New Mexico Senate Democrats announced that all three behavioral health bills passed their first committee. The announcement was made in a press release on January 3, 2025.
According to the press release, the three bills received bipartisan support and passed the Senate Health & Public Affairs Committee with 8-1 votes. They will now move to the Senate Finance Committee. Senate Bill 1 proposes the creation of a billion-dollar trust fund to support behavioral health services in New Mexico, with annual disbursements for mental health and substance abuse treatment, prevention, and infrastructure. Senate Bill 2 allocates $140 million to expand regional behavioral health services, addressing a range of community needs such as outpatient care, homelessness, and crisis response.
Senate Bill 3 is described as the centerpiece of the behavioral health initiative. It allows the Administrative Office of the Courts to establish behavioral health regions in New Mexico. These regions will conduct resource mapping to identify gaps and inform regional plans for expanding services. Once completed, these plans will unlock state funding to improve behavioral health programs across the state.
"We are in the process of rebuilding our behavioral healthcare system after it was pretty much dismantled 10 years ago. As we work to rebuild it from the ground up, we’re going partner with our court system to build a framework that’s most effective," said Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth. "We call Senate Bill 3 the guardrails bill. This legislation will lead to the creation of regional plans, ensure that the money gets where it needs to go, and establish the oversight to make sure that there are accountability measures in place."
The New Mexico Senate Democrats are led by Wirth; Majority Floor Leader for District 25 (Santa Fe), Mimi Stewart; Senate President Pro Tem for District 17 (Bernalillo), Michael Padilla; Majority Whip for District 14 (Bernalillo), and Leo Jaramillo; Majority Caucus Chair for District 5 (Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, and Santa Fe).
