Committee advances bill to fund herd management for free-roaming horses
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Summary
House Bill 300, which would appropriate state funds to expand fertility-control and herd-management work for free-roaming horses (including tribal partnerships), received a do-pass recommendation after public comment that included both support and concerns about implementation details.
House Bill 300, introduced by Representative Garcia, seeks state appropriations to support care and management of free-roaming and domestic horses, with a focus on herd management partnerships with tribal agencies and fertility-control treatments.
Representative Garcia described volunteer training already underway and an intent to expand a fertility-control program that has been piloted on tribal lands. Nina Edelman of Animal Protection New Mexico testified the organization has worked with tribal partners on herd surveys and fertility-control vaccine administration, citing prior local outcomes (including a reported reduction in reproduction after multi-year PZP use) and noting that community members have already been trained to administer treatments.
Public comment included both support and opposition. Supporters — including county officials and a regional council of governments — cited grazing and public-safety impacts from free-roaming horses and offered administrative support. Opponents raised concerns about the bill’s lack of specificity on relocation sites, potential statutory conflicts, and the need for legal risk analysis; some asked that funding be spread across multiple counties rather than concentrated.
Committee members asked about existing capacity; witnesses confirmed 11 community members had been trained and that there is some budget language in broader wildlife line items that could assist. Representative Matthews moved a do-pass motion; the committee recorded no opposition and granted HB 300 a do-pass recommendation.
The appropriation’s details and program rollout will be subject to further drafting and budgetary review in follow-up processes; committee members asked staff and sponsors to clarify implementation specifics and to consider broader county participation if the pilot is successful.
