Rep. Pat Roybal Caballero

Maddy summaryThis 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.

Maddy summaryHB 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.

Maddy summaryHB 167 requires mobile home park owners in New Mexico to give residents written notice (via certified mail and posted on doors) before selling the park to a third party. This notice must include the sale terms and residents' right to purchase the park within 75 days if they can gather 51% support and match the third-party offer's price and conditions. Owners must negotiate in good faith if residents submit a comparable offer, and residents can assign their purchase rights to nonprofits or governments. Violations carry penalties of $100,000 or 20% of the park’s appraised value, whichever is greater. The bill excludes sales from foreclosures, family transfers, or government takings.

Maddy summaryThis House Memorial (HM 6) requests a study on private equity ownership of essential utilities like gas, electric, and water systems in New Mexico. It does not change laws but asks state agencies to examine how private equity control affects service reliability, costs for ratepayers, wildfire risk mitigation, and impacts on rural/low-income communities. The study will analyze maintenance spending, financial extraction tactics, workforce effects, and whether private equity acquisitions threaten public safety or affordability. This is a procedural step to inform future policy decisions, not an immediate regulatory change.

Maddy summaryHB 62 renames New Mexico's geothermal electricity generation tax credits to "geothermal energy production" credits and establishes a tiered credit system based on kilowatt-hour output. It provides tax credits ranging from $0.015 to $0.035 per kWh (increasing over the first five years then decreasing), capped at 200,000 megawatt-hours per facility annually. The bill limits total annual credits to $55 million, reserving $11 million for tribal and small businesses, and allows credit transfers between taxpayers. This directly affects geothermal energy producers in New Mexico who own facilities generating electricity from geothermal resources.

Maddy summaryHouse Memorial 7 requests a study of New Mexico state government practices that result in long-term employment without standard benefits or protections. The study will examine how agencies classify workers (e.g., as temporary or seasonal) to avoid providing benefits like health insurance, retirement, or job stability, particularly affecting lower-wage public employees in service roles. It will analyze current patterns, fiscal impacts of extending benefits, and equity effects on rural communities before November 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 256 requires all New Mexico schools to have automated external defibrillators (AEDs) available during school athletic events. It mandates schools to create cardiac emergency response plans, install and maintain AEDs, and ensure they are clearly marked and accessible. The bill applies to all public non-charter high schools (by 2026-2027) and elementary, middle, charter, and private schools (by 2027-2028). Key provisions include requiring evidence-based response plans, AED maintenance, and staff training aligned with American Heart Association standards.

Maddy summaryHouse Memorial 36 requests the New Mexico Board of Nursing to create a task force addressing the state's nursing shortage crisis. The task force would include representatives from nursing organizations, hospitals, nursing education groups, and high schools, and must identify barriers to nursing education enrollment, program expansion, and nurse retention. It requires the task force to report findings and recommendations to health and finance legislative committees by specific deadlines. This memorial directly affects the Board of Nursing and participating healthcare organizations, aiming to improve nursing workforce planning without creating new laws.

Maddy summaryThis procedural memorial (HM 4) requests the Legislative Finance Committee to study health insurance access for public higher education educators and graduate student employees across New Mexico's public universities. The study will examine current coverage gaps - such as UNM being the only institution providing employer-funded medical insurance for graduate students - and evaluate options for expanding medical, dental, and vision coverage, including fiscal impacts and workforce effects, with a report due by October 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 128 presumes that certain cancers and health conditions diagnosed after specific employment periods are caused by firefighting work, directly affecting full-time non-volunteer firefighters in New Mexico. It lists 17 cancer types (like bladder, breast, lung, and leukemia) that are presumed work-related after 5-15 years of service, along with infectious diseases (e.g., hepatitis) and PTSD requiring physical impairment. The bill shifts the burden of proof: employers must rebut these presumptions with evidence showing non-work causes, and medical treatment for covered conditions must be provided as if work-related. This aims to streamline access to workers' compensation for firefighters facing job-linked health issues without requiring them to prove causation in court.