Tax package that includes rebates of $500 per taxpayer.
Approval of Statewide Capital Outlay projects for near $1.2 billion.
Raise max possible potential pension benefit for public employees.
Automatic voter registration when obtaining a Driver's license.
Restore felons' right to vote when they leave incarceration.
Legislation that makes it a crime to fail to store firearms out of children's reach.
Revise medical malpractice law to assist independent clinics.
Prohibit life sentences without the possibility of parole for juveniles.
Offer free lunch for all K-12 students.
Increase wages of teacher assistants from $12,000 to $25,000.
Raise required instructional time to 1140 hours.
Revise high school graduations requirements.
Make Election DAY a school holiday.
Provide teachers a 5% raise plus an additional 1% to offset health care costs.
TOTAL BILLS, MEMORIALS & RESOLUTIONS INTRODUCED, INCLUDING DUMMY BILLS:1294 TOTAL BILLS PASSED IN BOTH CHAMBERS: 387 TOTAL BILLS SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR TO DATE: 26
ENCLOSED ARE THE BILLS WE FOLLOWED THAT PASSED BOTH CHAMBERS AND HAVE BEEN SENT TO THE GOVERNOR FOR HER SIGNATURE:
SB 20, ERB CHANGES, Sponsored by Sen Gay Kernan.
HB 189, EDUCATIONAL RETIREMENT CHANGES, sponsored by Rep Cathyrnn Brown.
HB 304, PUBLIC EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT NEEDS TRUST, sponsored by Rep Chasey, Rep Thompson, Rep Lujan, Rep Ortiz y Pino & Sen Stewart.
HB 2 & 3, GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR 2023 sponsored by Rep Nathan Small and Rep Meredith Dixon.
SB 16, CREATE HEALTH CARE AUTHORITY DEPARTMENT, sponsored by Sen Elizabeth Stefanics & Representative Elizabeth Thompson.
FINAL STATUS ON ALL BILLS THAT WE FOLLOWED: BUDGET:
HB 2, GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT OF 2023,
sponsored by Rep. Nathan Small & Rep. Meredith Dixon. HAFC
Committee Sub 2 & 3 PASSED the House on a 52-17 vote. HB 2 received
a DO PASS in Senate Finance Committee. HB 2 & 3 passed both
chambers and went through concurrence. HB 2 & 3 PASSED THE
HOUSE AND SENATE AND AWAITS THE GOVERNOR'S SIGNATURE.
SB 158, GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT OF 2023,
sponsored by Sen. George Munoz. This is the companion bill for HB
2 & 3. THIS BILL WAS TABLED IN SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE.
HJR 8a, LEGISLATIVE SALARIES,
sponsored by Rep Angelica Rubio, Rep Joy Garrett, Rep Debra M.
Sarinana, Rep Kristina Ortez, & Rep. Susan K. Herrera. HJR 8,
proposes a voter referendum to amend Article 4 of the NM Constitution
to allow for Legislative salaries. HJR 8 PASSED THE HOUSE, BUT WAS
TABLED IN THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE.
**SB 442**, INCREASE ELECTED OFFICIALS SALARIES,
sponsored by Sen George Munoz, and Sen Katy Duhigg. This bill would
increase the salaries of the lieutenant governor in addition to other
executive officers effective on July 1, 2023, if passed by the
legislature and signed by the Governor. The bill was amended to allow
the increase in the Governor's compensation to go into effect on July
1, 2027. SB 442 PASSED THE SENATE, BUT WAS TABLED IN THE HOUSE.
PENSIONS:
SB 20a, CHANGES TO ERB,
sponsored by Sen Gay Kernan. This bill would allow eligible employees
of the Southeast New Mexico College in Carlsbad to participate in the
Alternative Retirement Plan. SB 20A PASSED THE HOUSE AND SENATE AND
AWAITS THE GOVERNOR'S SIGNATURE.
HB 189a, EDUCATIONAL RETIREMENT CHANGES,
sponsored by Rep Cathyrnn Brown. This is the companion bill to SB 20.
This week HB 189 was heard in House Education Committee and amended to
remove section one having to do with the extension of contracts. HB
189a PASSED THE HOUSE AND SENATE AND AWAITS THE GOVERNOR'S SIGNATURE.
SM 16, **STUDY DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PENSIONS**,
sponsored by Sen Tallman. This bill requests the State Auditor to
establish a Task Force to study the feasibility of implementing a
DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PENSION PLAN for Public Employees. SM 16 WAS
TABLED IN THE RULES COMMITTEE.
SB 492, EDUCATIONAL RETURN TO WORK CHANGES,
sponsored by Sen George Munoz. This bill would extend the new 90-day
layout law, passed in 2022, from a 36-month sunset to 60-months.
SB 492 PASSED THE SENATE, BUT WAS TABLED IN THE HOUSE LABOR COMMITTEE.
HEALTH CARE:
**HB 150, TABLED/ RETIREE HEALTH CARE AUTHORITY, sponsored by Rep. Natalie Figueroa. HB 150 WAS TABLED IN THE HAFC DUE TO LACK OF AN APPROPRIATION.
**SB 193, RETIREE HEALTH CARE AUTHORITY, sponsored
by Sen Mimi Stewart. This is the companion bill to SB 150. SB 193 WAS
TABLED IN THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE DUE TO A LACK OF AN
APPROPRIATION.
**SB 16, CREATE A NEW HEALTH CARE AUTHORITY,
sponsored by Sen Eliz Stefanics & Sen Eliz Thomason. This bill
renames the Human Services Department as the Health Care Authority
Department. This bill would allow the Governor to consolidate a number
of agencies, including Department of Health, General Services
Department, Department of Finance Administration & New Mexico
Association under the New Health Care Authority. SB 16 PASSED THE
SENATE AND HOUSE FLOORS AND AWAITS THE GOVERNOR'S SIGNATURE.
SB 484, PUBLICLY FUNDED HEALTH AGENCY OBLIGATIONS,
sponsored by Sen Martin Hickey. This bill consolidates the purchasing
for the procurement of Health Care benefits. It requires agencies to
enter a joint powers agreement. SB 484 WAS ROLLED OVER INTO CS/SB
453 AND TABLED IN THE SENATE HEALTH AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE.
**CS/SB 453a**, PUBLICLY FUNDED HEALTH AGENCY PURCHASING, sponsored by Sen Martin Hickey. CS/SB 453a PASSED THE SENATE FLOOR AND WAS TABLED ON THE HOUSE FLOOR.
PUBLIC EDUCATION:
HB 126, SCHOOL GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS,
sponsored by Rep G. Andres Romero & T. Ryan Lane. This bill
removes Algebra II and a foreign language from graduation requirements
for students entering the ninth grade in the 2024-25 school year and
drops the number of credits needed for graduation from 24 to 22 units.
HB 126 received a DO PASS in the House Commerce & Economic
Development Committee and in the House Education Committee. HB 126
PASSED THE HOUSE AND SENATE FLOOR AND AWAITS THE GOVERNOR'S SIGNATURE.
HB 102, HEALTH CARE FOR EDUCATORS,
sponsored by Rep Raymundo Lara, Rep Natalie Figueroa, Rep Debra M
Sarinana, Rep Harold Pope, & Rep Ambrose Castellano. This is a
Governor's bill that would increase the employer share for employee’s
health care covered by the Public School Insurance Authority to 100% of
the first $10 thousand of insurance costs. After that the employer
would pay 60% of any additional cost. HB 102 WAS TABLED IN THE
HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE.
OTHER LEGISLATION OF INTEREST: WATCH:
SB 30, STATE PURCHASE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES,
sponsored by Senator William Soules. This bill would provide that 75%
of State Vehicles would be electric by 2030. SB 30 PASSED THE SENATE
TAX, BUSINESS & TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE AND WAS TABLED IN THE
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE.
HB 56, FRONT END LICENSE PLATES,
sponsored by William Rehm. This bill would require motor vehicles to
display front end license plates. HB 56 WAS TABLED IN THE HOUSE
TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC WORKS & CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE.
HJR 2a, LEGISLATIVE SESSION CHANGES,
sponsored by Rep Natalie Figueroa, Rep. Linda Serrato & Rep.
Kristina Ortez. This bill would change the length of the legislative
session during the even-numbered years to sixty days. HJR 2
received a DO PASS in the House Government, Elections and Indian
Affairs Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. HJR 2a WAS TABLED
ON THE HOUSE FLOOR.
SB 191, EXEMPT NM FROM DAYLIGHT SAVINGS,
sponsored by Sen Roberto "Bobbi" Gonzales. This bill would exempt NM
from federal law requiring Daylight Saving Time. SB 191 WAS TABLED IN
THE SENATE HEALTH & PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE.
SB 287, EXEMPT NM FROM STANDARD TIME,
sponsored by Sen Cliff Pirtle. SB 287, a companion bill to SB 191, was
heard in Senate Health Committee and received a DO PASS. SB 287 WAS
TABLED IN THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.
SB 10, ADDITIONAL 2021 INCOME TAX REBATES,
sponsored by Sen Benny Shendo Jr, Sen Christine Chandler, Sen Peter
Wirth, & Sen Javier Martinez. This bill proposes to provide tax
rebates of $750 for single filers and married individuals filing
separately & $1500 for married individuals filing joint returns,
head of household & surviving spouses. SB 10 PASSED THE SENATE TAX
& TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE AND WAS TABLED IN THE SENATE FINANCE
COMMITTEE.
SB 188, OFFICIAL STATE SMELL,
sponsored by Sen William Soules. This bill declares a state aroma. SB
188 received a DO PASS in the Senate Indian, Rural & Cultural
Health, Public Affairs & Senate Health Committee. SB 188 PASSED THE
SENATE AND HOUSE FLOOR AND AWAITS THE GOVERNOR'S SIGNATURE.
HB 217, 16- AND 17- YEARS OLDS AS QUALIFIED ELECTORS,
sponsored by Rep Christine Trujillo & Rep Kristine Ortez.
This bill would allow residents who are at least sixteen years of age
to vote in elections. HB 217 WAS TABLED IN THE HOUSE GOVERNMENT,
ELECTIONS, & INDIAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE.
NMAER Critical Legislation Summary