Health and Human Services

This House Memorial expresses support for expanding the scope of practice for certified advanced practice chiropractors in New Mexico to include primary care services. It aims to address the state's primary care shortage - especially in rural and underserved areas - by allowing chiropractors who already have advanced training and limited prescriptive authority to provide primary care under a two-tiered certification system developed by the New Mexico Chiropractic Association. The memorial urges the chiropractic board to establish standards for training and oversight to ensure safe care delivery, without creating new legal authority for chiropractors. As a non-binding memorial, it does not change existing law but encourages regulatory development.

House Memorial 52 (HM 52) requests New Mexico's Office of Superintendent of Insurance, with the Health Care Authority, to create a study group examining rising health insurance premiums. The group - composed of small employers, business representatives, insurers, and government officials - will study cost drivers (like healthcare claims, administrative expenses, and state taxes) affecting small businesses and individuals in the individual and small-group markets. It will evaluate affordability impacts and recommend solutions to improve premium affordability while maintaining access to quality care. The study group must submit findings to legislative committees by October 1, 2026.

SB 246 requires massage therapy establishments in New Mexico to obtain a license, defining such establishments as facilities offering massage therapy services (excluding hospitals, clinics, or offices run by licensed medical professionals). The bill adds a requirement for these licensed establishments to display their license with a current photo in a visible location. It also updates definitions related to continuing education for massage therapists and mandates photo identification on all new or renewed licenses issued after July 1, 2026. This bill directly affects massage therapy businesses operating as standalone establishments, not those within larger healthcare facilities.

This House Memorial requests the Legislative Finance Committee to form a task force to study whether New Mexico should amend its constitution to make the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) an independent executive department, separate from the Governor's office. The study would examine creating an independent commission to hire CYFD's executive director, addressing current challenges like a 25.4% vacancy rate, high child maltreatment rates (12.6 per 1,000 children vs. a national average of 7.4), and failed federal funding plans. It would evaluate potential benefits, costs, and lessons from other states' commission structures. The memorial itself does not change policy - it only seeks a study before pursuing a constitutional amendment.

House Memorial 12, introduced by Rep. Elizabeth Thomson, requests the Governor designate May 2026 as "Better Hearing and Speech Month" in New Mexico. The memorial highlights that communication disorders affect one in ten New Mexico families and emphasizes the role of speech and hearing professionals in providing treatment. This non-binding resolution aims to raise awareness about these conditions and support for affected individuals and their families.