UNM Retiree Association Legislative Alert 1.21.25
From the UNMRA Legislative Committee:
The sixty-day State of New Mexico 57th Legislative Session begins Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at noon.
The Educational Retirement Board is recommending one piece of legislation. It was pre-filed on January 8 and is sponsored by Senator Natalie Figuroa. This legislation affects unclaimed member contributions; payment of allowed member service within ninety days; restrictions on gifts received; disability status; and retired member information. You can count on your UNM Retiree Association to alert you if any other bills arise during the session that concerns retirement benefits for active or retired members.
Ahead of the session, legislators can pre-file legislation from January 2nd through January 17th prior to the opening session. Pre-filed legislation by the House Representatives has numbers assigned to them and you can view them at the legislature’s website. NMLegis.gov
Senate pre-filed legislation
https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/25%20Regular/bills/senate/Index%20of%202025%20Senate%20Prefiles.pdf
Pre-filed legislation for the state senators is not assigned a bill number until the session begins, January 21. You can view the Senate legislation listed in an index form that is updated daily.
House pre-filed legislation
https://www.nmlegis.gov/Legislation/Legislation_List
ERB Legislation:
SB, Sponsor Senator Natalie Figueroa,
Synopsis: Relating to educational retirement; making changes to the educational retirement act; clarifying restrictions on receipt of gifts; providing for unclaimed member contributions to be deposited into the educational retirement fund; clarifying certain terms; allowing for a member on disability status who is over sixty and who receives an annuity adjustment to continue receiving the annuity adjustment; requiring payment of allowed service within ninety days; allowing for disclosure of member or retired member information to the public employees retirement board to administer.
PERA Legislation:
HB 96, Sponsor Representative Joseph Sanchez, PERA Member Temporary Payment
SB, Sponsors Senators Liz Stefanics, Alan Martinez, Joy Garratt, and Cynthia Borrego,
Relating to Public Employees Retirement; Restoring a 2% Cost-of-Living Adjustment for Certain Retired Members; Making an Appropriation.
Committee testimonies can be done via zoom. You can watch floor and committee hearings by the public via webcast. If you are planning on going to the Roundhouse to visit a legislator or attend a session in the House or Senate, please follow all Roundhouse guidelines.
Please stay tuned for future updates!
IT IS UP TO ALL OF US, RETIREES AND THOSE STILL WORKING, TO PROTECT OUR BENEFITS!!! WHAT CAN YOU DO??
- Track the bill – State bill finder site - https://nmlegis.gov/Legislation/Bill_Finder
- Sign up with UNM Government and Community Relations to receive bill updates and alerts – https://govrel.unm.edu/updates/index.html.
- UNM 2024 Legislative Priorities -
- Know your state senators and representatives contact information before you really need it - Find your legislator by address - https://www.nmlegis.gov/Members/Find_By_Address
- Write, call, or tweet legislators - CAPITOL SWITCHBOARD - (505-986-4300) & nmlegis
2025 LEGISLATIVE SESSION CALENDAR:
- Thursday, January 2 – Friday, January 17 - Legislation may be pre-filed.
- Tuesday, January 21 - Opening day (noon)
- Thursday, February 20 - Deadline for introduction (Note: Legislation filed as a dummy bill can be introduced at any time.)
- Saturday, March 22 - Session ends (noon)
- Friday, April 11 - Legislation not acted upon by the governor is pocket vetoed.
- Friday, June 20 - The effective date of legislation, not a general appropriation bill or a bill carrying an emergency clause or other specified date.
