New Mexico Legislative Session Addresses Healthcare Access & Stability
A recent special session of the New Mexico legislature focused on bolstering healthcare access and financial stability for residents. Lawmakers passed three key bills – Senate Bill 1, Senate Bill 2, and Senate Bill 3 – addressing critical needs across the state.
Rural Healthcare Support: Senate Bill 1 allocates $50 million from the general fund to the Rural Health Care Delivery Fund. This funding, also included in House Bill 1, aims to stabilize healthcare services in rural and underserved areas facing potential reductions or closures. The legislation expands eligibility for grants to include providers in federally designated high-needs health professional shortage areas and tribally operated facilities, beyond the previous population limit of counties under 100,000. Grants will support both the continuation of existing essential services and the launch of new ones.
Competency Proceedings: Senate Bill 2 restores the authority of metropolitan court judges to preside over criminal competency proceedings. This reverses a prior change enacted earlier in 2025 that had shifted all such cases to district courts. The bill is an emergency measure and takes effect immediately, intended to alleviate administrative burdens on district courts and improve access to behavioral health services.
Vaccine Access & Coverage: Senate Bill 3 amends the Vaccine Purchasing Act, granting the Department of Health (DOH) greater flexibility in procuring vaccines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, following DOH review. Previously, DOH was restricted from purchasing certain vaccines without finalized recommendations from the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The bill also allows DOH to consider guidance from professional medical organizations when setting school vaccination requirements and to recommend adult immunizations.
Furthermore, Senate Bill 3 mandates that health insurance plans cover DOH-recommended vaccines without cost-sharing and clarifies the definition of “child care” to include licensed facilities under the Early Childhood Education and Care Department. Existing vaccine exemptions remain unchanged. While the bill passed, it did not achieve the two-thirds majority needed for immediate implementation. As an inevitable result, the DOH must wait 90 days before utilizing the Vaccine Purchasing Program to acquire COVID-19 vaccines for children, impacting the over 320 healthcare providers statewide who rely on this program.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham expressed disappointment with the Republican opposition to immediate implementation of Senate Bill 3,stating,”There is no good reason for Republicans to make New Mexicans wait 90 days for vaccines they need to protect their health.”
Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth highlighted the sessionS success in addressing critical needs, saying, “New Mexico families will keep food on their tables, rural hospitals will have resources to continue serving their communities, and more people will be able to keep their health insurance as costs rise and federal subsidies disappear.”
house Speaker Javier Martínez echoed this sentiment, stating, “This special session was about protecting New Mexico families from real and immediate harms that endanger their ability to access healthcare and put food on their tables.”
