New Mexico Votes

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.

Enacts a new section of the Public Assistance Act requiring the New Mexico Health Care Authority to develop annual state outreach plans, and seek maximum matching funds from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Amends the Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order Act to allow law-enforcement officers to file petitions for firearm protection orders, requiring respondents to surrender all firearms immediately.

Amends New Mexico law to expand eligibility for law-enforcement-officer appointments to noncitizens. The bill allows illegal aliens to serve as law-enforcement officers in New Mexico.

Enacts the Special Education Act, which creates the Office of Special Education within the Public Education Department. This legislation transfers federal funding to the Early Childhood Education and Care Department.

Creates the Community Benefit Fund in the state treasury, administered by the Department of Finance and Administration, to fund "climate change" projects.

Establishes a Clean Transportation Fuel Standard to reduce the "carbon intensity" of transportation fuels used in the state.

Modifies the Opportunity Enterprise Revolving Loan Fund, enabling it to support housing infrastructure and workforce development projects.

Established the "New Mexico Match Fund," a non-reverting fund within the state treasury.

Enacts the state's General Appropriation Act for fiscal year 2025, allocating funding across multiple sectors.

Increases the annual transfer to the Early Childhood Education and Care Program Fund from $150 million to $250 million.

Prohibits the possession of firearms within specific distances of polling places during elections.

Allows illegal aliens under 21 years of age to apply for "Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ)" classification in children's court and seek "lawful permanent residence" in the U.S. if it is in their "best interests" due to "abuse, neglect, abandonment, or similar circumstances."

Makes it a crime for a person to purchase or transfer any firearm "for, on behalf of or at the request or demand of" another person who is a "felon" or "intends to use, carry, possess, sell, or otherwise transfer" a firearm "in furtherance of a felony or misdemeanor."

Considers "reproductive health care," such as "abortion," as well as "gender affirming health care," to be a "protected health care activity," which shall not be subject to certain civil or criminal liability or professional disciplinary action.

Expands "free" meals to all public, charter, and private school students attending schools that participate in the national school breakfast and lunch programs.

Would establish a "chief diversity officer" for New Mexico, along with a "workforce diversity and inclusion council," and direct state agencies to address the problem of "institutional racism."

Eliminates life imprisonment, without release or parole, for juvenile murderers.

Increases the minimum starting pay of the state's public school teachers by $10,000.

Appropriates funds to the drinking water state revolving loan fund, the wastewater facility construction loan fund, and the cultural affairs facilities infrastructure fund.

Increases the affordability of energy utilities to low-income communities by creating a program to increase energy efficiency in low-income homes.

Makes recurring general fund appropriations for fiscal year 2023 of $8.48 billion, up 13.9 percent from 2022.

Makes college tuition-free for most New Mexicans and establishes the most wide-reaching tuition-free scholarship program in the United States.

Offers tax incentives to fuel producers to encourage lower-carbon fuel production and requires fuel producers to meet certain requirements and emission caps intended to reduce air pollution from the transportation sector.