# New Mexico SB 37: HIGH QUALITY LITERACY INSTRUCTION ACT

New Mexico SB 37, HIGH QUALITY LITERACY INSTRUCTION ACT, is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Mimi Stewart (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-03-09 (Signed by Governor - Chapter 54 - Mar. 9) (as of 2026-10-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NM-SB37-2026
- 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 SB 37
- State: New Mexico
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: HIGH QUALITY LITERACY INSTRUCTION ACT
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-01-21
- Last action: 2026-03-09, Signed by Governor - Chapter 54 - Mar. 9
- Sponsor: Mimi Stewart (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 6
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 2 (103 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 4

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Reading checks and support for children: benefit, medium. Beginning in 2027–2028, public schools must assess every kindergarten through third-grade student using state-adopted, grade-specific reading tests. Tests must screen for reading difficulties, including signs of dyslexia, identify skill gaps, and track progress with timely results. The first-grade…
- Evidence-based reading instruction for public schoolchildren: benefit, medium. The law takes effect July 1, 2026, and requires New Mexico public schools to use structured, evidence-based reading instruction. Kindergarten through third-grade reading materials must be research-based, meet state standards, and appear on state-approved lists. Reading support materials through twe…
- Reading coaches for struggling elementary schools: benefit, medium. Beginning in 2027–2028, the state must assign reading coaches to public elementary schools in the bottom quarter for reading proficiency statewide. Coaches support teachers for three consecutive school years, even when a school's reading results improve. Available funding determines whether a coach…
- Stronger reading preparation and teacher-program oversight: mixed, medium. Teacher preparation programs must teach evidence-based, structured reading methods in coursework and student teaching for entry-level teaching licenses. Candidates must learn to identify students reading below grade level. Elementary teacher candidates must complete at least 100 hours of supervised…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Mimi Stewart (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Anthony L. Thornton (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Candy Spence Ezzell (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Catherine J. Cullen (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Joy Garratt (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Martin Hickey (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Peter Wirth (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-02-19 | House | Final House Vote | pass | 64 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-29 | Senate | Final Senate Vote | pass | 39 | 0 |   |

## Actions (11)

- 2026-03-09: Signed by Governor - Chapter 54 - Mar. 9 (Senate)
- 2026-02-19: Senate has concurred with House Amendments (Senate)
- 2026-02-19: Passed in the House of Representatives - Y:64 N:0 (House)
- 2026-02-11: HEC: Reported by committee with Do Pass recommendation with amendment(s) (House)
- 2026-02-09: HGEIC: Reported by committee with Do Pass recommendation (House)
- 2026-02-03: Sent to HGEIC - Referrals: HGEIC/HEC (Senate)
- 2026-01-29: Passed in the Senate - Y:39 N:0 (Senate)
- 2026-01-28: SFC: Reported by committee with Do Pass recommendation (Senate)
- 2026-01-23: SEC: Reported by committee with Do Pass recommendation (Senate)
- 2026-01-22: SCC: Reported by committee to fall within the purview of a 30 day session (Senate)
- 2026-01-21: Sent to SCC - Referrals: SCC/SEC/SFC (Senate)

## Bill text

- Final Version, 2026-03-09: [PDF](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/final/SB0037.pdf)
- HEC Committee Report 2/11/26, 2026-02-11: [PDF](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0037EC1.pdf)
- HGEIC Committee Report 2/09/26, 2026-02-09: [PDF](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0037GE1.pdf)
- SFC Committee Report 1/28/26, 2026-01-28: [PDF](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0037FC1.pdf)
- SEC Committee Report 1/23/26, 2026-01-23: [PDF](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0037ED1.pdf)
- SCC Committee Report 1/22/26, 2026-01-22: [PDF](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0037CC1.pdf)
- Introduced, 2026-01-21: [HTML](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0037.html), [PDF](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0037.pdf)

## Related bills

- SB 151: CORPORATE INCOME TAX CHANGES (signed)
- HB 2: GENERAL APPROPRIATION ACT OF 2026 (signed)
- SB 241: CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM ACT (signed)
- SB 96: REGULATED CHILD CARE ZONING REQUIREMENTS (signed)
- HB 248: GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS (signed)
- HB 30: TEACHER RESIDENCY ACT CHANGES (signed)

## Sources
- [Final Version (PDF)](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/final/SB0037.pdf)
- [HEC Committee Report 2/11/26 (PDF)](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0037EC1.pdf)
- [HGEIC Committee Report 2/09/26 (PDF)](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0037GE1.pdf)
- [SFC Committee Report 1/28/26 (PDF)](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0037FC1.pdf)
- [SEC Committee Report 1/23/26 (PDF)](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0037ED1.pdf)
- [SCC Committee Report 1/22/26 (PDF)](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0037CC1.pdf)
- [Introduced (HTML)](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0037.html)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0037.pdf)

## Related
- [SB 151: CORPORATE INCOME TAX CHANGES](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NM-SB151-2026)
- [HB 2: GENERAL APPROPRIATION ACT OF 2026](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NM-HB2-2026)
- [SB 241: CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM ACT](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NM-SB241-2026)
- [SB 96: REGULATED CHILD CARE ZONING REQUIREMENTS](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NM-SB96-2026)
- [HB 248: GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NM-HB248-2026)
- [HB 30: TEACHER RESIDENCY ACT CHANGES](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NM-HB30-2026)
- [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-SB37-2026 (as of 2026-10-19).