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Committee advances bill to require first responders to make reasonable efforts to find missing service animals
Summary
A House committee recommended passage of House Bill 111 after testimony about an Albuquerque incident in which a woman’s 11‑year‑old service dog was missing after a water‑main explosion, prompting supporters to call for a legal duty for first responders to reasonably search for qualified service animals when they are aware one is missing.
A House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee on Thursday voted 6-0 to recommend passage of House Bill 111, which would amend New Mexico’s Service Animal Act to require first responders who are made aware that an owner has a qualified service animal to make a reasonable effort, to the extent practicable and while prioritizing human safety, to search for that animal.
The bill’s sponsor, Representative Matthews, introduced testimony from Rose Romero, the owner whose service dog, Ivy, went missing after a July water main explosion near Romero’s Northeast Heights home in Albuquerque. Romero testified that emergency responders conducted a brief search but did not find Ivy; 11 days later community volunteers located the dog’s body in the wreckage.
Supporters, including Jim Jackson of Disability Rights New Mexico and representatives of Service Dogs of New Mexico and Animal Protection Voters, told the committee that service animals are nearly always dogs that perform life‑sustaining functions and that losing a trained animal can be life altering. “The connection between a person with a disability and their specially trained service animal is on a whole another level,” Jackson said.
Questions from committee members focused on implementation. Members asked whether the bill requires training for first responders, what “reasonable effort” would mean in practice, whether the bill creates liability for responders and how agencies would implement guidance. Representative Matthews told the committee the bill prioritizes human life first, service animals second, and that training expectations are intended to be practical rather than onerous. She said the measure does not prescribe a fixed timeline for a search; instead it delegates determinations to the facts and circumstances at the scene and uses the phrases “to the extent practicable” and “reasonable effort.”
Several committee members urged consultation with the Governor’s Commission on Disability and with first‑responder groups about best practices and potential training. Witnesses noted an existing 911 opt‑in system that can flag callers who have service animals and recommended public awareness that handlers carry identification cards from training programs.
Motion and outcome: Representative Romero moved a do‑pass recommendation; the motion was seconded and approved on a voice vote. The committee recorded a 6‑0 vote to give HB111 a due‑pass recommendation.
What’s next: The committee recommended the bill for further consideration. Sponsor and supporters said they will work with first‑responder organizations and the Governor’s Commission on Disability to clarify training and implementation guidance in subsequent drafting.
