Rep. Art De La Cruz

Maddy summaryHB 506 creates two tax credits in New Mexico for hotel renovation projects: a 20% credit (or 30% for LEED-NC silver-certified projects) on qualifying costs for owners of existing hotels. The credit applies to renovations of at least 40% of guest rooms in hotels with 15+ rooms, excluding new construction, with minimum cost thresholds ($25,000-$40,000 depending on county size). Hotel owners must obtain pre-certification from the Tourism Department before starting work and final certification within one year of completion, with annual credits capped at $30 million. This directly affects hotel operators seeking to renovate existing properties, incentivizing upgrades while requiring environmental certification for the higher credit tier.

Maddy summaryHJR 8 is a constitutional amendment proposal that would change how New Mexico's legislature operates. It would limit all regular legislative sessions to 45 days (down from 60 days for odd-year sessions) and remove restrictions preventing consideration of non-budget bills during even-numbered years. The amendment also adds a provision for considering governor veto overrides for bills from previous sessions within the same legislative biennium. As a constitutional proposal, it requires voter approval at the next general election and is currently stalled after being postponed indefinitely on June 3, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 241 clarifies financial terms used in New Mexico's gaming tax calculations. It defines "allowable gaming expenses" to include specific costs like security, employee salaries, license fees, and maintenance, and defines "balance of net take" as revenue remaining after paying taxes and these expenses. This change directly affects gaming operators by standardizing how they calculate taxable income under the Gaming Control Act. The bill does not alter tax rates or create new requirements - only refines existing definitions for clarity. (Procedural bill; summary under 2 sentences.)

Maddy summaryHJM 2 is a procedural request asking the New Mexico Legislative Council to create a task force to study combining the state's standing committees (active during sessions) and interim committees (active between sessions) into unified year-round committees. The task force would examine how to merge these committees, including staffing, funding, implementation timelines (with a 2027 target), and reducing overlap. It would include legislative members and public experts, and must submit a report by November 2025. This request directly affects how New Mexico's legislature organizes its committee structure, not specific policy outcomes.

Maddy summaryHB 134 would revise New Mexico's Delinquency Act to expand definitions of "serious youthful offender" and "youthful offender," affecting minors facing juvenile justice proceedings. Key changes include removing mandatory consultations with probation before filing petitions, eliminating required detention risk assessments, and allowing 14+ youth to waive amenability hearings. The bill also modifies court procedures by permitting electronic detention hearings, requiring segregation of serious youthful offenders from adults, and allowing transfers to adult facilities upon reaching 18. It removes restrictions on court-ordered commitments, mandates equal consideration of all amenability factors during sentencing, and shifts authority over releasing delinquent youth from the Children's Department. The bill was postponed indefinitely in June 2025 and remains pending.

Maddy summaryHB 405, the "Volunteer Firefighter Service and Training Job Retention Act," requires New Mexico employers to provide eligible volunteer firefighters with up to 112 hours annually for training (with 30 days' notice) and for emergency service calls (with notification and documentation). It directly affects employees who volunteer at state-certified fire departments, ensuring they can attend training or respond to emergencies without losing job protections. The law prohibits employers from terminating, demoting, or reducing leave/seniority accruals for using these leave days. Currently, the bill was passed by the House but was postponed indefinitely in the Senate on June 3, 2025, delaying its effective date of July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 145 increases New Mexico's bonding authority for highway projects, authorizing up to $1.124 billion in additional bonds. It sets specific limits: $624 million for major infrastructure projects (including those with federal financing history), $100 million for roads tied to the waste isolation pilot project, and $400 million for other highway work. Proceeds would come from state road fund taxes and federal highway reimbursement money, with annual caps on new bond issuance. This directly affects the State Transportation Commission's ability to finance road projects and impacts taxpayers through future bond obligations.

Maddy summaryHB 248 creates a new third-degree felony offense for carrying a firearm while trafficking controlled substances, directly affecting individuals convicted of drug trafficking who possess a firearm. The bill defines the crime as carrying a firearm during any violation of New Mexico's controlled substance trafficking laws (Section 30-31-20 NMSA). Penalties include sentencing as a third-degree felony under existing law, with no specific sentencing enhancements beyond standard felony penalties. The law takes effect July 1, 2025, and applies to all firearm possession during drug trafficking activities.

Maddy summaryHB 475 creates a dedicated Transportation Trust Fund in New Mexico to finance transportation infrastructure. It establishes new revenue streams, including 1% to 2% of electricity sales tax revenue (increasing over time), and adjusts motor vehicle excise tax distributions to send 30% of proceeds to the Trust Fund after 2027. The fund will provide state matching funds for federal transportation grants and may cover general fund shortfalls if other reserves are exhausted. This directly affects state budget allocations, transportation project funding, and taxpayers through electricity and vehicle-related taxes.

Maddy summaryHB 476, the "Price Fixing Prohibition, Consumer Transparency and Tax Fairness Act," prohibits major payment card networks (like Visa or Mastercard) and large credit card issuers (with over $85 billion in assets) from colluding to set interchange fees - the fees merchants pay for processing card transactions. It bans charging these fees on taxes and gratuities, requires clear disclosure of interchange fees on consumer statements, and prohibits networks from penalizing merchants for how they price goods. The bill directly affects large financial networks, merchants (especially restaurants and retailers), and consumers by increasing transparency and preventing unfair fee structures. It creates penalties for violations but does not apply to smaller card networks or issuers.