By the close of the 2025 legislative session, the New Mexico Legislature had passed and sent onto the Governor for consideration 194 pieces of legislation. Of those that passed, the following will have significant impact for animals in New Mexico in the coming years.
HISTORIC APPROPRIATIONS ACCOMPANY SIGNIFICANT POLICY BILLS FOR ANIMALS
Two of Animal Protection Voters’ top priorities not only passed but were accompanied by game-changing appropriations to enact the policies.
Funding the Future for New Mexico’s Companion Animals
First up is House Bill 113 which establishes the Animal Welfare Program Fund within the New Mexico Department of Finance & Administration (DFA). If HB 113 is signed into law, going forward, DFA will disburse money from the fund to county and municipal shelters and agencies, Tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations that provide animal care and control services. And just how much money will go to the Animal Welfare Program Fund this year? Five million dollars, an amount never before allocated by the Legislature for statewide animal control and care services! The funding will be used to cover a wide variety of projects to bolster the vital work of New Mexico’s dog and cat shelters, law enforcement and animal control agencies, and animal welfare nonprofit organizations—including facility renovations and repairs, supplies and equipment, training, humane education programs, and community services such as microchipping, vaccinations, and spay/neuter.
For those who’ve been tracking HB 113 from the start, you might be asking: wasn’t the idea to start a trust fund that would produce investment earnings to go into the Animal Welfare Program Fund? Well, as often happens during the legislative process, the original idea was altered in order to achieve the greatest possible—and feasible—outcome for animals. Due to helpful feedback from the new law’s administering agency, while money secured in the state budget for the legislation is substantial, it was deemed not to be enough for a successful trust fund (it would result in a large sum of money sitting in an account, with very modest distributions available to fund animal welfare projects for many years). Therefore, HB 113 was reformulated to focus only on creating a successful expenditure fund, the Animal Welfare Program Fund, for disbursement of desperately-needed funding. This means the full $5 million will become available for disbursement as soon as it’s needed. This bill goes into effect June 20, 2025. Our deepest thanks to HB 113 sponsors: Rep. Tara Lujan, Rep. Reena Szczepanski, Rep. Joseph Sanchez, Rep. Cynthia Borrego, Rep. Michelle Abeyta, Rep. Anita Gonzales, Rep. Rebecca Dow, and Sen. Joseph Cervantes. Contact the Governor and urge her to sign HB 113 into law here.
A New Vision and Funding for the Future of Wildlife in New Mexico
An even larger appropriation accompanied Senate Bill 5, which will bring much needed expertise and stability to the two state entities involved in wildlife management in New Mexico. The state budget provides a historic $10.5 million dollars across three years to protect New Mexico’s native species of greatest conservation need, helping to prevent them from being classified as threatened or endangered. The appropriation, which is one of the largest general fund appropriations for wildlife in the state’s history, represents a major step towards protecting species with populations in decline or at risk of losing habitat. SB 5 renames the Department of Game & Fish and the New Mexico Game Commission to the Department of Wildlife and the Wildlife Commission, respectively, to reflect the existing and future scope of their work and New Mexicans’ growing appreciation for watching, photographing, and otherwise enjoying wildlife through non-consumptive means. It also establishes stronger qualifications and representation requirements for Commissioners, as well as enhances the Governor’s process for appointing Commissioners by utilizing an independent nominating committee. SB 5 passed the legislature on March 12th and was then sent to the Governor for signature.
In a move that took many by surprise, the Governor signed SB 5 on March 20th but not before striking a provision that protected Commissioners from being removed without cause. In her statement explaining the “line-item” (partial) veto, the Governor said the process for removal laid out in SB 5 “unnecessarily complicates and lengthens the removal process”.
While it is unfortunate that an improvement to the Commissioner removal process was rejected, we are ecstatic for the paradigm shift in wildlife management brought about by SB 5. Ultimately, there is a lot to celebrate about SB 5 becoming law, including increased funding for the Department to do the work essential to conserving New Mexico’s biodiversity. SB 5 is a huge win for wildlife. This bill has staggered dates for going into effect with the majority of the bill becoming effective on July 1, 2026, and the remainder on January April 1, 2026 and January 1, 2027. Animal Protection Voters has deep gratitude for the hard work of SB 5 bill sponsors: Sen. Pete Campos, Sen. Peter Wirth, Sen. Crystal Brantley, Rep. Matthew McQueen, and Rep. Nathan P. Small.
FREE-ROAMING HORSES WIN A NEW HUMANE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND PROTECTIONS FROM SLAUGHTER
The statute governing New Mexico’s free-roaming horses has been a gray area since 2007 when a law was passed that was well-intentioned but resulted in irregularities and nearly impossible-to-overcome barriers for the humane management of those horses. House Bill 284, introduced this session, which built on the work done in many previous sessions, passed the Legislature on March 21, 2025, and is currently awaiting the Governor’s signature.
With the passage of HB 284, local governments are authorized to take the lead on free-roaming horse protection and management by working with qualified experts, and importantly, guided by humane and science-based policies customized to local needs. Experts registered with the state would need to be skilled in determining the land’s carrying capacity, must use humane methods to stabilize herd size, and can facilitate relocation of horses to a suitable parcel or land, sanctuary, or rescue organization when necessary.
Most importantly, HB 284 puts in place guardrails to prevent the slaughter of New Mexico’s wild and free-roaming horses. Going forward, it will be illegal to slaughter a free-roaming horse or sell or transport a free-roaming horse to slaughter. At long last, New Mexico’s iconic free-roaming horses, and the landscapes where they graze, will benefit from state-of-the-art scientific and humane management strategies. This bill goes into effect on June 20, 2025. Animal Protection Voters is grateful to HB 284’s sponsors: Rep. Matthew McQueen and Sen. Pat Woods. We encourage you to voice your support for HB 284 by going here and requesting the Governor sign the bill.
ORGANIZED ANIMAL FIGHTING NOW ADDED TO NEW MEXICO’S “RICO” STATUTE
Senate Bill 70 updates our state’s racketeering law, commonly known as the “RICO Act,” by adding dog fighting and cockfighting (amongst other crimes) to the list of violations. Adding organized animal fighting to our RICO statute will give law enforcement and prosecutors better tools for disrupting the organized crime syndicates that orchestrate animal fights for money.
SB 70 will allow for the seizure of assets essential to operating organized animal fighting rings. Without the ability to seize assets like vehicles, trailers, equipment, and cash, law enforcement is hampered in their efforts to break up organized crime rings. This bill goes into effect June 20, 2025. Congratulations and heartfelt thanks to the SB 70 sponsors: Sen. Craig Brandt and Rep. Catherine Cullen. This bill was also a stated priority of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, and we look forward to her signing the bill into law.
OTHER PRO-ANIMAL BILLS THAT DID NOT PASS
Senate Bill 358 would have resulted in strong, sustained funding for the care of abused, abandoned and impounded equines. Prior to the 2025 session, Animal Protection Voters worked closely with stakeholders, including the 12 registered nonprofit equine shelters that take in abandoned, abused and impounded equines from the New Mexico Livestock Board (NMLB) to forge a new mechanism for funding equine shelters. While the nonprofit shelters are the “go to” for taking in these vulnerable equines from the NMLB and other law enforcement agencies—providing important services to the state—they have never had reliable state funding. Senate Bill 358 proposed establishing the Equine Welfare Trust Fund to generate sustainable funding for the already existing Equine Shelter Rescue Fund and was widely supported by the equine shelters. Despite that support and passing out of the Senate Conservation Committee with a 4-3 vote, SB 358 later died awaiting a hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. Animal Protection Voters would like to thank SB 358 sponsor Sen. Carrie Hamblen for carrying the Equine Welfare Trust Fund bill and bringing multiple stakeholders into conversation about the need to sustainably fund New Mexico’s equine shelters.
Senate Bill 26, the Protection Against Abuse and Violence Act, would have recognized abusing someone’s animal as a form of abuse, and allowed companion animals to be included in protective orders. Both changes would better protect domestic violence survivors and their beloved animals by allowing them to swiftly escape abuse together. SB 26 died awaiting a hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
House Bill 111, which would require first responders to search for qualified service animals during emergencies, passed the house, but died in Senate. HB 111, also known as Ivy’s Law, was named after Ivy, a service dog who perished under debris after a city water main caused the roof of her house to collapse in Albuquerque. After crossing from the House to the Senate and passing the Senate Conservation Committee with a 5-3 vote, the bill died awaiting a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
House Bill 266, the Veterinarian as Health Practitioner bill, would render non-compete clauses for veterinarians unenforceable upon the termination of their agreements or employment. Had it passed, this legislation would likely have increased the availability of veterinary professionals in New Mexico, which in turn would have meant increased opportunities for animals in need of veterinary care. HB 266 passed through two House committees but died awaiting a vote on the House Floor.
ANTI-ANIMAL BILLS (THAT DID NOT PASS)
House Bill 319, which would have allowed unpermitted and unregulated domesticated quail keeping and breeding, died while awaiting a hearing in the House Agriculture, Acequias & Water Resources Committee. Animal Protection Voters opposed this bill as posing a threat to New Mexico’s native wildlife populations and ecosystems.
Senate Bill 323, which would have increased racing days at New Mexico racetracks, died after being heard by the Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee. Animal Protection Voters opposed increasing racing days at New Mexico tracks because forcing horses to run more races is a recipe for cruelty and disaster.
Senate Bill 412, the Equine Dental Maintenance Bill, would have removed equine dentistry from the Veterinary Practice Act. Had it passed, non-veterinarians would have beeb able to perform procedures without proper authorization to administer the drugs necessary to sedate or medicate an animal properly. Animal Protection Voters opposed SB 412 because without proper oversight from the Board of Veterinary Medicine and specialty training, dental practitioners could cause significant suffering to equines, financial damage to equine owners, and liability issues for anyone facilitating equine dental care. While it passed one committee, it died without a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Track the legislative progress of these and other bills on our Legislative Session Tracker.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
First, we hope the Governor will sign pro-animal bills into law, but please remember we need you to voice your support for these animal-friendly bills to the Governor.
And between now and next January, we will work to ensure that legislation passed and signed this year are successfully implemented and enforced. Our work never stops, and we have already begun planning for the next slate of animal protection bills to be heard in 2026 and beyond. This work is only possible with your support, and your generous donations power us every step of the way. Thank you for all you do to make this work possible!
