HB 292 New Mexico House · 2026 Regular Session

NM PRISON RAPE ELIMINATION ACT

The New Mexico Prison Rape Elimination Act (HB 292) requires all state and local correctional facilities - including prisons, jails, lockups, and community confinement centers - to adopt zero-tolerance policies against sexual abuse and harassment. Each facility must appoint a dedicated coordinator to oversee prevention, detection, and response efforts, with clear definitions of terms like "sexual abuse" and "facility" to ensure consistent application. This law directly affects inmates, detainees, and staff by mandating specific safety protocols in confinement settings. It establishes concrete standards for accountability without specifying enforcement penalties or expected outcomes.

Issues: ✓ Criminal Justice

Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 11, 2026 Last action Mar 24, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

introduced version → JC substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was significantly rewritten by the Judiciary Committee, changing from a comprehensive prison rape elimination act with detailed definitions to a simpler version focused on requiring the Corrections Department to adopt a zero-tolerance policy and promulgate rules by October 21, 2026. The committee version removes most of the original definitions and detailed provisions, replacing them with a more streamlined approach that emphasizes rule-making requirements.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed from a comprehensive prison rape elimination framework to a more limited focus on Corrections Department rule-making and policy adoption. The original version included detailed definitions for various facility types and personnel, while the substitute version removes most of these definitions.

REQUIREMENT

The bill was changed from establishing a comprehensive Prison Rape Elimination Act with detailed operational requirements to simply requiring the Corrections Department to adopt a zero-tolerance policy and promulgate rules by October 21, 2026.

DEFINITION

Most of the original definitions section was removed, including detailed definitions for agency, facility types, staff roles, and specialized terms like 'gender nonconforming' and 'intersex'.

TIMELINE

A specific deadline was added requiring the Corrections Department to promulgate rules no later than October 21, 2026.

ENFORCEMENT

The original version included detailed reporting requirements, data collection mandates, and specific protections for LGBTQ+ inmates, while the substitute version simplifies these into general rule-making requirements.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

DO NOT PASS, replaced with committee substitute

lower

Feb 11, 2026

Introduced

Sent to House Judiciary Committee

lower

Jan 30, 2026

Lower · Passed

not printed House Rules and Order of Business Committee

lower

3 primary · 0 co-sponsors