As the 2025 New Mexico Legislative Session concludes, a coalition of community organizations has expressed mixed feelings about the progress made on public safety legislation. While acknowledging some legislative advancements, they emphasize that more work is needed to address the state's public safety concerns through community-driven solutions.
The session saw the passage of several significant bills, including investments in behavioral health and a housing bill (SB 267) aimed at increasing transparency and affordability for renters. Monet Silva, executive director of the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, stated, “We appreciate the efforts made by lawmakers to pass meaningful legislation this session, such as housing application fees (SB 267). However, we cannot ignore the fact that many critical bills were left on the table, leaving our communities vulnerable and underserved.”
Despite these achievements, several important bills did not pass. These included HB 354 for a statewide Criminal Justice Diversion pilot project and HB 355 for licensing Overdose Prevention Centers. Other unpassed bills focused on training incarcerated individuals as counselors (SB 325), expanding services for those with psychiatric conditions (HB 70), preventing rental discrimination based on income source (HB 339), sealing certain eviction records (HB 253), protecting immigrant crime survivors (SB 177), and allowing residents to purchase mobile home parks (HB 426).
Marshall Martinez from Equality New Mexico commented on these omissions: “These omissions are particularly concerning given the ongoing struggles our state faces with substance abuse, behavioral healthcare, foster care, housing stability and homelessness, and generational poverty.” He urged lawmakers to focus on data-driven solutions in future sessions.
Rachel Biggs of Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless emphasized the need for continuous advocacy: “We recognize that progress is often incremental, but we cannot afford to wait. We will continue to organize, advocate, and push for meaningful change. New Mexicans deserve nothing less.”
Lena Weber from ACLU of New Mexico highlighted the importance of addressing root causes: "While we can acknowledge steps forward this session, New Mexico still has significant work to do in reimagining public safety. The bills that didn't pass would have provided essential resources for struggling New Mexicans—from those battling with substance use to people facing housing insecurity."
The coalition includes groups like ACLU of New Mexico, Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless, Bold Futures NM, Center for Civic Policy, Enlace Comunitario, Equality New Mexico, New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness among others.
