The New Mexico Legislature meets at the beginning of each year, alternating between one-month and two-month sessions. In 2025, the Legislature met for two months ending March 22, and considered several forestry-related bills. Three bills that relate directly to wildfire policy showed mixed results: two bills have been signed into law, and a third bill failed in the Legislature. Here are the results.
Senate Bill 33, the Wildfire Prepared Act, passed both the House and Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed SB 33 into law on April 7. This law establishes the Wildfire Prepared Program and Fund, which will support entities in the state that offer technical assistance, training, and grant funding to property owners, to help them increase their resiliency to wildfires. The Act also adds positions to the Fire Planning Task Force and charges this body with identifying areas at high risk of a destructive wildfire, and developing building codes that diminish the risk of damage from a wildfire. One expected outcome of this legislation is lower home insurance prices in at-risk areas. The rising cost of homeowner insurance, or insurance companies cancelling coverage in fire-prone areas, has become a significant issue in rural communities as high-intensity and damaging wildfires have become more common.
House Bill 175, the Forest and Watershed Buffer Projects Act, passed both the House and Senate, also by overwhelming margins, and was signed into law by the governor on March 19. This law amends the Forest and Watershed Restoration Act of 2019 to clarify terminology and better coordinate forestry actions with existing laws and planning. The Act highlights the importance of “buffers” – areas with fuel reduction treatments that act as a barrier between properties – in “high-risk areas” that have a high probability of a wildfire that is likely to damage structures, wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas, or large-scale restoration “projects” that increase ecosystem resiliency, protect water sources, reduce wildfire risk or restore burned areas. The amendments also clarify eligibility criteria for monies disbursed by the Forest Land Protection Revolving Fund created by the 2019 law, and how these funds can be applied to restoration projects, planning, utilization of small-diameter timber, and workforce development.
House Bill 220, the Ignition Resistant Construction Act, made it through the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee and the House Judiciary Committee with “do pass” recommendations, and passed the House by a vote of 57 to 6. In the Senate, the Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee also reported with a “do pass” recommendation, but the bill died in the Senate Judiciary Committee as the session expired. This bill would add a section to the Homeowner Association Act that prevents HOAs from restricting use of construction or landscaping materials that are resistant to ignition and less likely to spread a wildfire. The support expressed for this bill suggests it may come up again in future sessions.
Overall, the Legislature passed 194 bills in the 2025 session, or 16.4% of the bills that were introduced, according to Source NM. The Legislature may be called back into special sessions later this year to consider specific legislation. The Legislature’s interim committees meet between April and November around the state to develop new legislation and hear from constituents. See the Legislature’s website, https://www.nmlegis.gov/, for updated information on interim committee meetings.
Director’s Note
By Alan W. Barton