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House updates Nursing Practice Act, approves provisions to expand workforce tools
Summary
House passed House Bill 178 updating the Nursing Practice Act to reflect current and emerging nursing practices, add alignment with the Human Rights Act, and authorize certain uses of AI for recruitment and licensing support; the bill passed after debate.
The House approved House Bill 178, legislation to modernize the Nursing Practice Act and add recruitment and licensing provisions to strengthen the nursing workforce.
Sponsor (Representative) said the bill “provides updates to the nursing practice act to account for current nursing practice and emerging nursing practice,” and described the measure as intended to support workforce capacity and align nursing licensing with current clinical practice.
Members questioned specific provisions. Representative Dow asked about the bill’s language on using artificial intelligence; the sponsor replied the change is limited to using AI as a recruitment tool and for identifying qualified candidates for positions and licensure processing. Lawmakers also discussed human-rights-related language added in committee to ensure the nursing practice statute aligns with the Human Rights Act; the sponsor said the change harmonizes statutory definitions and does not create a new private cause of action within the nursing statute.
The House discussed workforce numbers. The sponsor provided figures on vacancies and graduation rates on the floor: about 7,700 current nurse vacancies and an average graduation pass rate of roughly 90 percent across New Mexico nursing programs.
Members also probed scope: the bill applies to nurses (including nurse practitioners where they qualify as nurses under the statute), and does not change legal protections for conscientious objectors. Supporters argued the updates will help recruitment and reduce reliance on traveling nurses in rural facilities.
On final passage the House recorded 55 ayes and 3 nays; the bill passed as twice amended.
