Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed 211 bills into law from the 2023 legislative session, which ended two weeks ago. The deadline to sign bills into law ended on Friday April 7.
Some of these bills included highly-debated bills such as HB 547 which established tax code changes; HB 4 which codifies voter rights and protections including the addition of the Native American Voting Rights Act and HB 7 which provides protections for access to reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare Some additional bills include Bennie’s Bill, which makes a crime out of negligently providing a minor access to a firearm and HB 134 which provides menstrual products in school restrooms.
Other signed legislation included some environmentally-based bills including SB 72 which established a Wildlife Corridor Fund and SB 337 which established the Water Security Planning Act that authorizes the Interstate Stream Commission to issue funds via loans and grants to facilitate regional water planning.
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Lujan Grisham also signed another environmental bill, HB 142 which requires the New Mexico Environment Department and the state’s Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department to contract out a comprehensive study to determine the amount of environmental contamination to the lands and waters near the mine and generating facility.
Other legislation she signed includes five new special license plates, SB 21 which prohibits prescribed burns on red flag days and SB 392 which establishes youth programs through the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.
Thirteen of the bills that passed both the House and Senate were vetoed.
Those 13 bills were:
- HB 118 which would have established the Office of Entrepreneurship inside the Economic Development Department.
- HB 126 which would have reduced the minimum course requirements for high school graduation.
- HB 216 which would have expanded the Legislative Education Study Committee’s duty to study issues related to education. Lujan Grisham stated in her executive message about the veto that the bill would have duplicated studies already done by the LESC.
- HB 233 which would have created a board and commission division and an IT division in the Regulation and Licensing Department.
- HB 363 which would have established the Smokey Bear license plate.
- HB 512 which would have exempted counties from a requirement applicable to local public bodies for the sale or other disposal of public property.
- SB 2 which would have required salaries and benefits competitive with other states and private sector positions.
- SB 84 which would have set limits on the Parole Board courts related to incarcerations and sanctions for technical violations.
- SB 157 which would have appropriated $25 million to the City of Hobbs.
- SB 187 which would have eliminated felony convictions for non-distribution possession of illicit drugs or alcohol as prior felony convictions to enhance criminal sentences.
- SB 292 which would have appropriated $25 million to the City of Carlsbad.
- SB 382 which would have required the New Mexico Bioscience Authority to form partnerships with private investment organizations to get bioscience businesses to relocate to New Mexico by investing in those businesses.
- SB 464 which would have required the Outdoor Recreation Division of the Economic Development Department to promote agritourism.
