House Bill 291, sponsored by Representative Romero, would change how New Mexico’s Motor Vehicle Tire and Recycling (RAID) fund is used, remove an outdated requirement that 75% of the fund be dedicated to tire projects, and create two funded positions in the Environment Department focused on recycling coordination and building local markets for recycled goods.

Representative Romero said the bill repurposes existing fund balances rather than creating new taxes or using new appropriations, and would help communities that have projects but cannot access current fund rules. Shirlene Sitton, the Environment Department’s solid‑waste bureau chief, and John Roderick, deputy cabinet secretary, told the committee the changes would free up money that has accumulated because fewer tire projects qualified under the old rule and would allow grants for other recycling infrastructure and illegal‑dump remediation.

Supporters from the recycling and solid‑waste sector praised the bill at the hearing. Speakers included Scott Scanlon for the Tire Manufacturers Association, Marla Schoetz of the South Central Solid Waste Authority, Alyssa Kenny Geier for Sierra Club, Sarah Pierpont of the New Mexico Recycling Coalition and Jean Logsdon of the League of Women Voters. They described unmet demand for balers, trucks, community recycling hubs and other infrastructure that could increase diversion of materials from landfills.

Committee members focused on implementation details and unintended consequences. Representative Montoya asked whether the change could disadvantage existing county landfills that currently handle bulky items such as appliances and refrigerators; sponsors answered that existing grant priorities remain and that the bill replaces bracketed legacy language with a new statutory framework that explicitly includes illegal‑dump abatement and recycling infrastructure. Members discussed the constitutional limit on direct grants to nonprofits; the committee accepted a friendly procedural amendment to remove language that would have explicitly allowed direct grants to nonprofit organizations and clarified that public entities could contract with nonprofits for services.

The committee approved one amendment in committee to address the constitutional concern and then voted to pass the bill as amended. Committee members who spoke in favor highlighted rural needs and the potential to create “hub‑and‑spoke” systems that help rural communities aggregate materials to reach commercial recycling markets.

Outcome: The committee passed House Bill 291 as amended.

Why it matters: Sponsors and supporters argue the bill will expand practical recycling capacity in rural and urban communities by unlocking existing fund balances and adding two staff positions for outreach and circular‑economy development.