A new state agency, and other New Mexico laws going into effect July 1

A stretch of the Rio Grande near the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, as seen from the upper level of the New Mexico Rail Runner. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source NM)

Several laws passed in the last two New Mexico legislative sessions went into effect Monday, July 1. They range from establishing a new state agency to shoring up election funding and the public safety workforce.

The New Mexico Health Care Authority is a new department meant to streamline the state’s health care system, expanding access to more residents. According to its transition plan , the authority will deal with health care purchasing, policy and regulation.

The state’s Human Services Department, which oversees Medicaid and social support programs like SNAP, is now part of the authority. But the new agency is “not merely a name change” of that one department, according to a letter from Secretary Kari Armijo. Certain teams from other state agencies will also move under the new roof, including the Employee Benefits Bureau from the General Services Department, the Health Care Affordability Fund team from the Office of the Superintendent of Insurance, and the Department of Health’s Division of Health Improvement and Developmental Disabilities Supports Division.

In this general election year, another new law will see that the state’s elections are better funded. It ensures the state’s Election Fund is reimbursed for however much an election costs to run, or $15 million, whichever is less. The law may help stem recent high turnover among election officials.

Another sector struggling with an employee shortage is public safety, including law enforcement. Two new laws aim to provide some relief.

One expands which officers can receive bonuses from the Law Enforcement Retention Fund for hitting certain milestones. It amends an existing law to give bonuses for completing five, 10, 15, or 20 years on the force. It also gives officers who have worked for more than 21 years annual bonuses. Officers who transferred departments during their career are also now eligible.

The other new law meant to bolster the sector allows public safety retirees to return to work for up to three years while continuing to collect their pensions. They must work in an eligible position, which includes police officers or sheriff’s deputies, corrections officers, courthouse security, and emergency medical responders like dispatchers, paramedics, and firefighters among others.

Other key laws that went into effect July 1, 2024:

• House Bill 298 establishes the Service Members and Veterans Suicide Prevention Program under the Veterans’ Services Department. It also requires annual reports on the program’s efforts and barriers.
• Senate Bill 37 allows the New Mexico Livestock Board to re-establish a state meat inspection program after the U.S. Department of Agriculture took over the state program in 2007 due to “repetitive noncompliance with federal standards.”

• House Bill 139 eliminates court fees and expands the definition of community service . It also allows courts to waive fees charged before July 1, 2024.

• Senate Bill 153 increases funding to the Early Childhood Education and Care Fund by $95 million. According to a fiscal analysis , the bump should mean the fund hits $250 million this fiscal year, rather than the previously projected $155 million.

• Senate Bill 116 changes the Tobacco Permanent Fund from a state reserve fund for lean financial years into one that is invested and better able to provide stable funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs . The fund is made up of money the state gets from a settlement with tobacco companies.

Germane in the membrane: Track the bills introduced by the 2024 New Mexico Legislature

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