PERMANENT HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE

HB0287

HOUSE BILL 287

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2026

INTRODUCED BY

Elizabeth "Liz" Thomson
and
Javier Martínez

and
Joanne J. Ferrary
and
Reena Szczepanski

AN ACT

RELATING TO THE LEGISLATURE; INCREASING THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS
THAT COMPRISE THE LEGISLATIVE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
COMMITTEE; ASSIGNING DUTIES; PROVIDING FOR YEAR-ROUND STAFF;
REQUIRING PERSONS WHO RECEIVE STATE FUNDING TO COMPLY WITH
LEGISLATIVE REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION; ESTABLISHING THE
COMMITTEE'S POWER TO ADMINISTER OATHS AND ISSUE SUBPOENAS;
MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

SECTION 1.
Section 2-3-14.1 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1985,
Chapter 19, Section 1) is amended to read:

"2-3-14.1. STATE AGENCIES--REPORTS.--

A. No state agency shall submit or send to the
members of the legislature any material, other than proposed
legislation, in excess of five pages.

B. Nothing in this section shall limit the response
of any agency to a direct request of a legislator or group of
legislators [
nor
]
or
the submission of the executive budget.

C. All reports to the legislature by a state agency
shall be filed in duplicate with the legislative council
service, and such reports shall not be subject to the page
limitations of this section. The
legislative council
service
shall compile a list of the reports submitted prior to each
regular legislative session since the beginning of the previous
regular session, listing the title and agency [
and
].
The
legislative council service shall
distribute the list [
among
the
]
to
legislators during the first week of the session.

D. Any legislator may request any report
from any
person who receives money from the state
, including those
listed pursuant to Subsection C of this section. Upon such a
request, the state agency shall furnish the report to the
legislator.

E. Compliance by a state agency with Subsection C
of this section shall fulfill any requirement of a state agency
to report to the legislature, unless the requirement is
specifically exempted from the requirements of this section.

F. No state agency shall submit material bound
other than by staples unless the bulk or other qualities of the
material require other bindings; provided that, in all cases,
the most economical method of binding and packaging shall be
used.

G. For the purposes of this section, "state agency"
means any agency, division or instrumentality of the state, but
does not include political subdivisions and educational
institutions or any of the legislature's [
divsions
]
divisions
,
instrumentalities or committees."

SECTION 2.
Section 2-13-1 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1989,
Chapter 349, Section 1) is amended to read:

"2-13-1. CREATION OF COMMITTEE--MEMBERS--APPOINTMENT--TERMS.--

A.
There is created a permanent joint [
interim
]
committee of the legislature to be called the "legislative
health and human services committee". The committee shall be
composed of [
eight
]
twelve
members. [
The legislative council
shall appoint four
]
Six
members from the house of
representatives [
and four
]
shall be appointed by the speaker of
the house of representatives. Six
members from the senate [
At
the time of making the appointment, the legislative council
shall designate the chairman and vice chairman of the
committee
]
shall be appointed by the committees' committee of
the senate or, if the senate appointments are made in the
interim, by the president pro tempore of the senate after
consultation with and agreement of a majority of the members of
the committees' committee
. Members shall be appointed so as to
give the two major political parties in each house the same
proportionate representation on the committee as prevails in
each house; provided
that
in no event shall either of such
parties have less than one member from each house on the
committee. [
Members may be removed from the committee by the
legislative council, at the request of the committee chairman,
for nonattendance according to council policy.
] Vacancies on
the committee, however caused, may be filled [
by the
legislative council, or the council may reduce the size of the
committee by not making replacement appointments and in such
case need not readjust party representation
]
for the unexpired
term by appointment from the house of representatives or senate
by the respective appointing authority that makes the original
appointments and subject to the same recommendations; provided
that the new members shall be from the same house of the
legislature and the same party from which their predecessors
were appointed
. No action shall be taken by the committee if a
majority of the total membership from either house on the
committee rejects such action.

B. The chair and vice chair shall be appointed for
terms coterminous with their membership on the committee. The
chair and vice chair shall alternate between the respective
houses every two years. For the terms beginning in 2026, the
chair shall be a house member, and the vice chair shall be a
senate member. The appointing authority of each house shall
exercise its appointing authority by naming the chair and vice
chair, respectively, on this alternating basis.
"

SECTION 3.
Section 2-13-2 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1989,
Chapter 349, Section 2) is amended to read:

"2-13-2. DUTIES OF THE COMMITTEE.--The
legislative health
and human services
committee shall [
conduct a continuing study
of
]
monitor and oversee
the programs, agencies, policies,
issues and needs relating to health and human services,
including [
review and study
]
monitoring and oversight
of the
statutes, constitutional provisions, regulations and court
decisions governing such programs, agencies,
policies
and
issues. The committee shall also [
study
]
monitor and oversee

the full continuum of programs and services available and
needed for [
children families and the aging population
]
New
Mexico residents
. The committee shall make an annual report of
its findings and recommendations and recommend any necessary
legislation to each session of the legislature."

SECTION 4.
Section 2-13-5 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1989,
Chapter 349, Section 5) is amended to read:

"2-13-5. STAFF.--

A. The position of "director of the legislative
health and human services committee" is created. The director
shall be hired by the legislative health and human services
committee and shall serve at the pleasure of the committee.

The director shall be provided with the necessary office space,
supplies, equipment and assistance by the legislative council
service. The director's salary shall be set by the committee.

B.
The [
staff for the
]
legislative health and human
services
committee shall [
be provided by the legislative
council service
]
have a year-round staff assigned exclusively
to carrying out the duties of the committee. The director
shall hire the staff for the legislative health and human
services committee, which shall include individuals with
expertise in behavioral health, health equity, social justice,
law, policy or finance related to health care, including
behavioral health care, or human services
."

SECTION 5.
A new Section 2-13-7 NMSA 1978 is enacted to
read:

"2-13-7. [
NEW MATERIAL
] SUBPOENA POWER.--The legislative
health and human services committee may conduct hearings and
administer oaths. The legislative health and human services
committee may issue a subpoena to any agency or institution of
the state and its political subdivisions, any contractor
working on behalf of the state or its political subdivisions
and any entity that receives state funding upon a vote of a
majority of the members of the committee. The subpoena may be
enforced through any district court of the state. Process of
the committee shall be served by any sheriff or any member of
the New Mexico state police and shall be served without cost to
the committee or its subcommittees."

SECTION 6.
APPROPRIATION.--Five hundred thousand dollars
($500,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the
legislative council service for expenditure in fiscal years
2026 and 2027 to fund staffing for and the activities of the
legislative health and human services committee pursuant to
this act. Any unexpended balance remaining at the end of
fiscal year 2027 shall revert to the general fund.

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