New Mexico Bills

in committee · New Mexico · House Jun 3, 2025

HB 477: LODGER'S TAX EXEMPTION FOR LEGISLATORS

HB 477 exempts New Mexico legislators from the lodger's tax when staying in hotels within the county containing the state capitol during a legislative session. The bill requires legislators to have a written agreement for at least 30 consecutive days of lodging in the capitol county to qualify for the exemption. This change directly affects state legislators who reside near the capitol during sessions, removing a tax they would otherwise pay on temporary lodging. The bill was referred to committees but was ultimately "DO NOT PASS" and postponed indefinitely on June 3, 2025.

Topics ✗ Budget & Taxes

in committee · New Mexico · Senate Jun 3, 2025

SB 485: REDUCE EARLY VOTING TIME

SB 485 would shorten early voting in New Mexico by reducing the period during which voters can cast ballots before Election Day. The bill requires early voting to start 15 days before an election (down from 28 days) and mandates all locations to close at 7:00 p.m. daily (instead of 9:00 p.m.), reducing daily voting hours from 14 to 12. County clerks would no longer be allowed to adjust hours without written approval from the Secretary of State. This change would directly affect voters relying on early voting access, potentially limiting their opportunities to cast ballots during the shortened window.

in committee · New Mexico · Senate Jun 3, 2025

SB 435: NATIVE AMERICAN PUBLIC RELATIONS & ID SYSTEM

SB 435 would appropriate $1 million from the state general fund to the New Mexico Department of Justice for fiscal year 2026. The funds would support a public relations campaign to inform all New Mexico residents about their rights regarding deportation or harassment by federal immigration officers, and create an identification system to verify tribal membership for members of Indian nations, tribes, and pueblos, including a citizenship verification hotline. Unused funds would revert to the general fund by the end of 2026. This bill directly affects tribal members through the ID system and all New Mexico residents through the campaign.

in committee · New Mexico · House Jun 3, 2025

HB 516: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SERVICE GAPS STUDY

HB 516 appropriates $100,000 from the general fund to the New Mexico Supreme Court for fiscal year 2026 to convene a task force. The task force will study gaps in legal services for domestic violence victims and develop recommendations for cost-effective legal programs to address those gaps. This bill directly affects domestic violence victims in New Mexico by focusing on improving access to legal support. The bill is procedural (not creating new law) and was postponed indefinitely on June 3, 2025. Funds not spent by the end of fiscal year 2026 would revert to the general fund.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Criminal Justice

in committee · New Mexico · House Jun 3, 2025

HB 370: HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS CREDENTIALING

HB 370 prohibits hospitals receiving public funds from denying medical staff membership or clinical privileges based on economic factors, such as a doctor’s fee structure, advertising, participation in health plans, or patient referral patterns. It requires hospitals to base credentialing decisions solely on objective, uniform professional qualifications, not anti-competitive motives. The law specifically bans consideration of factors like membership in professional groups, willingness to refer patients, or whether a provider works at competing facilities. This directly affects healthcare professionals seeking hospital privileges and hospitals receiving state or federal funding in New Mexico.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · New Mexico · Senate Jun 3, 2025

SB 50: PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATIONS

SB 50 adds telecommunicators (such as 911 operators) to New Mexico's Law Enforcement Retention Fund, providing them with 5% annual salary retention payments after 5, 10, 15, and 20 years of service. Law enforcement agencies must report detailed staffing data - including retention rates, hiring trends, and training metrics - to qualify for these funds. The bill also updates definitions (e.g., "safety agency," "telecommunicators"), requires accreditation for law enforcement academies, and changes terminology from "law enforcement officer" to "police officer" in training laws. This directly affects all state and local law enforcement agencies employing telecommunicators and their training programs.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

in committee · New Mexico · Senate Jun 3, 2025

SB 424: EXPAND RURAL HEALTH CARE TAX CREDIT

SB 424 expands New Mexico's rural health care practitioner tax credit to include respiratory care practitioners and polysomnographic technologists. Eligible professionals in these fields can claim a tax credit of up to $3,000 per year (or $1,500 for those working 792-1,583 hours) if they provide services in designated rural health care underserved areas. To qualify, they must apply to the New Mexico Department of Health for a certificate, which they then submit with their state income tax return. The credit applies to tax years beginning January 1, 2025, and mirrors existing provisions for other health care professionals like nurses and therapists.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Healthcare

in committee · New Mexico · Senate Jun 3, 2025

SB 437: NO SCHOOL USE OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT

SB 437 prohibits corporal punishment (like spanking) in New Mexico early childhood education, primary, and secondary schools. It requires all schools receiving state benefits (such as funding, licenses, or contracts) to adopt a written policy banning physical punishment on their premises. The bill establishes this as state policy, meaning schools must formally prohibit the practice to maintain state relationships. The bill was referred to committees but was postponed indefinitely on June 3, 2025.

Topics ✓ Education

in committee · New Mexico · Senate Jun 3, 2025

SB 178: PRODUCED WATER & ABANDONED WELLS FUND

SB 178 creates a 5-cent fee per barrel on produced water from oil and gas wells in New Mexico, collected from operators (with limited exemptions for water used in enhanced oil recovery, recycling at permitted facilities, or regulated water quality uses). The revenue funds the "Plugging and Remediating Abandoned Wells Fund," managed by the Oil Conservation Division to plug abandoned wells and clean up sites. The fee must be paid monthly by the 25th, with reporting requirements for water volume. This policy directly affects oil and gas operators and aims to address environmental risks from inactive wells.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Environment

in committee · New Mexico · Senate Jun 3, 2025

SB 459: PROTECTION OF WOMEN'S SPORTS ACT

SB 459, the "Protection of Women's Sports Act," requires New Mexico public schools, colleges, and athletic clubs to designate teams, sports, and events as male, female, or coed based on biological sex. It prohibits males from competing on teams designated for females (including in competitions, against such teams, or with them), using birth certificate sex as the eligibility standard. The bill allows males to participate only as non-roster practice players without displacing female athletes. Violations can trigger private lawsuits for damages, injunctive relief, or legal fees, and entities failing to comply may lose public funding.

in committee · New Mexico · House Jun 3, 2025

HB 86: HUMAN TRAFFICKING CHANGES

HB 86 removes the statute of limitations for prosecuting human trafficking cases in New Mexico, allowing prosecutions to occur at any time. It raises the age for "sexual exploitation of children by prostitution" from 16 to 18 years and adds human trafficking to the definition of "racketeering" for legal purposes. The bill also defines "harm" in trafficking cases, prohibits specific defenses for traffickers, and expands protections by adding trafficking victims to the Victims of Crime Act. These changes directly affect human trafficking victims (especially minors), prosecutors, and defendants, focusing on strengthening legal tools to address trafficking. The bill was postponed indefinitely on June 3, 2025.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

in committee · New Mexico · Senate Jun 3, 2025

SB 336: MEDICAID CARE ORGANIZATION RECIPIENTS

SB 336 requires New Mexico's Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) to assign a proportional number of Medicaid recipients across all contracted MCOs, including newly contracted ones. This directly affects Medicaid recipients (the people receiving the program) and the MCOs that provide their healthcare services. The key provision mandates that the state ensure Medicaid recipients are distributed fairly among all MCOs, preventing any single organization from serving a disproportionately high or low share of enrollees. The bill does not change Medicaid eligibility, benefits, or coverage requirements.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

Bill results