2025 New Mexico Legislative Session — That’s a Wrap!
The 2025 New Mexico Legislative Session concluded on March 22. Our staff spent many hours inside the Roundhouse working with community partners and speaking with our Senators and Representatives. The annual session is a great opportunity to introduce and advocate for bills that can make a real difference for our communities and that advance environmental, reproductive, and gender justice.
These are the bills we prioritized and followed closely this year:
CELEBRATION!
HB 214 Doula Credentialing and Access Act
This legislation will improve access to affordable, culturally humble, and affirming doula care for all communities in New Mexico. The bill was passed by the House and Senate, and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed it into law on March 21, 2025. HB 214 requires the Secretary of Health to make public rules to establish a voluntary credentialing process to allow doulas to enroll as Medicaid providers, to appoint a doula credentialing advisory council, and to establish a process for collaboration among state agencies, local government entities, and private entities for sharing information regarding services provided by credentialed doulas. Read more…
HB 128 Local Solar Access Fund
This fund will issue planning and implementation grants to Tribes, Counties, Municipalities, School Districts, and Land Grants for solar and storage projects to power public buildings like community centers, libraries, schools, and fire stations, and infrastructure like water, wastewater, and street lighting. HB 128 was passed by the House and Senate, and is now awaiting the Governor’s signature. Read more…
SB 41 Turquoise Alert System
This bill will ensure that family members and friends of Native Americans that go missing receive timely and effective responses from law enforcement, media, and public networks. SB 41 was unanimously passed by the House and Senate, and is now awaiting the Governor’s signature. Read more…
A MIXED WIN
HB 137 Strategic Water Supply
This bill establishes a $40 million program for removing the salt from less drinkable aquifers and $19 million to map how much water is available beneath the ground. HB 137 was passed by the House and Senate. The worst part of the bill was removed over the course of the legislative session, thanks to the tireless education and advocacy by New Energy Economy and other environmental justice groups including TWU. Our concern was that the original version of HB 137 included the re-use of “produced water” – wastewater from oil and gas production — and that no scientific standards have been developed to protect human health and the environment from the use of such wastewater. This provision was removed, but there are still concerns over the final bill. Read more…
WE’LL KEEP TRYING IN FUTURE YEARS
SB 258 Comprehensive Sexual Education
This bill would have ensured that all New Mexico youth have access to comprehensive sexual health education: education that is medically accurate, age appropriate, trauma informed, and inclusive. SB 258 was heard in several committees but didn’t make it to the Senate floor for a vote.
SB 404 Healthcare Privacy Protections
This bill would have protected reproductive health info, gender-affirming care details, and abortion and contraception records. No data could be shared without a patient’s explicit consent. SB 404 was heard in several committees but didn’t make it to the Senate floor for a vote.
HB 11 Paid Family Medical Leave
This bill would have required an employer to allow an employee to take up to a combined total of 12 weeks of family leave, medical leave, safe leave and qualifying exigency leave during any application year. HB 11 was passed by the House but didn’t make it to the Senate for a vote.
HB 35 Children’s Health Protection Zones
This bill would have required a one-mile health setback for new oil and gas facilities and additional pollution controls, monitoring, and reporting from oil and gas facilities currently within the proposed health buffer zone. HB 35 was heard in several committees but didn’t make it to the House floor for a vote.
Tewa Women United is grateful to all our community partners for all your leadership and efforts during this legislative session, and to everyone who participated in this session through your phone calls, emails, and testimonies. Your voice helps to create Beloved Community!
