Key Community & Child Safety Bills Head to House Floor
Bills tackle retail crime & protect child victims from the trauma of repeated forensic interviews
Santa Fe, NM - Two important bills to protect New Mexico’s children and improve the safety of our communities will now head to the House Floor after passing the House Judiciary Committee today.
House Bill 234, which will support local business and enhance public safety by cracking down on organized retail crime, passed the House Judiciary Committee today with a bipartisan vote of 8-2. This robust legislation will help law enforcement take down organized theft rings and stiffen penalties for criminals who target local businesses and retailers. HB 234 is sponsored by Rep. Marian Matthews (D-Albuquerque), Speaker of the House Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque), Rep. Natalie Figueroa (D-Albuquerque), and Senator Antonio “Moe” Maestas (D-Albuquerque).
“As a resident and representative of Albuquerque, I know the level of retail crime we are seeing is a burden on our local businesses and endangers employees and shoppers, making our communities less safe,” said Rep. Matthews. “House Bill 234 will help ensure that our stores, their workers, and their customers can operate in peace, which is good for business and good for our communities.”
House Bill 173 also passed the House Judiciary Committee this afternoon, with a bipartisan 8-2 vote. The bill, sponsored by Reps. Tara Jaramillo (D-Socorro), Meredith Dixon (D-Albuquerque), Jason Harper (R-Rio Rancho), and Andrea Reeb (R-Clovis), would allow children and incapacitated adults who are victims of crime to decline pretrial statements and interviews. This important change would reduce the significant trauma victims can face as a result of being forced to recount difficult and distressing incidents in repeated interviews and testimony.
“Forcing children who have suffered abuse, neglect, or other awful crimes to relive their experiences over and over can contribute to lasting psychological harm and interfere with their ability to participate in the criminal justice system,” said Rep. Jaramillo. “To me, as both a child development specialist and a parent, it’s crucial that we make sure our youngest and most vulnerable victims are not retraumatized while we work to hold perpetrators accountable.”
Both HB 234 and HB 173 are components of House Democrats’ comprehensive slate of bills to improve community and child safety across New Mexico.
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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