HB 199 New Mexico House · 2026 Regular Session

SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION & FEDERAL LAW

HB 199 updates New Mexico's sex offender registration laws to align with federal requirements under the Adam Walsh Child Protection Act. It requires sex offenders who live in New Mexico, work in New Mexico for over 14 days annually, or attend school in New Mexico to register with their local sheriff. The bill clarifies key terms, such as defining "habitually lives" (30+ days in a year) and expanding "institution of higher education" to include trade schools. This affects individuals convicted of specific sex offenses (e.g., sexual contact with minors, exploitation, or trafficking) who meet the residency, employment, or school criteria under state or federal law. The bill aims to ensure state compliance with federal reporting standards.

Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 6, 2026 Last action Mar 24, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

introduced version → CP substitute · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends New Mexico's sex offender registration laws to better comply with federal requirements under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. The changes expand who must register, clarify definitions of sex offenses and registration tiers, update verification requirements, and modify how long registration information must be retained based on offense severity.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of registration requirements to include sex offenders who live in shelters, transitional facilities, or multiple locations without a fixed residence, and clarifies requirements for out-of-state residents working or attending school in New Mexico.

DEFINITION

Added new definitions for 'tier 1', 'tier 2', and 'tier 3' sex offenses to categorize offenses by severity and determine registration requirements and retention periods.

Added new definition for 'social networking site' requiring sex offenders to provide online identifiers used on such platforms for law enforcement purposes.

ELIGIBILITY

Expanded who must register to include sex offenders without a fixed residence who live in shelters, halfway houses, or transitional facilities, and clarified requirements for out-of-state residents employed or attending school in New Mexico.

REQUIREMENT

Updated registration verification requirements based on offense tier, with tier 3 offenders verifying every 90 days for life, tier 2 offenders verifying every six months for 25 years, and tier 1 offenders verifying annually for 15 years.

Changed registration deadlines from five business days to three business days for initial registration, changes of residence, and other updates.

Added requirement for sex offenders to disclose their status to employers, supervisors, or volunteers immediately upon beginning employment, vocation, or volunteer service in New Mexico.

Modified retention periods for registration information based on offense tier, with tier 3 offenses requiring lifetime retention and tier 2 offenses requiring 25-year retention.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

DO NOT PASS, replaced with committee substitute

lower

Feb 6, 2026

Introduced

Sent to House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee & House Judiciary Committee

lower

Jan 28, 2026

Lower · Passed

not printed House Rules and Order of Business Committee

lower

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors