2025 NM Legislative Scorecard
The following scorecard lists several key votes in the New Mexico Legislature in 2025 and ranks state representatives and senators based on their fidelity to (U.S.) constitutional and limited-government principles.
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Senate Votes
HB458 enacts the Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Stewardship Act, which authorizes the transfer of carbon capture sequestration facilities, and long-term storage responsibilities to the state, and creates a long-term storage fund.
The New Mexico Senate passed HB458 March 22, 2025 by a vote of 26 to 11. We have assigned pluses to the nays because carbon capture programs intended to combat "climate change” align closely with the UN’s “Agenda 2030,” undermining national sovereignty and individual liberty. States should reject UN environmental agendas that erode U.S. sovereignty. Additionally, the underground CO2 storage endangers the security of water resources, and communities, due to the long-term monitoring and storage requirements of carbon sequestration storage sites.
HB77 enacts a new section of the Public Assistance Act requiring the New Mexico Health Care Authority to develop annual state outreach plans for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The authority must submit these plans to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, and seek maximum federal matching funds.
The New Mexico Senate passed HB77 on March 21, 2025 by a vote of 36 to 0. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this legislation increases state acceptance of the federal SNAP program. Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution does not authorize the federal government to create food assistance programs. By aligning with federal SNAP requirements and relying on federal matching funds, HB77 entangles New Mexico in federal regulations and undermines state authority over public policy.
HB12 amends the Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order Act to allow law-enforcement officers to file petitions for firearm protection orders based on information collected during official duties, and from reporting parties. Petitions must include a statement supporting the belief of "imminent danger." Respondents are required to surrender all firearms immediately upon service of a extreme-risk firearm protection order.
The New Mexico Senate passed HB12 on March 17, 2025 by a vote of 23 to 15. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this legislation allows law enforcement to confiscate firearms without due process, violating the Second Amendment and undermining individual liberty by allowing subjective assessments of “imminent danger” to authorize firearm confiscations. The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution explicitly protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. State governments must reject laws that infringe on God-given, constitutionally protected rights.
SB364 amends New Mexico law to expand eligibility for law-enforcement-officer appointments to noncitizens. The bill allows DACA recipients and non-citizens authorized to work by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to serve as law enforcement officers in New Mexico.
The New Mexico Senate passed SB364 on March 13, 2025 by a vote of 26 to 12. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this legislation undermines public safety and national security by expanding law-enforcement eligibility to noncitizens. While the 10th Amendment reserves to the states the authority to regulate law enforcement qualifications, this power should be exercised in a manner that upholds the integrity of law enforcement. Allowing noncitizens to exercise police power and authority over citizens as law-enforcement officers undermines public trust in law enforcement and raises concerns about allegiance and accountability.
SB38 enacts the Special Education Act, which creates the Office of Special Education within the Public Education Department. This legislation transfers federal funding for preschool special education to the Early Childhood Education and Care Department. It mandates evaluations and screenings for disabilities, as well as research-based or evidence-based interventions. Additionally, this legislation mandates the inclusion of students with disabilities in all educational programs and activities and monitors their academic and nonacademic progress.
The New Mexico Senate passed SB38 on February 27, 2025 by a vote of 31 to 7. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this legislation expands public-education bureaucracy and increases government involvement in education, infringing on local control and parental rights. The bill’s alignment with federal mandates increases federal oversight in New Mexico, reducing state sovereignty.
SB48 creates the Community Benefit Fund in the state treasury, administered by the Department of Finance and Administration, to fund “climate change” projects to reduce combustion-engine vehicle use and greenhouse-gas emissions, increase electric grid capacity, increase electricity from renewable energy resources, and support electric-vehicle charging infrastructure. Projects under this bill focus on supporting “overburdened communities” affected by environmental challenges.
The New Mexico Senate passed SB48 on February 25, 2025 by a vote of 23 to 15. We have assigned pluses to the nays because climate-change programs aligned with the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, undermine national sovereignty and expand government bureaucracy. The bill’s focus on climate-change initiatives reduces state autonomy and prioritizes ideological goals, states should reject UN environmental agendas that infringe on economic freedom and local control.
