New Mexico legislative session: Which bills passed?

Photo by Laura Paskus

A look at successful and failed pieces of legislation

​By Lauren Lifke
Courtesy of NM Political Report

The 60-day New Mexico legislative session came to an end Saturday, with controversy over lawmakers’ urgency to pass public safety bills. A shooting in Las Cruces on the last day of the session prompted Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to inform lawmakers that there will likely be a special legislative session later in the year. Lujan Grisham has signed 22 bills into law so far this year, with more awaiting her signature. Here’s a look at the outcome of some of the bills NM Political Report has been covering.
Passed through House and Senate Chambers

• House Bill 66, sponsored by Rep. Pamelya Herndon, D-Albuquerque, sought to increase workers’ compensation payouts for both employees and attorneys. Lujan Grisham signed the bill into law March 21.
• Senate Bill 124, sponsored by Sen. Katy Duhigg, D-Albuquerque, passed the House and Senate and awaits a signature from the governor. The bill would give the superintendent of insurance the authority to issue subpoenas on a broader timeline than in the current law.

Failed to pass the Legislature

• House Bill 72, sponsored by Rep. Eleanor Chavez, D-Albuquerque, would require minimum nursing staff-to-patient ratios in hospitals. The bill made it to the House floor, but it wasn’t heard before the session ended. 
• HB 15, sponsored by Rep. Marianna Anaya, D-Albuquerque, was also awaiting a vote before the clock ran out. The bill sought to bring more healthcare workers to New Mexico. It passed four committees and the House Chamber before heading to the Senate floor, where it died awaiting a hearing.

• House Bill 80, sponsored by Rep. Liz Thomson, D-Albuquerque, aimed to prevent discriminatory car insurance rates. The bill passed one committee before the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee tabled it on March 3.
• Similar to HB 72, House Bill 138, sponsored by Rep. Kathleen Cates, D-Rio Rancho, sought to ensure specific staffing ratios in hospitals throughout the state. Support for the bill was divided along party lines, and it passed two committees before stalling on Feb. 10. 
• House Bill 263, sponsored by Thomson, would have mandated hospital pricing transparency. It cleared its first committee unanimously but was never heard after Feb. 14. 

Stalled in Senate committees

• House Bill 11, sponsored by Rep. Christine Chandler, D-Los Alamos, gained traction throughout the session in lawmakers’ third attempt to pass a bill of its kind in as many years. It would have allowed for paid family and medical leave for employees throughout New Mexico. It passed three committees, with amendments, before stalling in the Senate Finance committee after March 10.
• Senate Bill 14, sponsored by  Duhigg, would have provided state oversight of hospital purchases by private companies. It made it through one committee on Feb. 12 before stalling in the Senate Judiciary Committee
• SB 176, sponsored by Sen. Martin Hickey, D-Albuquerque, would have loweredthe caps for payouts that attorneys receive for medical malpractice lawsuits. It died before being heard in a committee.