SANTA FE — The New Mexico Senate on Friday approved three of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s priority bills for the 30-day legislative session, moving them to the House of Representatives for consideration.

The bills would authorize medical licensing compacts, establish a $1.5 billion transportation bonding package and modernize the definition of “harm to self and others,” a key component of the governor’s public safety agenda.

“Senate passage of these critical pieces of legislation during the first week of the 30-day session is an important early win,” Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said. “I’m grateful to Majority Leader Peter Wirth for prioritizing these bills, and to all senators who voted in support. Hopefully, the House will consider these bills without delay and send them to my desk so I can sign them into law for the benefit of all New Mexicans.”

SB 1: Medical licensing compacts

Proposed by Gov. Lujan Grisham and sponsored by Senators Linda Trujillo, Katy M. Duhigg, Nicole Tobiassen and Representatives Pamelya Herndon and Marian Matthews. Senate Bill 1 would authorize inter-state medical licensing compacts to license qualified physicians more simply and quickly while preserving state regulatory authority.

Forty-three states, including those bordering New Mexico, participate in the licensure compacts. The compacts are part of a broader effort by the Lujan Grisham Administration to ease physician workforce shortages across the state.

SB 2: $1.5 billion transportation bonding package
Proposed by Gov. Lujan Grisham and sponsored by Senators Pete Campos, Roberto “Bobby” J. Gonzales, George K. Muñoz, Benny Shendo, Jr. and Representative Art De La Cruz, Senate Bill 2 would authorize up to $1.5 billion in transportation bonds to fund major state road projects, better leverage federal funds and free up general fund dollars for local improvements for years to come.

The legislation, a reintroduction of 2025’s HB 145, grants the State Transportation Commission authority to issue bonds over multiple years to stabilize funding for critical state road and bridge projects. The bonds would fund projects included in the State Transportation Improvement Plan and require annual legislative reporting. The bonding package would generate at least $70 million each year in new, recurring revenue without raising fuel taxes.

The legislation aims to address New Mexico’s $7.5 billion transportation funding shortfall. A January 2026 report by TRIP, a national transportation research organization, found that 56% of state and local roads in New Mexico are in poor or mediocre condition, costing drivers $3.3 billion each year in vehicle repairs, fuel consumption and lost time.

“New Mexicans deserve roads and bridges that are safe, reliable and built to last — and that takes sustained investment,” said Lujan Grisham. “This bill gives us the tools to get major projects done in all corners of the state, while providing more stability for the hard-working New Mexicans who build our roads. We’re making a long-term commitment to our infrastructure because our economy and our communities depend on it.”

The bonding bill establishes a three-part revenue package: a 35% increase to the weight distance tax, which would generate $37.8 million each year from heavy commercial vehicles, a 25% increase to vehicle registration fees, which would generate $31.4 million each year and a new electric and hybrid vehicle surcharge, which would generate $700,000 each year. The proposed rates have been developed in consultation with legislators and relevant stakeholders, including the New Mexico Trucking Association. The new revenue will flow into the state road fund, covering debt service on the bonds.

SB 3: Definition of harm to self and others
Senate Bill 3, proposed by Gov. Lujan Grisham and sponsored by Senators Antonio Maestas, Crystal Brantley, Pete Campos and Representative Pamelya Herndon, would amend the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code and the Assisted Outpatient Treatment Act by redefining “harm to self” and “harm to others.” The bill would clarify the definition of harm to self to include an individual’s lack of capacity to make decisions related to self-care, such as food, shelter, medical care and protection from serious injury or death. It would also update the definition of harm to others to focus on recent conduct that creates a substantial risk of serious bodily harm that is likely to be repeated.

The bill would establish a more workable legal standard for intervention for individuals experiencing severe mental illness who are at high risk of harming themselves or others. Under current law, intervention is often delayed until a person reaches imminent danger or experiences repeated hospitalization, incarceration or significant deterioration. SB 3 allows doctors, courts, law enforcement and close family members to petition earlier for Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) using clear, defined legal criteria rather than crisis-based thresholds. AOT is a supervised, community-based mental health treatment option that allows individuals to remain in the community while receiving outpatient services.

SB 3 would provide courts with clearer, statewide statutory guidance and does not expand confinement or reduce due process protections. Instead, it shifts the focus from speculative future behavior to recent conduct that demonstrates a risk of harm. For individuals lacking decisional capacity, the bill establishes a balanced framework that allows for earlier intervention, prevents avoidable harm and provides greater legal clarity.