HB 31 creates the Emergency Medical Services Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact, allowing EMTs and paramedics licensed in one participating state to practice in other member states without obtaining new licenses. It directly affects EMS professionals who work across state lines and the states that join the compact. Key provisions include mutual recognition of licenses, sharing of disciplinary actions (like license suspensions), and requiring home states to use national registry exams and investigate complaints. This streamlines emergency response during cross-state incidents while maintaining public safety through shared accountability. The compact aims to increase access to licensed EMS personnel and reduce licensing barriers for providers.
This New Mexico bill (SB 17) requires gun dealers to implement security measures like alarms, reinforced doors, and video surveillance to prevent thefts, and mandates background checks for employees handling firearms. It prohibits sales of "extremely dangerous weapons" (including certain .50 caliber rifles and modified semiautomatic firearms) and requires dealers to report crime gun traces, multiple sales, and thefts. Dealers must also maintain detailed records and post safety notices for firearm purchasers. The bill passed the Senate in February 2026 but remains pending in the House.
HB 14 creates the "Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact" to allow licensed dentists and dental hygienists from New Mexico to practice in other participating states without obtaining separate licenses. It establishes a "compact privilege" that eliminates duplicate licensing requirements, directly affecting dental professionals seeking to work across state lines, including military personnel and their families. Key provisions include standardized background checks, shared disciplinary information between states, and requirements for practitioners to follow each state's scope of practice rules. The bill aims to improve access to dental services in underserved areas and streamline workforce mobility while maintaining state regulatory authority.
HB 10 establishes the Physician Assistant Licensure Interstate Compact, allowing physician assistants (PAs) licensed in one participating state to practice in other participating states without needing separate licenses. It requires states to mutually recognize PAs' licenses and mandates that PAs practice under the jurisdiction of the state where the patient is located at the time of care. The compact specifically benefits military families by enabling active-duty personnel and their spouses to use their home state license in other participating states, while states retain authority to take disciplinary action against PAs for safety concerns. This eliminates licensing barriers for PAs working across state lines while maintaining patient safety standards.
HB 12 establishes New Mexico's participation in the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact, allowing physical therapists licensed in one participating state to practice in New Mexico without obtaining a separate license. The bill requires states to share disciplinary information, conduct federal background checks, and recognize licenses across member states, with practice always governed by the state where the patient is located. It directly affects physical therapists seeking to work across state lines, military spouses relocating with service members, and state licensing boards managing cross-jurisdictional practice. Key provisions include mutual license recognition, standardized criminal background checks, and mechanisms for states to share investigative data to protect public safety.
HB 234 defines "fentanyl" to include specific analogs like para-bromofentanyl and para-fluoroacetyl fentanyl, expanding the scope of substances covered under trafficking laws. This directly affects individuals charged with fentanyl trafficking by clarifying which substances trigger enhanced sentencing penalties. The bill amends sentencing provisions to apply stricter prison terms (3-5 years) based on the quantity of fentanyl or its analogs possessed, or if the defendant recruited others to traffic. The definition change ensures these specific synthetic opioids are treated as fentanyl under existing criminal sentencing statutes.
HB 120 limits the use of physical restraint and seclusion in New Mexico public schools. It bans chemical, mechanical, prone restraint, and unsupervised seclusion, allowing physical restraint or seclusion only when a student poses imminent serious harm and less restrictive options fail. Schools must train staff in de-escalation and positive behavior strategies, document all restraint/seclusion use, and create safety plans with input from special education experts. The bill directly affects all public school students in New Mexico by restricting potentially harmful interventions and requiring staff to prioritize safer alternatives.
HB 65 creates a three-year pilot program in seven New Mexico counties (Dona Ana, Chaves, San Juan, McKinley, Bernalillo, Santa Fe, and Eddy) to improve stability for children in state custody. It provides in-home or home-like placements with enhanced services - including 24-hour crisis support, weekly therapy, parent training, and monthly family sessions - to reduce placement disruptions. The program prioritizes children with frequent placement history, behavioral health needs, or risk of disruption, and includes specialized incentives for foster homes caring for adolescents, siblings, or those needing short-term stabilization. The state appropriates $2.5 million to fund the program through fiscal year 2029, requiring collaboration between the Children, Youth and Families Department and Health Care Authority.
SB 55 increases New Mexico's income tax credit for solar energy installations to 30% of the cost (up from 10%), with a maximum annual credit of $15,000 per taxpayer. It applies directly to homeowners, businesses, and agricultural operations that install qualifying solar thermal or photovoltaic systems in New Mexico. Taxpayers can transfer their unused credit to another taxpayer, and the state will cap total annual credits at $30 million to prevent overspending. The bill takes effect for tax years beginning January 1, 2026, and expires for tax years ending before 2032.
SB 35 creates an additional judgeship in New Mexico's First Judicial District, increasing the number of district judges from ten to eleven. The bill appropriates $451,400 from the state general fund for fiscal year 2027 to cover the new position's costs, including the judge's salary, benefits, and office equipment. Unspent funds at year-end will revert to the general fund. This change directly affects the First Judicial District court system by expanding its judicial capacity to handle caseloads.
HB 49 increases penalties for felons who receive, transport, or possess firearms or destructive devices in New Mexico. It specifically raises the penalty for first-time felon firearm possession from a third-degree felony to a second-degree felony, and to a first-degree felony for repeat offenses. The bill applies directly to individuals convicted of felonies who have not completed their sentence, probation, or received a pardon within the past ten years. Key provisions clarify definitions of "serious violent felon" and "destructive device" while raising criminal charges for violations. This policy change aims to strengthen restrictions on firearm access for certain convicted individuals.
HB 166 limits local government restrictions on battery-charged fences with alarm systems outside areas zoned exclusively for residential use. It prohibits counties and municipalities from banning these fences, imposing extra installation requirements beyond IEC standards, or requiring additional permits beyond standard alarm permits. The bill sets specific safety rules: fences must use ≤12V batteries, produce ≤IEC-standard electrical charge, be enclosed by a ≥5-foot non-electric fence, reach ≥10 feet height, and display "WARNING: ELECTRIC FENCE" signs every 30 feet. This directly affects property owners in commercial or mixed-use zones seeking to install such security fencing without local regulatory barriers.
