Nearly two dozen pieces of legislation advanced through chamber votes or committee hearings in the New Mexico Legislature over the weekend.
The House of Representatives on Friday night passed , known as the Immigrant Safety Act, which would prohibit state agencies and local governments from entering into agreements used to detain people for violations of , and would require any existing agreements to end as soon as possible.
The legislation still needs to pass through the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee before reaching a vote in the full Senate.
鈥淏ehind each detention bed is a human being鈥攑arents separated from children, workers torn from their communities, and asylum seekers who fled violence only to face new trauma in detention,鈥� Director of Policy and Coalition Building Jessica Martinez said in a statement. 鈥淏y passing the Immigrant Safety Act, the House has chosen to stand on the right side of history. We urge the Senate to act swiftly to complete this important work and end New Mexico鈥檚 complicity in this harmful system.鈥�
On Saturday, the House passed , which would expand community-based services already provided to young people exiting juvenile detention to include children and young adults in the Children, Youth and Families Department鈥檚 custody; and extend how long someone remains on supervised release from juvenile detention.
鈥淓vidence shows us that focusing on intervention and rehabilitation will lead to better outcomes for our children, while addressing the root causes of juvenile crime in our state,鈥� lead sponsor Rep. Liz Thomson (D-Albuquerque) said in a statement. 鈥淗B 255 helps us guide our at-risk youth down a better path, by providing them with key resources proven to be more effective at deterring crime and reducing recidivism than punitive measures alone.鈥�
On Saturday morning, the Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee passed , which would align mileage reimbursements for lawmakers and their staff with the U.S. General Service Administration rate; a substitute version of , which would require the Motor Vehicle Division to distribute to other state agencies鈥� organ donor application materials; , which would regulate firearms and destructive devices under consumer protection law; , which would make confidential photographs taken by medical investigators; , which would create a special license plate for New Mexico鈥檚 professional soccer team, New Mexico United; , which would raise the threshold for when a state agency needs to seek competitive bids on a contract; , which would allow the State Investment Council to spend more on the Private Equity Investment Program; , which would set aside $5 million for grants to nonprofits providing affordable or transitional housing and other services for homeless people; and , which would allow the State Investment Council to make zero-interest loans to film production companies.
The Senate Finance Committee on Saturday morning passed , which would establish a program for medicinal use of .
Later on Saturday, the Senate passed , which would set aside $24 million for preparing sites for business development; , which would ensure potential search-and-rescue incidents are reported to the Department of Public Safety; and , which would provide property insurance to homeowners and businesses who struggle to get private insurance due to high risks from things like wildfires.
The Senate unanimously passed , which would require the Public Education Department to track all school-aged people who haven鈥檛 graduated from high school within four years from entering ninth grade; , which would prohibit prior authorization or step therapy, when insurance companies and pharmacy benefit management companies refuse to cover a specific drug until after the patient has tried cheaper alternatives, for off-label medications or therapies for rare diseases; and , which would allow all licensed social workers to provide telehealth services.
On Saturday afternoon, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed , which would allow certified nurse anesthetists to practice independently; , which would remove the need for gaming machines to meet standards set by Nevada and New Jersey and instead require them to meet standards set by the state; , which would set aside $20 million for civil legal services to low-income people; , which would strengthen background checks for Gaming Control Board contractors; and , which would allow early discharge for people who comply with probation and makes other changes to parole.
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