2026 NM Legislative Session

House Dems Pass Three More Healthcare Bills

Legislation helps create a more welcoming climate for doctors and improves legislative oversight for healthcare agencies and programs

Santa Fe, N.M. – Today, the New Mexico House of Representatives passed three more pieces of legislation to expand healthcare access and improve the climate for doctors in the state. 

House Bill 195 would protect the personal income and assets of insured healthcare providers in medical malpractice cases, by prohibiting collection of these personal assets as part of a judgement. The bill passed the House unanimously. 

Santa Fe, NM — Feb 13th on the House floor, House Democrats advanced HJR 5, a constitutional amendment that would allow legislators to receive a taxpayer-funded salary of up to $70,000 per year. House Republicans unanimously voted against the measure.

New Mexico families are living the consequences of failed leadership every day. Our state ranks at or near the bottom in education and child well-being. We are at or near the top in violent crime. Families wait months to see a doctor. Parents worry about whether their children are safe. Working families struggle to afford housing and groceries. While New Mexicans deal with these realities, House Democrats chose to prioritize a pay raise for themselves.

Santa Fe, NM - Today, Senate Republicans were unified in their disapproval of House Bill 2, the $11.1 billion FY27 appropriation for the State of New Mexico. Combined with the huge tax increases recently passed in Senate Bill 151, Democrats are again increasing government spending while further imposing taxes on struggling New Mexican families and businesses. With yet another increase from last year, this new budget is nearly 80% higher than it was before Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham took office in 2019. 

In response to the passage of HB 2, Senate Republican Leader Bill Sharer (R-Farmington)  has issued the following statement: 

Bipartisan bill would enhance​ removal process for the new State Wildlife Commission

Santa Fe, N.M. – Feb. 14, 2026– Today wildlife advocates celebrated the unanimous 69-0 vote in the New Mexico House of Representative approving SB104, a bill to reform the New Mexico State Wildlife Commission, which oversees the New Mexico Department of Wildlife. The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham after passing the Senate unanimously on Feb. 11. 

"We appreciate the legislature for finishing the important work of reforming our wildlife management system, and we thank the governor for working with our coalition to get us to this point," said Judy Calman, the New Mexico director of policy for Audubon Southwest. "With unanimous support in both chambers, we believe this bill deserves her signature."  

Santa Fe, NM — Today, HB99, critical medical malpractice reform legislation, passed the New Mexico House, taking a major step toward fixing the state's health care crisis.

New Mexico is the only state in the nation to lose doctors since 2019. Patients are waiting months for care or traveling out of state to see specialists. Years of failed policies by Democrats have driven providers away and made access to care worse.

House Republicans led the effort to advance HB 99 and push real solutions for patients.

Santa Fe, NM - Today, Senate Republicans were unified in their opposition of Senate Bill 241, the bill enacting Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's 'Universal' Childcare scheme. This deceptive and wildly expensive program is not just economically unsustainable, but is extremely susceptible to widespread fraud, waste, and abuse. 

Should this bill be signed by the Governor, New Mexico would provide 'free' childcare to, for example, a family of four earning nearly $200,000 annually. Today, families of four are already eligible for 'free' childcare if their income is below $132,000 annually. This broad expansion, being sold to New Mexicans as 'universal,' only benefits families in the upper-middle and upper class– our state's wealthiest families– at the expense of taxpayers. Furthermore, this colossal program lacks substantive oversight, exposing the state to potential exploitation by bad actors. Given New Mexico's track record, this is extremely concerning to Senate Republicans who stood strongly in opposition. 

SANTA FE – The Office of the State Engineer Water Violation Maximum Penalties bill, designed to modernize and strengthen the state's enforcement tools against illegal water use as scarcity intensifies across the state, passed in the House chamber today with a 51-3 vote.

HB 111 now heads to the Senate. The bill has bipartisan support, sponsored by Representatives Kristina Ortez and Andrea Romero in the House and Senators Liz Stefanics, James Townsend and President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart in the Senate.

HB 4 would allow the state to keep healthcare coverage affordable, while Congress allows marketplace insurance to skyrocket and federal cuts kick New Mexicans off Medicaid

Santa Fe, N.M. – Today, the New Mexico House of Representatives passed House Bill 4, which would increase distributions to the state's Healthcare Affordability Fund so the legislature can continue to keep healthcare coverage affordable for New Mexicans. The bill passed by a vote of 48-19 and now heads to the Senate.