SB 33 New Mexico Senate · 2025 Regular Session

WILDFIRE PREPARED ACT

SB 33, the Wildfire Prepared Act, creates a state program to help New Mexico homeowners make their primary residences safer from wildfires. It establishes the Wildfire Prepared Program within the energy department, which would provide technical assistance, assessments, and grants to eligible property owners (those living in high-risk wildfire areas) to harden their homes and property using noncombustible materials and defensible space. The bill also creates a Fire Planning Task Force to develop wildfire preparedness standards, identify high-risk areas, and recommend building code changes, while creating a dedicated Wildfire Prepared Fund for program funding. If passed, it would replace outdated wildfire planning laws and directly affect homeowners in wildfire-prone regions seeking to reduce fire risks to their properties.

Issues: ✓ Environment

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Feb 2025

House Passage

Mar 2025

Signed into Law

Apr 2025

Introduced Jan 27, 2025 Signed Apr 8, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

FC substitute → Final Version · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was reformatted and reorganized to establish the Wildfire Prepared Act, creating a new Fire Planning Task Force with expanded membership and duties to develop wildfire preparedness standards, including building codes and defensible space requirements. The changes consolidate existing wildfire legislation into a single act and add specific responsibilities for identifying high-risk areas and considering impacts on wildlife when developing mitigation measures.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a general wildfire conservation framework to a comprehensive preparedness program with specific standards development duties and a newly defined task force structure.

REQUIREMENT

Created a new Fire Planning Task Force with 16 specific members including state fire marshal, local government division director, commissioner of public lands, federal land management representatives, local fire department members, and insurance trade association representatives.

Added task force duties to identify and map high-risk wildfire areas within the state and develop standards for building codes, defensible space requirements, and ordinances to reduce wildfire threats.

Added specific requirements for task force standards development to recognize distinctions between altering existing situations versus new construction, consider fire suppression measures including forest thinning and controlled burns, consider wildlife impacts, and solicit comments from landowners and local governments.

DEFINITION

Added new definitions including 'assessment', 'buffer', 'certification', 'eligible property owner', 'high-risk area', 'noncombustible', 'property', 'qualified entity', 'residence', 'structure', 'task force', 'wildfire', 'wildfire prepared', and 'wildfire preparedness standards'.

TECHNICAL

Recompiled existing Section 68-2-34 NMSA 1978 (from Laws 2003, Chapter 115, Section 1 and Laws 2003, Chapter 303, Section 1) as a section of the new Wildfire Prepared Act.

introduced version → CO substitute · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill was amended to modernize wildfire preparedness legislation by updating the Fire Planning Task Force composition to include more diverse stakeholders, clarifying definitions for wildfire preparedness standards, and establishing a dedicated funding program with grants for property owners and qualified entities. The changes expand eligibility for assistance, increase transparency in standards development, and create a sustainable funding mechanism to help New Mexico residents harden structures against wildfires.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from primarily amending existing wildfire legislation to creating a comprehensive wildfire preparedness program with specific grant mechanisms, updated task force membership, and a new dedicated fund for wildfire mitigation efforts.

FISCAL

Created a new Wildfire Prepared Fund with $20 million initial appropriation to support wildfire mitigation programs and staff hiring.

ELIGIBILITY

Added 'eligible property owner' definition to specify New Mexico residents who own residences and meet task force-developed requirements for grant eligibility.

REQUIREMENT

Established mandatory grant distribution requirement that at least 50% of funds must go to qualified entities assisting property owners with residence hardening.

DEFINITION

Added new definitions for 'wildfire prepared,' 'wildfire preparedness standards,' 'qualified entity,' and 'eligible property owner' to clarify program requirements.

SCOPE

Expanded Fire Planning Task Force membership from 12 to 16 members to include additional stakeholders like construction industry representatives, homeland security, and property insurance carriers.

TIMELINE

Added requirement for task force to develop grant eligibility guidelines by June 30 annually and report progress to governor and legislature by December 15 annually.

TECHNICAL

Removed bracketed placeholder text and formatting inconsistencies from the introduced version to create a clean substitute version.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 22, 2025 · House Mar 21, 2025

How they voted

36–0

Passed · 4 other

Total votes 40

Feb 22, 2025

D Democratic24

21 Yea 3

87% Yea

R Republican16

15 Yea 1

93% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 8, 2025

Signed into law

Signed

executive

Mar 21, 2025

Lower · Passed

passed House

lower

Mar 20, 2025

Lower · Passed

DO PASS committee report adopted

lower

Mar 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

DO PASS committee report adopted

lower

Feb 24, 2025

Introduced

Sent to House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee & House Appropriations & Finance Committee

lower

Feb 22, 2025

Upper · Passed

passed Senate

upper

Feb 19, 2025

Upper · Passed

DO NOT PASS, replaced with committee substitute

upper

Feb 5, 2025

Upper · Passed

DO NOT PASS, replaced with committee substitute

upper

Jan 27, 2025

Introduced

Sent to Senate Conservation Committee & Senate Finance Committee

upper

4 primary · 0 co-sponsors