Public Safety Legislation Passes Committee with Bipartisan Support

Santa Fe, NM- Three bills that aim to improve public safety by expanding funding for crime reduction programs, and increasing penalties for unlawful use of firearms and for threatening judges, passed the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee today. 

HB 84 would amend the Crime Reduction Grant Act to expand the purposes for which grants may be awarded to programs that reduce crime. With this expansion, the Crime Reduction Act could be used to support efforts that include: establishing law enforcement crisis intervention teams, coordinating access to programs, establishing treatment centers for individuals struggling with substance use issues, transitional homes for individuals recently released from incarceration, and recruiting and retaining public safety and behavioral health workers.

HB 84 was sponsored by Representatives Daymon Ely (D-Corrales) and Dayan Hochman-Vigil (D-Albuquerque). It passed in committee unanimously. 

“By expanding the Crime Reduction Act, we make sure the money is invested wisely to address the root causes of crime and make our communities safer in the long run,” said Representative Ely.

HB 68, sponsored by Representatives Meredith Dixon (D-Albuquerque) and Pamelya Herndon (D-Albuquerque) aims to reduce gun violence by enhancing sentencing for felons who possess firearms from a third-degree felony to a second-degree felony. 

The legislation would also expand sentencing for aggravated fleeing from a law enforcement officer, elevating incidents of fleeing from a law enforcement officer resulting in injury to another person to a third-degree felony, or to a second-degree felony, if the incident results in great bodily harm. 

“This legislation is another tool that we can use, in conjunction with investments in behavioral health and other targeted criminal justice system changes, to go a long way toward making our schools and communities safer,” said Rep. Dixon. The bill passed with a 3-2 vote.

HB 99 would protect the personal safety of New Mexico’s judges and their families, by making it a fourth degree felony to threaten a judge or one of their immediate family members and making it a misdemeanor to maliciously share personal information of a judge or their immediate family members. Instances of threats against judges have drastically increased in the past 5 years. Judges and their families also reported being accosted while shopping, having their cars shot at, and receiving threats of sexual violence.  

HB 99, sponsored by Representatives T. Ryan Lane (R. Aztec), Hochman-Vigil, Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque), Derrick J. Lente (Sandia Pueblo-D), and Gail Chasey (D-Albuquerque), passed the committee unanimously. 

The Roundhouse is open to the public for the session. Proof of full COVID-19 vaccination will be required to enter the building. Members of the public can 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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