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Committee Expands Rural Health Practitioner Tax Credit to Include Additional Clinicians; Bill Tabled for Omnibus Consideration
Summary
House Bill 52 would add nurse practitioners, EMTs/paramedics, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, chiropractors and two additional practitioner categories to New Mexico’s rural health care practitioner tax credit; supporters emphasized workforce shortages in rural counties and urged expansion.
Representative Miguel Garcia offered an amended House Bill 52 to expand the Rural Health Care Practitioner Tax Credit to seven additional practitioner categories and to restore two professions added by amendment: naturopathic doctors and anapath (listed in the amendment text). The bill adds licensed nurse practitioners, EMTs and paramedics, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, chiropractic physicians and the two amended-in professions to the existing rural tax-credit program. The credit level in the bill is $3,000 for eligible practitioners (the bill keeps the program’s two-tier structure established in 2007).
The sponsor framed the bill as part of a long-running effort to retain and recruit health professionals to rural New Mexico. He cited data from the New Mexico Health Care Workforce Committee and the fiscal impact report: prior expansions increased eligible practitioners by thousands and the new additions are estimated to add about 1,400 practitioners to the credit, with roughly 23% of some licensed professions already practicing in rural counties. The sponsor and witnesses noted prior general-fund hits from similar expansions ($12–13 million in the previous year) and estimated an additional general-fund effect of approximately $2.5 million for the set of professions in this bill.
Numerous rural hospitals, chambers and professional associations testified in support: the New Mexico Chiropractic Association, New Mexico Occupational Therapy Association, Desert State Physical Therapy Network, Gallup-McKinley County Chamber, New Mexico Pharmacy Business Council, and others described recruitment and retention challenges in rural counties and urged the committee to expand eligible professions. Witnesses cited specific workforce shortages (for example, EMT declines and speech/OT coverage gaps in 25 of 33 counties) and said the credit encourages practitioners to locate or remain in rural areas.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about the scope (how EMT categories are handled), data limitations and the definition of rural. Members including Representative Lundstrom and Vice Chair Cadena expressed support for expansion but noted they remain unconvinced tax credits alone are a comprehensive strategy. The Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) and the Health Care Authority noted the modest scale of the credit relative to the system-wide workforce shortage and flagged the revenue risk of expanding credits broadly.
At the end of the hearing the committee followed its standard practice on tax measures with significant fiscal impact and tabled House Bill 52 for possible inclusion in an omnibus tax package.
Votes at a glance: House Bill 52 — Motion to table (mover: Vice Chair Cadena); outcome: tabled (voice, no objection).
