SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – In 2023, lawmakers passed more than 200 bills into law in New Mexico. They cover a wide range of issues and topics, but not all of them go into effect immediately.
A few of the new laws have already gone into effect. That includes funding to help communities recover from last year’s Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon wildfire. Also already in effect are changes to the state’s public records rules and a law that bans prescribed burns during red flag warnings.
Many of the new laws will go into effect in June 2023. For example, the new law aiming to prevent children from getting access to guns goes into effect on June 16. The bill to raise the minimum pay for education assistants also goes into effect on June 16. And New Mexico gets an official state aroma in June.
Here’s a list of some of the new laws going into effect in June:
- A new law to help cover the cost of breast exams
- A law to help people keep their driver’s licenses even if they fail to appear in court
- A law aimed at preventing public bodies from discriminating against people for accessing reproductive healthcare
- A law to create permanent funding for conservation projects across the state
- A law requiring menstrual products in some school bathrooms
July will also bring new laws to the books. For example, a new law will allow small communities to join together in order to supply water to residents. A new law to set aside funds to build wildlife corridors will also go into effect in July.
Here’s a list of some of the new laws going into effect in July 2023:
- A new law to let all children in public schools access free lunch programs
- A new law to reorganize the state’s probate courts
- Several new laws will let the state issue special license plates, such as plates supporting driver safety
- A law to expand outdoor youth programs offered through the Department of Game and Fish.
- A law requiring the Environment Department and the Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department to plan a cleanup of the land around the San Juan Generating Station
Still, other laws created this year will go into effect even later. For example, a law to create a “Marketing Excellence Bureau” at the state’s Tourism Department will go into effect in mid-2024. And a law to move some transportation-related responsibilities from the Public Regulation Commission to the Department of Transportation will also go into effect in 2024.
