New Mexico House bill authored by Rep. Garratt revising school nurse licensure and charter school provisions passes House and Senate

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Joy Garratt aims to revise the three-tier licensure system for school nurses and clarify its application to charter schools, following approval in both chambers, according to the New Mexico Legislature.

HB 34 passed both chambers as of Thursday, Feb. 19, clearing the House by a vote of 67-0 and the Senate by a vote of 38-0.

In the House, 41 Democrats and 26 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, with no opposition.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 22 Democrats and 14 Republicans voted in favor, also with no opposing votes.

Joy Garratt introduced the bill in the New Mexico House on Monday, Jan. 5 during the 57th Legislature.

Garratt graduated from Excelsior University in 1986 with a BA.

Garratt, a Democrat, was elected to the New Mexico State House in 2019 to represent the state’s 29th House district, replacing previous state representative David Adkins.

According to the New Mexico Legislature website, the bill’s title was officially listed as: ‘School Nurse Licensure Provisions’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill revises New Mexico’s three-tier licensure system for school nurses and clarifies that all provisions apply to nurses employed by charter schools. It keeps level one as a provisional 3-year license with required mentorship and annual evaluations but removes the automatic bar on advancing to level two after three years and generally prohibits extending level one beyond its initial term. It defines experience-based pathways into level two and level three licenses, requires remediation and mentorship when level two or level three nurses fail to show essential competency, and allows districts or charter schools to end contracts if competency is not achieved. It maintains minimum salaries equal to corresponding teacher levels. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026.

The bill was co-sponsored by Sen. Natalie Figueroa (Democrat – District 18).

In New Mexico, the legislative process involves multiple steps: a bill is introduced in either the House or Senate, assigned to a committee for review, debated and voted on in both chambers, and, if approved, sent to the governor for signature or veto. The Legislature meets annually, commencing on the third Tuesday in January, with 60-day sessions in odd-numbered years and 30-day sessions in even-numbered years. While numerous bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully navigate the process to become law. You can read more about bills and other measures here.