Rep. Diane Torres-Velásquez

Maddy summaryHouse Memorial 44 requests the Legislative Education Study Committee to examine family engagement practices in New Mexico public schools during the 2026 interim. The study will assess current frameworks, identify systemic barriers preventing meaningful family involvement (especially for historically marginalized communities), review evidence-based models, and analyze teacher training opportunities. It will culminate in recommendations for systemic improvements, including potential funding for family liaisons and professional development. This procedural memorial does not enact policy but seeks a data-driven foundation for future action affecting all public school families and educators.

Maddy summaryHB 297 allocates $2.4 million from the state general fund to the University of New Mexico's Board of Regents for Project ECHO's literacy support programs. The funding will directly support educators in New Mexico schools by providing training and resources to improve literacy instruction methods. It covers fiscal years 2027 through 2029, with any unspent funds returning to the state treasury by 2029. This is a funding bill focused on enhancing educator capacity, not a policy change affecting broader public law.

Maddy summaryThis House Memorial (HM 57) requests the Legislative Education Study Committee to examine best practices for credentialing bilingual educators in New Mexico. The study will involve the public education department, higher education institutions, and professional organizations like the New Mexico Association for Bilingual Education, with a focus on improving how bilingual educators are certified. It requires a report by August 15, 2026, to inform future actions on credentialing standards. This request does not change current laws but aims to address a shortage of qualified bilingual educators affecting students.

Maddy summaryHouse Memorial 65 requests New Mexico's Department of Health and Public Safety to create a task force focused on researching firearm safety policies to reduce gun violence in the state. The task force will examine specific areas like firearm licensing, magazine restrictions, and links between alcohol misuse and gun violence, including policies for prohibiting firearm access based on prior offenses. It will include health officials, law enforcement, schools, community groups, and tribal representatives, and must submit findings to lawmakers by September 2026. This is a procedural resolution (not a law) seeking research and recommendations, not implementing new policies.

Maddy summaryHB 117 requires New Mexico's public colleges and universities to collect and report voluntary data about students' parents' or guardians' educational attainment, including extended family caregivers (fictive kin). The data must be aggregated at the state or local level to protect privacy and shared with the state's Higher Education Department. This aggregated information will be used to identify demographic gaps, improve educational services, support research, and meet federal grant requirements. The bill does not mandate data collection but sets standards for how institutions must handle it if they choose to gather such information.

Maddy summaryHB 116 amends New Mexico's Bilingual Multicultural Education Act to change how eligible public school programs must deliver instruction. It requires programs serving culturally and linguistically diverse students (especially in kindergarten through third grade) to either use a home or heritage language as the primary instruction medium or adopt a state-approved language revitalization model. The bill also mandates programs to include heritage language history/culture instruction, use qualified bilingual teachers, and provide clear parental notice about program placement. These changes apply to all state-funded bilingual programs seeking financial support under the updated law.

Maddy summaryHB 115 (New Mexico, 2026) adds specific protections for nurses who invoke "safe harbor" when they believe an assignment is unsafe or question a medical order. It requires healthcare facilities to establish clear processes for nurses to formally request safe harbor (including written documentation and supervisor notification), conduct post-occurrence reviews involving other nurses, and prohibits retaliation like demotion or termination for good-faith requests. The bill directly affects nurses and healthcare facilities by mandating structured procedures to address safety concerns without fear of punishment. It focuses on concrete policy changes: standardizing safe harbor requests, documenting them, and explicitly banning workplace retaliation against nurses who use the process.

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 summarySB 171 appropriates $200,000 from the state general fund to the Board of Regents of Northern New Mexico State School for producing an educational documentary about historical figure Padre Antonio Jose Martinez. The funds must be spent by fiscal year 2027, with any unexpended balance reverting to the general fund. This bill directly affects the Northern New Mexico State School and the state budget, providing specific funding for a historical documentary project. It does not change existing laws or create new programs, but allocates resources for a defined educational media project. The bill is currently under review by Senate committees.

Maddy summaryHB 127 requires the New Mexico Medical Board to grant expedited licenses to physicians already licensed in other U.S. states, territories, or foreign countries who meet all other licensing criteria. It also mandates the creation of a public registry for out-of-state telehealth providers, requiring them to maintain active licenses elsewhere, carry professional liability insurance, and avoid physical offices or in-state patient interactions in New Mexico. The bill directly affects out-of-state physicians seeking to practice medicine or provide telehealth services in New Mexico, and imposes new administrative duties on the Medical Board. Key provisions include standardized application requirements for the registry, public disclosure of provider details, and mandatory reporting of disciplinary actions against their out-of-state licenses. The bill repeals an outdated section of existing law to implement these changes.