# New Mexico HB 298: LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL CHANGES

New Mexico HB 298, LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL CHANGES, is a 2025 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Christine Chandler (Democratic); status signed, last action 2025-04-07 (Signed by Governor - Chapter 40 - Apr. 7) (as of 2026-10-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NM-HB298-2025
- As of: 2026-10-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: New Mexico HB 298
- State: New Mexico
- Session: 2025 Regular Session
- Title: LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL CHANGES
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-02-05
- Last action: 2025-04-07, Signed by Governor - Chapter 40 - Apr. 7
- Sponsor: Christine Chandler (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 2 (100 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 8

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Clearer council voting and conflict rules: benefit, low. The council handles legislative work and performs executive duties only when law assigns them. A quorum requires a majority of current members; the mayor counts toward it. Decisions generally need a majority of members present unless law or charter sets another rule. The mayor votes only to break t…
- Clearer roles for mayors and councils: benefit, low. The law clarifies mayor-council rules, rather than applying them to commission-manager governments. Conflicting home-rule charter procedures take priority. The mayor serves as chief executive, enforces local rules, and uses police personnel to maintain peace. Councils can assign other duties consis…
- Court personnel protected from political control: benefit, low. Mayors and councils cannot supervise, hire, discipline, or fire municipal judicial-branch workers or judges. The law separates court personnel decisions from municipal executive and legislative officials.
- Local vacancies require action and elections: benefit, low. Councils fill mayoral vacancies caused by death, disability, resignation, or moving outside the municipality. They appoint a qualified voter by majority vote of members present; a resigning mayor cannot nominate or help appoint a successor. For council vacancies, the mayor appoints a qualified vote…
- Local voters can require district changes: benefit, low. Mayor-council governments have a mayor and four to ten other members. Bodies with more than six members can adopt ordinances creating two seats per ward or district, or changing district boundaries. Only one member from each ward or district can be elected at any one election. Councils can redraw d…
- Appointed council members lack merit protections: cost, low. Appointed governing-body members are outside municipal merit-system rules. They do not receive the protections or procedures those local systems provide.
- Local appointments require approval and pay: mixed, low. After each regular local or municipal officer election, councils must organize 15–21 days after newly elected officials start their terms. The mayor submits office nominees for confirmation; delayed or rejected nominations can return at later meetings. Current appointees remain until qualified repl…
- Municipal workers face discipline with safeguards: mixed, low. Except for judicial personnel, the mayor alone supervises municipal employees and must review reasonable complaints and address duty violations or neglect. Subject to local merit-system limits, councils can discharge appointed officials or employees by a majority of all members. A mayor’s discharge…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Christine Chandler (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Mark Duncan (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: William E. Sharer (Republican), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-03-18 | Senate | Final Senate Vote | pass | 38 | 0 |   |
| 2025-03-10 | House | Final House Vote | pass | 62 | 0 |   |

## Actions (8)

- 2025-04-07: Signed by Governor - Chapter 40 - Apr. 7 (Senate)
- 2025-03-18: Passed in the Senate - Y:38 N:0 (Senate)
- 2025-03-17: SRC: Reported by committee with Do Pass recommendation (Senate)
- 2025-03-11: Sent to SRC - Referrals: SRC (Senate)
- 2025-03-10: Passed in the House of Representatives - Y:62 N:0 (House)
- 2025-03-08: HJC: Reported by committee with Do Pass recommendation (House)
- 2025-02-28: HGEIC: Reported by committee with Do Pass recommendation (House)
- 2025-02-05: Sent to HGEIC - Referrals: HGEIC/HJC (Senate)

## Bill text

- Final Version, 2025-04-08: [PDF](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/25%20Regular/final/HB0298.pdf)
- SRC Committee Report 3/17/25, 2025-03-17: [PDF](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/25%20Regular/bills/house/HB0298RU1.pdf)
- HJC Committee Report 3/08/25, 2025-03-08: [PDF](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/25%20Regular/bills/house/HB0298JC1.pdf)
- HGEIC Committee Report 2/28/25, 2025-02-28: [PDF](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/25%20Regular/bills/house/HB0298GE1.pdf)
- Introduced, 2025-02-05: [HTML](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/25%20Regular/bills/house/HB0298.html), [PDF](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/25%20Regular/bills/house/HB0298.pdf)

## Related bills

- HB 2: GENERAL APPROPRIATION ACT OF 2025 (signed)
- SB 45: COUNTY HEALTH CARE ASSISTANCE FUND USE (signed)
- SB 343: TEACHER SALARY RATES CHANGES (signed)
- SB 345: TEACHER & INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT LICENSURE (signed)
- SB 133: EDUCATIONAL RETIREES RETURNING TO WORK (signed)
- HB 157: NEW SCHOOL LICENSES (signed)

## Sources
- [Final Version (PDF)](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/25%20Regular/final/HB0298.pdf)
- [SRC Committee Report 3/17/25 (PDF)](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/25%20Regular/bills/house/HB0298RU1.pdf)
- [HJC Committee Report 3/08/25 (PDF)](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/25%20Regular/bills/house/HB0298JC1.pdf)
- [HGEIC Committee Report 2/28/25 (PDF)](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/25%20Regular/bills/house/HB0298GE1.pdf)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/25%20Regular/bills/house/HB0298.html)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/25%20Regular/bills/house/HB0298.pdf)

## Related
- [HB 2: GENERAL APPROPRIATION ACT OF 2025](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NM-HB2-2025)
- [SB 45: COUNTY HEALTH CARE ASSISTANCE FUND USE](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NM-SB45-2025)
- [SB 343: TEACHER SALARY RATES CHANGES](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NM-SB343-2025)
- [SB 345: TEACHER & INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT LICENSURE](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NM-SB345-2025)
- [SB 133: EDUCATIONAL RETIREES RETURNING TO WORK](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NM-SB133-2025)
- [HB 157: NEW SCHOOL LICENSES](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NM-HB157-2025)
- [New Mexico bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/new-mexico/bills)
- [New Mexico state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/new-mexico)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NM-HB298-2025 (as of 2026-10-19).