PERMANENT HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE

SB0134

SENATE BILL 134

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

INTRODUCED BY

Linda M. López
and
Harold Pope
and
Shannon D. Pinto

and
Angel M. Charley
and
Martin Hickey

AN ACT

RELATING TO THE LEGISLATURE; CREATING A NEW PERMANENT
LEGISLATIVE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE; REPEALING AND
ENACTING SECTIONS OF THE NMSA 1978; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.

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

SECTION 1.
[
NEW MATERIAL
] CREATION OF COMMITTEE--MEMBERS--NUMBER--APPOINTMENT--TERM OF OFFICE.--

A. A permanent joint interim committee of the
legislature to be called the "legislative health and human
services committee" is created. The committee shall be
composed of ten members, four from the senate and six from the
house of representatives. Members of the house of
representatives and senate standing committees on health shall
be represented. The committee members shall be appointed for
two-year terms that shall expire on the first day of each
odd-year session. The term of a member shall terminate when
the member ceases to be a member of the legislature. Members
shall be appointed by the senate committees' committee or, if
the appointment is 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, and the
speaker of the house of representatives; provided that members
of a minority party shall be appointed by the speaker of the
house of representatives only from recommendations made by the
minority floor leader of the house of representatives, although
the speaker shall retain the right to reject any such
recommendations. Vacancies on the committee shall be filled
for the unexpired term by the respective appointing authority
that makes the original appointments and subject to the same
recommendations; provided that members shall be appointed from
the respective houses, parties and committees so as to maintain
the same number of house of representatives and senate members
and the same representation of standing committees as provided
in the original appointments. Each of the two parties having
the largest number of members in the legislature shall be
represented on the committee in proportion to the membership of
such party in each house; provided that in the computation,
major fractions shall be counted as whole numbers, and in no
event shall either of the two major parties have fewer than one
member from each house.

B. The chair and vice chair of the committee shall
be appointed for terms coterminous with their membership on the
committee. Each office shall be alternated between the
respective houses every two years. For the terms beginning in
2026, the chair shall be a senate member and the vice chair, if
any, shall be a house of representatives member, and the
officers appointed in 2026 shall serve only one year. The
appointing authority of each house shall exercise its
appointing authority by naming the chair or vice chair
respectively on this alternating basis.

C. An action shall not be taken by the committee if
a majority of the total membership from either house on the
committee rejects such action.

SECTION 2.
[
NEW MATERIAL
] DIRECTOR OF THE LEGISLATIVE
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE.--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 committee's
pleasure. The director shall be provided with the necessary
office space, supplies, equipment and assistants by the
committee. The director's salary shall be set by the
committee.

SECTION 3.
[
NEW MATERIAL
] DUTIES OF THE COMMITTEE.--

The legislative health and human services committee shall:

A. direct the work of the director of the
legislative health and human services committee;

B. conduct a continuing study of all health and
human services provided in New Mexico, the laws governing such
services and the policies and costs of the state's health and
human services system;

C. recommend changes in laws relating to the
provision of health and human services, if any are deemed
desirable, and draft and present to the legislature any
legislation necessary; and

D. make a full report of the committee's findings
and recommendations for the consideration of each odd-year
legislative session on or before the tenth day thereof and may
make additional reports as the committee deems necessary.

SECTION 4.
[
NEW MATERIAL
] COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS OF THE
COMMITTEE--STAFF TRAVEL.--The members of the legislative health
and human services committee shall receive reimbursement for
expenses for attending meetings or traveling in connection with
their duties in the same manner and under the same policies as
the New Mexico legislative council. The director of the
legislative health and human services committee and the
committee's staff shall be reimbursed for their travel expenses
in the same manner and amount as other state employees.

SECTION 5.
[
NEW MATERIAL
] EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS.--Payments
from funds appropriated for the use of the legislative health
and human services committee shall be made on vouchers signed
by the director of the legislative health and human services
committee or the director's designee subject to committee
approval.

SECTION 6.
[
NEW MATERIAL
] COMPLIANCE WITH REQUESTS FOR

INFORMATION.--Each agency or institution of the state and its

political subdivisions shall furnish and make available to the

legislative health and human services committee or any of its

subcommittees such documents, material or information not made

confidential by law and that are requested by the committee or

any of its subcommittees upon a majority vote of the respective
members of the committee or its subcommittees.

SECTION 7.
REPEAL.--Sections 2-13-1 through 2-13-5 NMSA
1978 (being Laws 1989, Chapter 349, Sections 1 through 3, Laws
2010, Chapter 24, Section 1 and Laws 1989, Chapter 349,
Sections 4 and 5) are repealed.

SECTION 8.
APPROPRIATION.--Five hundred thousand dollars
($500,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the
legislative council service for expenditure in fiscal year 2027
for the initial staffing for and 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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