HB 183 New Mexico House · 2025 Regular Session

MAGISTRATE RETIREMENT CHANGES

HB 183 adjusts retirement eligibility requirements for magistrate judges in New Mexico. It increases the required years of service from five to eight for magistrates who joined the system on or after July 1, 2014, to qualify for normal retirement at age 65. The bill also updates fund administration rules, requiring investment income to be credited to the Magistrate Retirement Fund and clarifying how different account types (like member contributions and employer funds) are managed. These changes directly affect magistrate judges who joined after 2014, altering their path to retirement benefits. The bill passed the legislature but received a pocket veto on April 14, 2025, meaning it did not become law.

Bill status vetoed 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

House Passage

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Mar 2025

Vetoed

Apr 2025

Introduced Jan 28, 2025 Vetoed Apr 14, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

introduced version → Final Version · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends the Magistrate Retirement Act to clarify fund accounting, adjust service credit requirements for certain magistrate judges, and increase certain service credit multipliers. The changes aim to improve transparency in how retirement funds are managed and to provide more favorable retirement options for eligible magistrate judges.

Scope change

The bill applies to magistrate judges in New Mexico and modifies the retirement system governing them, including changes to how their service credit is calculated and the age/service requirements for retirement.

FISCAL

Clarified that the magistrate retirement fund consists of appropriations, docket fees, employer and member contributions, and investment income, with expenses paid from the fund.

Established rules for distributing income fund balances to other accounting funds based on board-determined rates.

DEFINITION

Defined four separate accounting funds (member contribution fund, employer's accumulation fund, retirement reserve fund, and income fund) without requiring actual asset segregation.

REQUIREMENT

Adjusted age and service credit requirements for normal retirement, including options for age 65 with 5+ years, age 60 with 15+ years, or any age with 24+ years of service credit.

ELIGIBILITY

Added provisions allowing magistrates who leave office before meeting retirement requirements to apply for retirement once they meet the age and service credit requirements.

Added restriction that no member may receive a pension while still in office.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 19, 2025 · House Mar 13, 2025

How they voted

36–0

Passed · 4 other

Total votes 40

Mar 19, 2025

D Democratic24

22 Yea 2

91% Yea

R Republican16

14 Yea 2

87% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 14, 2025

Vetoed

Pocket Veto

executive

Mar 19, 2025

Upper · Passed

passed Senate

upper

Mar 17, 2025

Upper · Passed

DO PASS committee report adopted

upper

Mar 13, 2025

Introduced

Sent to Senate Judiciary Committee

upper

Mar 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

passed House

lower

Mar 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

floor substitute adopted (1 amendment)

lower

Mar 12, 2025

Lower · Passed

DO PASS committee report adopted

lower

Feb 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

DO PASS committee report adopted

lower

Jan 28, 2025

Introduced

Sent to House Judiciary Committee & House Appropriations & Finance Committee

lower

3 primary · 0 co-sponsors