House passes AEDs in schools, firefighter job protections and limits on county immigration detention contracts; water, wildfire and education measures clear the

The New Mexico House of Representatives on Friday approved several bills on final passage, including a requirement that public schools adopt cardiac emergency response plans and make automated external defibrillators (AEDs) available, protections for volunteer firefighters who must miss work for training or emergency service, and a measure barring public bodies from contracting to hold people for federal civil immigration violations.

Why it matters: The votes advance public-safety and infrastructure priorities that lawmakers described as responses to recent disasters, gaps in school safety and concerns about how federal immigration detention is carried out inside the state. Several measures also tweak long-standing state programs for water, wildfire and higher-education capital projects.

What the House did (selected final-passage outcomes)

- House Education Committee substitute for House Bill 54 (AEDs and cardiac emergency plans in schools): Passed final passage, 62–0. Sponsor: the gentlewoman from Bernalillo (Representative Herndon). The bill adds a definition of AED to the Emergency Medication in Schools Act and requires schools to develop and implement a cardiac emergency response plan. Representative Herndon told the House that the bill includes a three‑year appropriation of $150,000 to start implementation and that rural schools will be prioritized during rollout.

- House Bill 405 (Volunteer Firefighter Service and Training Job Retention Act): Passed final passage, 41–22. Sponsor: the gentlewoman from San Miguel and Torrance (sponsor on floor). The bill creates unpaid leave protections for volunteers called for training or in‑service responses (up to specified hour limits) and requires annual notice to employers that a worker serves as a volunteer firefighter. Supporters said the measure helps recruitment and retention in rural fire departments; opponents warned it could impose burdens on small businesses.

- House Bill 9 (Immigrant Safety Act): Passed final passage, 35–25. Sponsor on the House floor: the gentlewoman from Bernalillo (primary sponsor); co-sponsor Representative Andrea Romero (Santa Fe) spoke in support. The bill directs public bodies not to enter new or renewed agreements to detain people for federal civil immigration violations and bars public bodies from leasing or selling public property to facilitate civil immigration detention. Representative Andrea Romero said, “This does not ban immigration detention in New Mexico,” noting the measure targets the use of county or other public facilities for federal civil immigration detention and not criminal incarceration or federal actions outside state contracting.

- House Appropriations and Finance Committee substitute for House Bill 191 (Wildfire suppression fund and post‑wildfire fund): Passed final passage, 65–0. Sponsors described the bill as increasing transparency and creating funds to support suppression and post‑fire recovery.

- House Energy/Ag substitute for House Bill 137 (Strategic Water Supply; brackish water, tech & monitoring): Passed final passage, twice amended, 57–4. The bill clarifies state authority for brackish water projects, creates funding for treatment and aquifer study, and adds recurring support for New Mexico Tech and NMSU water research programs. The House adopted a floor amendment adding public‑notice language for water applications during debate.

- House Bill 49 (statutory framework for higher‑education major projects fund): Passed final passage, 61–1. The bill creates a statutory framework for a new fund for large higher‑education capital projects; sponsors said it contains no immediate appropriation and that Legislative Finance Committee will consider funding levels during the interim.

- House Bill 175 (Forest and Watershed Restoration Act amendment): Passed final passage, 56–2. The bill expands eligibility and funding for forest and watershed restoration projects, including the ability to support projects that protect communities in the wildland‑urban interface.

Other floor actions

Several favorable and unfavorable committee reports were adopted and a number of committee‑referred measures were placed on subsequent committee calendars; these included committees’ votes on judiciary, taxation, education, health and appropriations reports referenced on the floor and entered into the record.

Discussion highlights

- AEDs in schools: Representative Herndon (sponsor) said implementation will begin with rural districts and that the bill includes $150,000 for three consecutive years to stand up the program. She told colleagues: “The amount is a hundred and $50,000 for 3 consecutive years,” when asked about funding levels and implementation.

- Volunteer firefighter protections: Supporters described the bill as a step to keep volunteers in service after disasters and training, while opponents argued the unpaid leave requirement could be burdensome for small employers. Much of the floor debate focused on how often volunteer members are called during a typical workday, whether training can be scheduled on nights and weekends, and how to avoid unintended consequences for small businesses.

- Immigration-related contracting: Sponsors framed HB 9 as a narrow bill that prevents public bodies from acting as pass‑throughs for federal civil immigration contracts and from leasing public property for that purpose. Supporters argued the measure aligns contracts with New Mexico values and reduces civil‑detention activity inside the state; opponents warned of potential federal retaliation that could trigger reductions of federal funds and urged caution.

What’s next

Bills that passed final passage will be enrolled and transmitted to the Senate or the governor, depending on each bill’s status in the legislative calendar. Several bills were remanded to committee for technical drafting fixes before final action in the coming days.

Votes at a glance (floor final passage) — selected items

- HB 54 (AEDs in schools): Passed 62–0 (final passage). Sponsor: Rep. Herndon. - HB 405 (Volunteer firefighter jobs): Passed 41–22 (final passage). Sponsor: gentlewoman from San Miguel/Torrance (floor sponsor). - HB 9 (Immigrant Safety Act): Passed 35–25 (final passage). Sponsor: gentlewoman from Bernalillo; co‑sponsor Rep. Andrea Romero. - HB 191 (Wildfire suppression/post‑wildfire funds): Passed 65–0. - HB 137 (Strategic water supply; brackish water & aquifer monitoring): Passed 57–4 (twice amended). - HB 49 (Higher‑education major projects fund statutory framework): Passed 61–1. - HB 175 (Forest & watershed restoration technical changes/eligibility): Passed 56–2. - HB 161 (House bill on calendar): Passed 59–0 (final passage).

Methodology/limits

This summary draws on floor debate and roll‑call announcements recorded in the House transcript. Quotes are verbatim from the transcript and are attributed to speakers identified on the record. Where the transcript used descriptive speaker labels rather than full names (for example “gentlewoman from Bernalillo”), this summary preserves that label to avoid misidentification.

Ending

The House recessed until noon the following day after completing a long floor session that moved a batch of public‑safety, water, and capital‑projects measures forward. Journal entries and enrolled bill text will show final amendments and the official vote records.