Rep. Pamelya Herndon

Maddy summaryHB 517 requires public colleges and universities (post-secondary institutions) and public high schools to provide free condoms to all students. It mandates that schools make condoms available at no cost in safe, accessible locations like health centers and restrooms, with administrators consulting student health staff to determine the best distribution method. The bill directly affects students in these educational settings by ensuring access to condoms without cost. Key provisions include specific location requirements and collaboration with school health services to implement the policy. The legislation focuses on improving student access to reproductive health resources through school-based provision.

Maddy summaryHB 503 would require that parents participating in New Mexico's domestic relations mediation programs (for cases involving children) have the right to be represented by an attorney during all mediation-related sessions, including advisory consultations, priority consultations, evaluations, and mediation itself. This bill directly affects parents involved in court-ordered child-related mediation, ensuring they can have legal counsel present throughout the process. The key provision amends existing law to mandate this right, replacing previous language that did not explicitly guarantee attorney presence. The bill passed committee approval in March 2025 but was postponed indefinitely on June 3, 2025, and has not advanced further.

Maddy summaryHB 406 would allow people incarcerated in New Mexico jails, prisons, or correctional facilities to apply for victim compensation after their release if they were victims of crimes while incarcerated. It removes a previous barrier (a clause stating "no award shall be made") that prevented incarcerated victims from seeking compensation under the Crime Victims Reparation Act. The bill specifically enables individuals to file claims for crimes committed against them during their time in custody, following their release from confinement. This change directly affects incarcerated individuals who become victims of crimes while in state custody. The bill was introduced by Representative Pamelya Herndon and advanced through committees before being postponed indefinitely in June 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 470 amends New Mexico's definition of a "neglected child" in the Abuse and Neglect Act to explicitly include situations where a parent, guardian, or custodian negligently allows a child unsupervised access to a firearm or other deadly weapon. This change directly affects caregivers who fail to secure weapons, making such negligence a specific factor in determining child neglect under state law. The bill adds this scenario as a new subsection (6) to the existing definition, clarifying that caregivers can be deemed negligent if they don’t prevent children from accessing dangerous weapons without supervision. It does not create new penalties but adjusts how neglect is legally defined for child welfare cases. The bill was referred to committees but was postponed indefinitely in June 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 55 requires New Mexico's Health Care Authority to set a minimum Medicaid reimbursement rate of $23.50 per hour for personal care services. It mandates that at least 70% of this reimbursement must directly fund wages and benefits for direct care workers (like home health aides), excluding costs for training or equipment. The bill appropriates $20.8 million to update Medicaid reimbursement rates for fiscal year 2026. This directly affects personal care service agencies and the workers providing in-home care to Medicaid recipients.

Maddy summaryHouse Memorial 53 requests New Mexico's Department of Health and Aging and Long-Term Services Department to collaborate with the New Mexico Alzheimer's Association to update public health and healthcare provider education programs using the latest evidence-based research on Alzheimer's disease and brain health. It directs these departments to seek federal funding - particularly through the Federal Administration on Aging's Alzheimer's Disease Programs Initiative - to support these program updates. The memorial aims to improve public awareness of Alzheimer's risk factors, early detection, and care, and to better equip healthcare providers for the over 46,000 New Mexicans living with the disease.

Maddy summaryThis House Memorial (HM 34) requests the New Mexico Supreme Court to convene a task force to study gaps in legal services for domestic violence victims, particularly low-income individuals. The task force will assess current services, identify shortcomings, and recommend cost-effective programs to improve access to legal support like protection orders. It will include representatives from organizations like the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence, NM Legal Aid, the Supreme Court's access to justice commission, and rural/urban judges. The task force must report findings and recommendations to the courts committee and governor by November 1, 2025. This is a study request, not a law creating new programs.

Maddy summaryHB 519 creates a Board of Directors for New Mexico's African American Performing Arts Center and Exhibit Hall, transferring its management from the state fair commission to this new board. The board - composed of five members appointed by the center foundation, governor, cultural affairs department, and a university program - will operate, staff, and request funding for the center, which is located on state fairgrounds. The bill requires the board to make recommendations on programming and maintenance while working with the Cultural Affairs Department, and it transfers all center assets, funds, and contracts to the board upon enactment. However, the bill was pocket-vetoed by the governor on April 14, 2025, so it did not become law.

Maddy summarySB 36 prohibits state agency employees from disclosing certain sensitive personal information, including public assistance status, medical conditions, immigration status, sexual orientation, and social security numbers, except in specific circumstances like court orders or with written consent. It directly affects state employees handling such data and amends the Motor Vehicle Code to protect driver's license and vehicle registration details from unauthorized disclosure. Key provisions require written consent for sharing, limit disclosures to necessary agency functions or legal requirements, and impose civil penalties of $250 per violation (up to $5,000 total). The law takes effect July 1, 2025, strengthening privacy protections for New Mexico residents' personal data held by state agencies.

Maddy summaryHB 54 requires every high school in New Mexico to install an automated external defibrillator (AED) by January 1, 2026, and maintain them according to manufacturer guidelines. The bill also mandates annual AED training for all high school employees, following American Heart Association standards, to ensure staff can use the devices during cardiac emergencies. This law directly affects all public and private high schools and their employees across the state. HB 54 was signed into law on April 10, 2025, after passing both chambers of the legislature.