New Mexico’s 50th legislative session begins today and will focus primarily on the state’s budget. More than 100 bills, memorials and resolutions have been pre-filed for considerations during this year’s 30-day session and big changes could be in store for UNM, driver’s license and voter ID issuing, and DWI laws.
Here’s a breakdown of bills to watch:
UNM-related bills:
House Bill 35- relates to the Open Meetings Act and requires agendas for public meetings to be available to the public at least 72 hours before the start of the meeting.
Senate Bill 16- creates the State Graduate Employment Tax Credit, which is meant to help college graduates in New Mexico secure full-time employment at least 18 months after they graduate. The measure would allow employers to claim a $5,000 tax credit of the gross wages paid to each of their full-time employees who meets the bill’s requirements.
Senate Bill 21- seeks to create the Energy Technology Higher Education Endowment Fund, which would fund the curriculum, teaching, research, development and commercialization of energy technologies that increase energy efficiency.
Senate Bill 49- seeks to allow home-schooled students who complete nationally accredited school curriculums to receive the legislative lottery scholarship.
Senate Joint Memorial 3- asks that the New Mexico Legislative Council create a two-year interim legislative higher education committee to address higher education issues across the state, such as coordinating degrees across institutional lines and faculty and staff benefits and compensation.
Health care:
House Bill 51- known as The Parental Notification Rights Act, would prevent physicians from performing abortions on minors until at least 48 hours after the minor’s parents have received written notice. Parental notification is currently not required to perform an abortion.
Senate Bill 6- creates the New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange as a nonprofit public corporation to provide qualified individuals and qualified employers with increased access to health insurance.
Senate Bill 7- amends the Public Assistance Act to allow for the creation of a basic health program for certain individuals not eligible for Medicaid.
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Senate Bill 13- enacts “Caylee’s law,” which makes the failure to report the disappearance or death of a child a crime. Similar bills to enact a “Caylee’s Law” will be brought before state legislatures across the country. The bill is named after Caylee Anthony, a little girl who police said was missing for weeks before they were notified, and who was eventually found dead. The girl’s mother, Casey Anthony, was tried with first degree murder last year and found not guilty.
Other bills of interest:
House Bill 44- seeks to increase the punishment for second degree murder from 15 years in prison to 25 years.
House Memorial 2- requests that the New Mexico Supreme Court change rules regarding the admission of lawyers to the State Bar. If passed, lawyers would no longer be required to take the State Bar Examination and could, instead, be granted an “admission by motion” to the State Bar if they have practiced law for five out of the past seven years and meet the state’s character requirements.
