House Passes Public Safety & Criminal Justice Reforms
Bills to address warrant backlog, reduce court fees for low-income New Mexicans, and automatically expunge minor cannabis offenses advance to Senate
Santa Fe, NM - Three pieces of smart, targeted legislation to enhance community safety, deter recidivism, and improve New Mexico’s criminal justice system passed the House of Representatives today.
House Bill 550, the Warrant Backlog Reduction Act, would provide law enforcement with the support and resources necessary to help them address the current backlog of felony warrants. The bill, which passed with a bipartisan vote of 60-1, is sponsored by Reps. Joy Garratt (D-Albuquerque) and Meredith Dixon (D-Albuquerque).
“Right now in Albuquerque, for example, we have over 950 felony warrants for violent crimes that our law enforcement officers simply don’t have the resources to serve,” said Rep. Garratt. “House Bill 550 will make significant investments in our law enforcement agencies to ensure violent criminals can be detained and kept off the streets pending trial. This is a smart step we can take to make communities across New Mexico safer immediately.”
House Bill 139 also passed the House this evening, with a vote of 42-18. The bill eliminates fees in criminal and traffic cases, which are shown to be unreliable sources of government revenue and ineffective at deterring crime.
“With HB 139, we will no longer be attempting to fund court operations or important government programs on the backs of the New Mexicans who are the least able to pay,” said bill sponsor Rep. Micaela Lara Cadena (D-Mesilla). “Fees are an inconsistent stream of government revenue, and too often they contribute to the criminalization of poverty and pull people back into cycles of incarceration simply because they can’t afford to pay.”
House Bill 314, sponsored by Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe) and Speaker Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque), also passed the House with a bipartisan vote of 51-5. The bill builds upon 2021 legislation to expunge criminal records for acts no longer prohibited with the legalization of adult-use cannabis, clarifying the role of the courts in auto-expunging records and providing a framework to help them focus their efforts.
“We made a promise that New Mexicans would not be barred from employment or other opportunities due to cannabis laws that are no longer illegal today,” said Rep. Romero. “House Bill 314 will ensure that we can promptly expunge eligible cannabis charges, so that our friends and neighbors are not needlessly held back by outdated records.”
These bills are part of House Democrats’ comprehensive package to make communities safer and improve New Mexico’s criminal justice system. They will now advance to the Senate.
The Roundhouse is open to the public for the 2023 session. Members of the public can also view floor sessions and committee meetings on the New Mexico Legislature’s Webcasts tab, and provide comment via phone or Zoom as directed on the daily schedule.
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