The 2025 New Mexico State Legislature convened for a 60-day session on Tuesday, marking the 57th session.
Like most years, there is a lot of territory to cover and lawmakers began submitting prefiles, or proposals, on Jan. 3, ahead of the upcoming session, hoping to get their bills passed. As of Jan. 16, there are approximately 68 prefiles submitted by lawmakers, to include four by District 5 Sen. Leo Jaramillo, D-Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval and Santa Fe counties.
“This session, I am hopeful to bring awareness to grandparents raising grandchildren,” he said. “A major issue brought to my attention is that grandparents who don’t have legal guardianship over the grandchildren they are raising cannot access state funding or enroll them in state-funded programs.”
He will work on finding a solution to this problem and will also work closely with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle on legislation to address mental health, public safety, housing, education, and protecting the environment.
“I will be allocating funds to city, county and pueblo governing bodies in Rio Arriba to be used for capital projects,” Jaramillo said. “I will also be allocating funds in support of acequias, land grants, mutual water domestics, local school districts, senior programs, law enforcement, and fire departments.”
In addition, Jaramillo is hoping to get a law passed that will give New Mexico drivers the option to have a “Lowrider Capital of the World” license plate on their vehicle, showing their support for the lowrider culture, while benefiting the Española Lowrider Museum.
Below is a list of the legislation that Jaramillo is sponsoring, along with an explanation of each, which he provided.
Protecting
Vulnerable Adults from
Financial
Exploitation Act
“The bill would amend the current Protecting Vulnerable Adults from Financial Exploitation Act and is supported by the Securities Division of the Regulation and Licensing Department, in conjunction with the Aging and Long Term Services Department. The bill would extend the time period in which the securities industry may delay a transaction or disbursement when financial exploitation is suspected. The current law allows for a maximum delay of 25 business days when financial exploitation is suspected; the proposal will be to extend the permissible delay period to 55 business days.”
Parole Board
Modernization
“The bill would ensure the introduction the best evidence-based practices in the parole process. The parole board’s current review process relies on outdated considerations proven to have little impact on risk and public safety. The proposed reforms would update the guidance, requiring the board to evaluate individuals’ efforts to invest in their own growth and rehabilitation while in prison. This change would ensure parole decisions reflect meaningful indicators of rehabilitation. The bill would also ensure considerate scheduling of parole hearings. Currently, parole hearings often align with the anniversary of the offense because parole eligibility is based on years into the sentence. This timing can place an emotional strain on those affected by the crime. In cases involving loss of life, the bill would require that the parole board avoid scheduling parole hearings on the birth or death date of the victim.”
DD Waiver Funding
“The Developmental Disabilities (DD) Waiver program also known in New Mexico as the ‘traditional DD waiver’ is designed to provide services and support that assist eligible children and adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) to participate as active members of their communities. The DD Waiver is one of several waivers available in New Mexico. The program serves as an alternative to institutional care. Early Childhood Education and Care Department requested a supplemental appropriation of $1.1 million to adjust the rescinded Family Infant Toddler Program rate increases for the 4th quarter of FY25. The bill requests $3.3 million to fund quarters 2, 3 and 4 of FY 25. The first quarter was partially paid from July 1 through Aug. 18. Requesting funding for quarters 2, 3 and 4 will be easier to determine and less confusing.”
Santa Cruz Land Grant
“This bill will recognize the Santa Cruz Land Grant as a political subdivision of the state. By doing so, the land grant can receive state funding.”
Lowrider Capital of
the World License Plate
“The bill will allow the MVD to issue a standardized Lowrider Capital of the World special registration plate with a logo indicating that the recipient supports New Mexican Lowrider Culture. A portion of the proceeds from the licenses plate fee will be available to the Española Lowrider Museum.”
Regional Transit
Law Enforcement
“The bill would authorize the Regional Transit District (Blue Bus) to employ district law enforcement officers who will have the powers of peace officers on all property, trucks, rights of way, easements, vehicles, buses, and facilities owned, leased, licensed, maintained or operated by the district.”
Homeowners Insurance
“The intent of the bill is to require homeowners’ insurance policies to cover losses caused by mudflow, debris flow, mudslide, landslide, or other similar events if the facts establish that a covered peril within the policy, such as wildfire, is the proximate cause of such mudflow, etc. For example, if a fire has decimated a hillside and destabilizes the ground, and water saturates the soil causing a mudflow or debris flow to damage a home, the insurer is to provide coverage for such damage. However, coverage will not be required when the covered peril (ex. wildfire) is only a remote cause of the damage.”
Other lawmakers submitted prefiles to include District 6 Senator Roberto “Bobby” J. Gonzales, D-Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe and Taos counties and Rep. Cynthia Borrego, D-Bernalillo, who co-sponsored a Senate Joint Resolution “proposing to amend Article 20 of the Constitution of New Mexico by adding a new section to prohibit the expenditure or encumbrance of trust funds created for public employees retiree health care for any purpose except for the sole and exclusive benefit of the trust beneficiaries; providing for the administration of the trust funds; affirming certain property rights.”
District 22 Senator Benny Shendo, D-Bernalillo, McKinley, Rio Arriba, San Juan and Sandoval submitted a Senate Bill “relating to public education; enacting the state-tribal education compact schools act; providing authorization to the public education department to enter into state-tribal education compacts; providing for the application process of becoming a state-tribal education compact school; providing rulemaking authority; providing requirements for the operation of state-tribal education compact schools; exempting state-tribal education compact schools from certain state statutes and rules; providing reporting requirements; allowing state-tribal education compact schools to receive state and federal funding; allowing for employment preferences and admissions prioritization; including state-tribal education compact schools in the public school capital outlay act.”