODERATE

This bill was substantially rewritten by the Judiciary Committee to expand its scope from solely extending the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims to creating a new compensation fund for survivors. The original version only extended filing deadlines for lawsuits, while the substitute version adds a state-funded compensation program for survivors of abuse by public employees or due to public body negligence.

Scope change

The bill's scope significantly expanded from a simple statute of limitations extension to include a comprehensive compensation fund and administrative commission for childhood sexual abuse survivors.

SCOPE

The bill now includes a new compensation fund and commission in addition to the statute of limitations extension, creating a two-pronged approach to addressing childhood sexual abuse.

FISCAL

A new $25 million appropriation was created for the Survivors' Justice and Compensation Fund, with money remaining in the fund rather than reverting to the general budget.

ELIGIBILITY

New eligibility criteria were added for the compensation fund, allowing claims only for abuse occurring before July 1, 2026, where the person has not received prior remedies, and is time-barred from filing a lawsuit as of that date.

REQUIREMENT

A new Survivors' Justice and Compensation Commission was created with five voting members and two ex-officio advisory members to review and adjudicate claims.

TIMELINE

The statute of limitations extension for private lawsuits remains (through June 30, 2029), but claims against the new fund must be submitted by June 30, 2030, with the program beginning July 1, 2027.

DEFINITION

New definitions were added for 'claimant,' 'commission,' 'director,' 'fund,' and 'public body' to clarify the compensation program's structure and scope.

ENFORCEMENT

New procedures were established for claim hearings, including witness protections, accommodations for mental anguish, and a maximum compensation cap of $700,000 per claimant.

TECHNICAL

Several formatting elements and placeholder text from the original introduction were removed during the committee substitution process.

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

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Key actions

Committee

Feb 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

DO NOT PASS, replaced with committee substitute

lower

Jan 28, 2026

Committee

referred to House Judiciary Committee & House Appropriations & Finance Committee

lower

Jan 26, 2026

Introduced

Sent to House Health & Human Services Committee & House Judiciary Committee

lower

3 primary · 0 co-sponsors