Public-Private Partnership Act Unanimously Passes House

Bill to help expand rural broadband & improve New Mexico roads now moves to the Senate

Santa Fe, NM - House Bill 213, enacting the Public-Private Partnership Act (P3) in New Mexico, passed the House this morning with a unanimous 67-0 vote. The Act would allow the state and other public bodies to partner with private businesses to complete public projects, as 35 other states have already done. 

A key provision of President Biden's Infrastructure Act, public agencies and private investors in P3s share responsibility for financing, building, and maintaining infrastructure projects. P3s have been used to build infrastructure across America including highways, water treatment systems, courthouses, and arenas, creating and securing local jobs along the way. In New Mexico, these partnerships will expand rural access to broadband, and make crucial infrastructure upgrades, including repairs to our bridges and highways. 

“P3s provide an important mechanism to help New Mexico expand much-needed broadband to our rural areas, as well as make necessary improvements to roads across the state,” said lead sponsor Rep. Joy Garratt (D-Albuquerque). “This legislation has been in the works for more than a decade, and is something that local governments are directly asking for to open the possibilities for investment in their infrastructure projects.”

“New Mexico currently gets bypassed for investment in many infrastructure projects, simply because we do not have laws on the books allowing for P3s, as the vast majority of other states do,” said co-sponsor Rep. Patricia Lundstrom (D-Gallup). “We have federal infrastructure dollars on the way, which specifically state the need for P3 involvement, so the time to act is now.” 

P3 projects in New Mexico would be approved and overseen by an 11-member board, with all meetings open to the public.

Additional bipartisan sponsors of HB 213 include Cathrynn Brown (R-Carlsbad), Harry Garcia (D-Grants), Day Hochman-Vigil (D-Albuquerque), and Natalie Figueroa (D-Albuquerque). 

The bill will now head to the Senate for consideration. 

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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