HB 34 New Mexico House · 2026 Regular Session

SCHOOL NURSE LICENSURE PROVISIONS

HB 34 updates New Mexico's school nurse licensure rules to clarify that charter schools must follow the same requirements as public school districts. It establishes three license levels: Level One (a 3-year provisional license requiring mentorship and annual evaluations for new nurses without 3+ years of experience), Level Two (a 9-year license for nurses who complete Level One or have 3+ years of experience), and Level Three (a 9-year license requiring advanced education and leadership skills). The bill sets minimum salaries for each level equal to corresponding teacher salary grades and mandates annual competency reviews by school districts or charter schools. These changes apply to all school nurses employed in New Mexico public and charter schools starting July 1, 2026.

Issues: ✓ Education ✓ Healthcare

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

House Passage

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

Signed into Law

Mar 2026

Introduced Jan 5, 2026 Signed Mar 6, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

introduced version → Final Version · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill restructures school nurse licensing into a tiered system with three levels, replacing the previous single licensure model. It introduces a provisional Level One license for new nurses requiring mentorship, establishes Level Two for experienced nurses, and creates a Level Three license for advanced practitioners. The changes aim to improve nurse competency through structured mentorship, clear progression paths, and standardized salary scales tied to teacher levels.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope by explicitly including charter schools in the mentorship and evaluation requirements that previously applied to school districts, and clarifies that all licensure provisions apply to charter school nurses.

REQUIREMENT

New Level One license created for beginning nurses with a mandatory one-year mentorship program and annual performance evaluations by senior nurses.

Level Two license now requires demonstrated competency as a Level One nurse or three years of nursing experience, with provisions for additional development if competency is not shown.

New Level Three license established for advanced nurses requiring a post-baccalaureate degree or national board certification, with a salary scale matching Level Three teachers.

Minimum salary scales for all three nurse levels are now standardized to match corresponding teacher salary levels.

ELIGIBILITY

Charter schools are now explicitly included in mentorship and evaluation requirements that were previously limited to school districts.

ENFORCEMENT

Added provisions allowing termination of Level One nurses who fail to demonstrate annual progress, and allowing schools to choose not to contract with Level Two nurses who fail competency checks.

TIMELINE

Effective date set to July 1, 2026, with Level One licenses limited to initial three-year periods without extensions except in exigent circumstances.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 19, 2026 · House Feb 3, 2026

How they voted

34–0

Passed · 4 other

Total votes 38

Feb 19, 2026

D Democratic22

20 Yea 2

90% 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

Mar 6, 2026

Signed into law

Signed

executive

Feb 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

passed Senate

upper

Feb 14, 2026

Upper · Passed

DO PASS committee report adopted

upper

Feb 6, 2026

Upper · Passed

DO PASS committee report adopted

upper

Feb 3, 2026

Introduced

Sent to Senate Education Committee & Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee

upper

Feb 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

passed House

lower

Jan 30, 2026

Lower · Passed

DO PASS committee report adopted

lower

Jan 28, 2026

Lower · Passed

DO PASS, as amended, committee report adopted

lower

Jan 22, 2026

Introduced

Sent to House Health & Human Services Committee & House Education Committee

lower

Jan 21, 2026

Lower · Passed

not printed House Rules and Order of Business Committee

lower

Jan 5, 2026

Introduced

Sent to House Pre-file

lower

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors