New Mexico Bills

in committee · New Mexico · Senate Jun 3, 2025

SB 386: CARE FOR YOUTH ATHLETES WITH BRAIN INJURIES

SB 386 updates New Mexico's youth sports brain injury protocols by adding chiropractic physicians to the list of "licensed health care professionals" who can provide written medical releases allowing athletes to return to play after a suspected brain injury. The bill directly affects youth athletes in school sports, coaches, school districts, and athletic organizations by expanding who can legally authorize an athlete's return to activity following a brain injury. Key mechanisms include amending existing definitions (Section 1) to include chiropractors under the medical release requirement and maintaining current protocols for recognizing symptoms, mandatory training, and parental consent forms. This change does not alter the core safety requirements - such as the 24-hour waiting period, symptom monitoring, or annual training - but broadens the pool of qualified medical professionals. The bill is pending in committee after being postponed indefinitely in June 2025.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

in committee · New Mexico · House Jun 3, 2025

HJM 1: WATER & WASTEWATER OPERATORS

HJM 1 is a non-binding resolution urging New Mexico's legislature to recognize certified water and wastewater operators as essential workers and fund a study on adding them to state health insurance and retirement programs. It highlights their critical role in maintaining safe drinking water (removing contaminants like lead and PFAS) and treating wastewater to protect ecosystems and public health. The resolution does not create new laws but requests legislative action to elevate their status and explore benefits. It directly affects certified operators who manage water infrastructure but does not change current policies.

Topics ✓ Environment ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · New Mexico · House Jun 3, 2025

HB 98: AUTOMATIC EXPUNGEMENT OF EVICTION RECORDS

HB 98 would automatically remove eviction records from public view in New Mexico after five years. It directly affects tenants who have been evicted, as their court and agency records related to eviction would be destroyed without needing to file a separate request. The bill requires courts and agencies to implement this automatic removal and creates a verification process through the Administrative Office of Courts to confirm expungement or handle delayed cases. All requests for verification remain confidential, protecting tenants' privacy during the process.

Topics ✓ Housing

in committee · New Mexico · Senate Jun 3, 2025

SB 465: PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL SPORTS

SB 465 prevents New Mexico schools from barring students from participating in school sports based on prior participation at another school, club sports, or athletic training camps. It allows eighth-grade students to join high school sports teams without losing future eligibility and permits private schools to offer sports scholarships. The bill directly affects student-athletes, especially those transferring schools, participating in non-school sports, or attending training camps, ensuring they face no penalty for these activities. Key provisions include removing eligibility restrictions for these scenarios and defining "athletic activity" as sports regulated by the New Mexico Activities Association. The bill was referred to committees but was postponed indefinitely in June 2025.

Topics ✓ Education

in committee · New Mexico · House Jun 3, 2025

HB 302: DEVELOPMENT FEES ACT CHANGES

HB 302 prevents New Mexico municipalities and counties from reducing development impact fees through "proportional share" calculations or requiring developers to waive rights under the Development Fees Act. It ensures developers receive full credit for contributions like park land dedications, infrastructure (water/wastewater lines, roads), or capital improvements without value reductions. Local governments cannot impose additional restrictions on using these credits, and existing agreements with such restrictions become invalid. The bill directly affects developers paying impact fees and local governments managing development fees, effective July 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Housing ✓ Transportation

in committee · New Mexico · House Jun 3, 2025

HB 603: PUBLIC PEACE, HEALTH, SAFETY & WELFARE

Based solely on the provided context, this bill's substantive text is not included in the materials. The bill was introduced by Rep. Doreen Y. Gallegos and has been postponed indefinitely as of June 3, 2025. Without the bill's actual provisions or summary text, it is not possible to describe what the bill does, who it affects, or its key mechanisms. The context only contains the bill's title, introduction details, and procedural history.

in committee · New Mexico · House Jun 3, 2025

HB 119: CONTRACT ADJUSTMENTS UNDER PROCUREMENT CODE

HB 119 requires state agencies to adjust contracts and reimbursement rates when state laws change employee compensation or benefits for certain contractors. It directly affects state contractors (Section 1) and Medicaid/Medicare healthcare providers (Sections 2-3), allowing them to request contract amendments or federal reimbursement adjustments within 45 days of relevant state law changes. The bill mandates that state agencies formally request these rate changes from federal authorities to cover increased provider costs. This creates a procedural mechanism for healthcare providers and contractors to seek fair reimbursement without requiring new state funding.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · New Mexico · House Jun 3, 2025

HB 454: EDUCATIONAL RETIREMENT CHANGES

HB 454 provides a temporary, non-compounding 2% payment on existing retirement payments to retired educators under New Mexico's Educational Retirement Act for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. This additional payment is calculated as 2% of a retiree's current annual retirement amount (including prior cost-of-living adjustments). It directly affects retired public school employees and other eligible educators who receive benefits under this specific retirement system. The provision is temporary and does not alter the standard cost-of-living adjustment formula for future years.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

passed · New Mexico · House Jun 3, 2025

HJM 9: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INTERIM COMMITTEE

HJM 9 is a procedural joint memorial requesting the New Mexico Legislative Council to create a special interim committee focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and data privacy. The committee would examine AI's impact on industries, government, and daily life - including concerns about bias, security, and workforce changes - and address New Mexico's lack of comprehensive data privacy laws. It would hold hearings, gather stakeholder input from businesses, consumers, and experts, and develop recommendations for future legislation in 2026. This bill does not create new laws but sets up a process to inform potential future regulations affecting residents, businesses, and state agencies. The committee's work would align with national trends while reflecting New Mexico's unique needs, such as its technology sector and national laboratories.

in committee · New Mexico · House Jun 3, 2025

HB 505: OPIOID USE DISORDER DRUG STOCKS

HB 505 requires New Mexico retail pharmacies to maintain sufficient buprenorphine stock to treat opioid use disorder, calculated based on their average 30-day dispensing rate plus three additional prescriptions (including both buprenorphine-only and combination products). Wholesale drug distributors must report monthly to the state board any denials or delays in filling buprenorphine orders from pharmacies, including reasons for such actions. The health department will analyze this data to publish biannual reports on access disparities and impacts on treatment outcomes. Violations can result in fines up to $2,500 for pharmacies (third violation) and $10,000 for distributors (second violation).

Topics ✓ Healthcare

in committee · New Mexico · House Jun 3, 2025

HB 465: PROTECTIONS FOR SAFE HARBOR NURSES

HB 465 strengthens protections for New Mexico nurses who refuse unsafe assignments or medically unreasonable orders under the "safe harbor" provision. It requires healthcare facilities to create written processes allowing nurses to formally invoke safe harbor (with supervisor notification and documented reasons), conduct post-occurrence reviews involving other nurses, and prohibits retaliation like demotions, termination, or reporting to nursing boards for good-faith requests. The bill directly affects nurses facing unsafe work conditions and their healthcare employers, mandating specific procedural safeguards. It explicitly bans facility retaliation against nurses who use safe harbor, ensuring they can raise safety concerns without professional consequences. The law focuses on concrete policy changes to protect patient safety and nurse autonomy.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · New Mexico · House Jun 3, 2025

HB 548: OIL & GAS EQUALIZATION TAX ACT

HB 548, the "Oil and Gas Equalization Tax Act," proposes a new 0.85% tax on oil and gas production in New Mexico. It directly affects oil and gas producers (operators), royalty owners (interest owners), and purchasers of these products. The tax is calculated on the "taxable value" of products after deducting royalties paid to the state or tribes and reasonable trucking costs. Operators and purchasers must withhold the tax from payments to royalty owners and report monthly production volumes and values to the state tax department. The bill is currently pending, having been postponed indefinitely in June 2025.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

Bill results