Rep. Debbie Sariñana

Maddy summaryHB 34 amends New Mexico's Oil and Gas Act to explicitly require the Oil Conservation Commission and the Oil Conservation Division to protect public health and the environment when implementing oil and gas regulations. The bill updates existing statutory language (Section 70-2-11) to add "protect public health and the environment" as a core duty alongside preventing waste and protecting correlative rights. This change clarifies that environmental and health protections are integral to the agencies' regulatory work under the Oil and Gas Act. The bill was introduced in 2025 but was postponed indefinitely in June 2025, meaning it did not advance to become law. It directly affects oil and gas regulators and operators subject to the state's conservation rules.

Maddy summaryHB 213 creates tax credits for New Mexico individuals and businesses that install solar energy systems on public school or public post-secondary educational institution property. The credit covers 40% of installation costs (or appraised value for federal credit applications), with a total state cap of $300 million and annual limits of $100 million before 2028. To qualify, taxpayers must prove system installation, safety compliance, and school property use through state certification. The credit can be transferred to other taxpayers and applies to tax years ending before 2037.

Maddy summaryHB 407 appropriates $300,000 from the general fund to the New Mexico Department of Health for shaken baby syndrome prevention. The funding will update educational materials with UNM Pediatrics, require all state hospitals to implement prevention training programs, and establish statewide reporting for cases of shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma. This bill directly affects hospitals statewide and prevention efforts targeting infant safety. It focuses on concrete policy changes through funding allocation, not legislative mandates. The bill was referred to committees but was postponed indefinitely in June 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 422 would increase stipends for teaching residents in New Mexico's teacher residency programs to at least $35,000 annually (80% of a level 1 teacher's minimum salary) and require health insurance coverage through the public school insurance authority. It also provides $2,000 annual stipends for mentor teachers, principals, and program coordinators, plus $4,000 per faculty member at participating colleges for co-teaching training. The bill mandates a three-year service commitment for teaching residents at their sponsoring school district and allocates funding for institutional costs. This proposed legislation aims to strengthen residency programs by improving financial support for participants and educators, though it was postponed indefinitely in June 2025.

Maddy summarySB 254 proposes renaming New Mexico's "Cybersecurity Office" to the "Office of Cybersecurity" and places it under the Department of Information Technology, managed by a Security Officer. The bill requires this office to establish minimum security standards for all state agencies, develop centralized incident response plans for major breaches (affecting over 10,000 residents or involving nation-state actors), and create a unified data breach reporting process. It also revises the Cybersecurity Advisory Committee's membership to include specific representation from counties, municipalities, tribal governments, healthcare, education, and private cybersecurity experts. These changes directly affect state agencies, local governments, and tribal entities by standardizing cybersecurity practices and reporting requirements across New Mexico's public sector.

Maddy summaryHB 389 requires New Mexico's designated health information exchange to also function as the state's "health data utility," combining and sharing health data for treatment, care coordination, and public health purposes. Key provisions mandate that entities maintain detailed audit logs tracking who accesses health data (including individual identities and dates), and allow patients to request annual access logs of their own health information. The bill directly affects health care providers, institutions, and the state's health data infrastructure by standardizing data-sharing protocols under the Electronic Medical Records Act. As of June 3, 2025, the bill was postponed indefinitely after passing committee review.

Maddy summaryHB 51 creates tax credits for New Mexico residents and businesses that install qualifying energy storage systems (like batteries) on their property. It allows a 40% credit on installation costs, up to $6,000 for residential systems and $150,000 for commercial/industrial systems, with a total annual cap of $6 million across all credits. To claim the credit, applicants must certify system eligibility through the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department within 12 months of installation. The bill is currently postponed indefinitely after passing committee review but has not advanced further.

Maddy summaryHB 297 creates a new computer science licensure endorsement for New Mexico teachers, requiring specific qualifications to teach computer science at any grade level. Teachers seeking this endorsement must meet one of six pathways: 15 college credits in computer science, passing a certification exam, having two years of industry work experience with verification, holding an industry certification, completing 60 hours of relevant professional development, or demonstrating three years of teaching experience. The bill appropriates $250,000 from the general fund for teacher professional development related to this endorsement, to be spent in fiscal years 2026-2027. This directly affects current and aspiring teachers who want to add computer science to their license, particularly those in secondary education. The requirement applies to all grade levels but specifies secondary licensure pathways in the underlying statute.

Maddy summaryHB 452 clarifies how New Mexico utilities must handle renewable energy certificates (RECs) to meet the state's renewable energy standards. It specifies that utilities own RECs from most renewable energy they purchase, except for pre-July 2019 contracts or community solar projects (where the utility owns the RECs). The bill requires new contracts (after July 1, 2019) to transfer RECs to the utility, which must retire them or transfer them to customers under a voluntary program, and mandates annual reporting on REC usage and accounting.

Maddy summaryHB 245 prohibits most individuals from charging fees for assisting veterans with benefit claims, except for accredited representatives under federal law. It requires written agreements before services begin and bans guaranteeing specific benefit amounts or charging excessive fees. The bill directly affects non-accredited advocates, attorneys, and third parties who help veterans navigate VA benefit applications. Key provisions include banning upfront fees before formal claims are filed and aligning fee limits with federal standards (38 C.F.R. Part 14.636). This amendment to New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act aims to prevent deceptive or exploitative practices in veterans' benefits assistance.