SANTA FE – The New Mexico House of Representatives on Monday passed Senate Bill 3, House Bill 43 and House Bill 61 to improve mental health crisis intervention, correct sentencing disparities for assaults on law enforcement officers and strengthen benefits for families of police, firefighters and correctional officers killed in the line of duty.

“These three bills represent an important part of my administration’s ongoing strategy to make New Mexico safer and to support law enforcement officers and first responders who put their lives on the line each day to protect us,” Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said. “I look forward to signing each of the bills when they arrive on the Fourth Floor.”

Senate Bill 3, approved on a 50-10 bipartisan vote, would enable earlier intervention when a person’s recent actions demonstrate a real risk of serious harm to themselves or others. The bill updates definitions in the state’s Mental Health Code and Assisted Outpatient Treatment Act to provide clearer standards for law enforcement, mental health practitioners and the courts for making such an assessment. The bill now goes back to the Senate for concurrence before heading to the governor’s desk.

House Bill 43, approved unanimously by the House, strengthens survivor pension benefits for families of police officers, firefighters and correctional officers killed in the line of duty. The bill removes inconsistencies in survivor pension eligibility that previously left some families without adequate support, clarifies that designated beneficiaries and surviving spouses can receive benefits when an officer dies on duty and ensures surviving children receive proper pension support. The legislation also allows state firefighters injured on the job to continue earning service credit during workers’ compensation leave, protecting their retirement benefits during recovery from line-of-duty injuries.

House Bill 61 addresses a sentencing inconsistency in state law regarding aggravated battery offenses against peace officers. Currently, shooting at and missing a law enforcement officer is classified as a second-degree felony, while shooting at and hitting an officer is only a third-degree felony. The bill, approved by a 55-11 vote in the House, corrects this disparity to make both offenses a second-degree felony and enhances penalties for assaults on law enforcement.