Fiscal impact reports (FIRs) are prepared by the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) for standing finance
committees of the Legislature. LFC does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of these reports if they
are used for other purposes.
F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Sariñana
/Torres-Velásquez
LAST UPDATED
ORIGINAL DATE 2/28/25
SHORT TITLE Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact
BILL
NUMBER House Bill 110
ANALYST Mabe
ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT*
(dollars in thousands)
Agency/Program
FY25 FY26 FY27
3 Year
Total Cost
Recurring or
Nonrecurring
Fund
Affected PED OpBud $0 to $200.0 $0 to $200.0 $0 to $400.0 Recurring General Fund
Compact
Membership Fees
$6.0 $6.0 Recurring General Fund
Total $0 to $200.0 $0 to $206.0 $0 to $406.0
Parentheses ( ) indicate expenditure decreases.
*Amounts reflect most recent analysis of this legislation.
Relates to House Bills 79, 81, 82, 156, 217, 243, 412, 413 and 441 and Senate Bills 46, 104, 105,
106 and 433
Sources of Information
LFC Files
Council of State Governments (CSG)
Agency Analysis Received From
Regional Education Cooperatives (REC) Public Education Department (PED) Agency Analysis was Solicited but Not Received From
Office of Military Base Planning and Support (OMBPS) Public Schools Insurance Authority (PSIA)
Department of Finance and Administration (DFA)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of House Bill 110
House Bill 110 would create the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact (ITMC) in New Mexico,
allowing licensed teachers in compact states to obtain licensure more easily when moving across
state lines. It also details administration through a joint interstate commission. This bill does not
contain an effective date and, as a result, would go into effect 90 days after the Legislature
adjourns if enacted, or June 20, 2025.
House Bill 110 – Page 2
The compact requires PED to compile a list of eligible licenses for consideration and the level of
licensure each applicant may attain. Applicants are required to have unencumbered licenses,
meaning a license that is not suspended, revoked, or subject to probation or conditions, except
for active military members and their spouses who can receive a license even if their license is
encumbered.
The compact also creates the ITMC Commission to oversee the compact’s administration. It sets
guidelines for meetings, powers, duties, and members. Each state gets one delegate to the
commission, the education secretary or their designate, and they are required to meet once a year.
The commission is also responsible for exchanging investigative and disciplinary information on
teachers between member states. By joining the compact, the executive and judicial branches of
each state compact agree to enforce its purposes and intent. Any state may leave the compact by
repealing their legislation.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
Other states that have enacted this compact report varied fiscal implications from $0 to $200
thousand for the time it will take to create and maintain the list of licenses eligible for the
compact as well as review applications and participate in the Compact commission.
Currently, the ITMC commission does not charge membership fees to participating states, and
according to LESC, it will not for the next year. For reference, the Nurse Licensure Compact
charges each member state $6,000 annually.
While many interstate compacts allow professionals to obtain a single interstate license, the
ITMC requires teachers to still apply for a license in a compact state, albeit through a
streamlined process. As such, interstate applicants moving to New Mexico will continue to pay
application fees, which will increase revenues to the educator licensure fund unless Public
Education Department (PED) waives or reduces licensure application fees for interstate
applicants.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
According to the Council of State Governments (CSG), the prevalence of jobs requiring an
occupational license has increased from 5 percent to 25 percent over the past 60 years. Licensing
can protect consumers by setting professional standards, but inconsistent laws across states limit
the ability of workers to move easily. These challenges disproportionately affect military
families, immigrants with work authorization, people with criminal records, unemployed and
dislocated workers, and similar groups.
To give military spouses with jobs requiring licensure more mobility, the U.S. Department of
Defense (DOD), together with the CSG, started a grant process to help create interstate compacts
for occupational licensure. So far, they have completed compacts for teachers, social workers,
massage therapists, school psychologists, dietitians, respiratory therapists, cosmetologists,
dentists and dental hygienists and are currently in the process of developing compacts for athletic
trainers and aestheticians. States wishing to join an occupational compact must enact legislation
using the model language provided.
House Bill 110 – Page 3
To develop the interstate teacher mobility compact (ITMC), DOD and CSG partnered with the
National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC).
The compact became active in 2023 after 10 states joined. There are now 13 member states,
including three states that border New Mexico—Colorado, Utah, and Oklahoma.
The ITMC was created to simplify teacher licensure mobility, support military spouses, enhance
information exchange between states, improve teacher retention and recruitment, and maintain
state sovereignty. Licensure under the compact applies only to the initial license granted by a
state.
New Mexico does not require career technical education (CTE) teachers to have a bachelor’s
degree. Under the compact, CTE teachers may have difficulty getting a reciprocal license if the
receiving state requires them to have a bachelor’s degree. The process of applying for a license
and receiving the closest equivalent is meant to maintain each state’s autonomy and standards
while recognizing the broad professionalism of high-quality teachers.
Many occupational compacts existed before the DOD began their grant program. Currently, New
Mexico is only a member of one professional compact, the Nurse Licensure Compact, which is
one of the oldest and most widely adopted compacts with 41 states participating. In addition to
the interstate teacher mobility compact in House Bill 110, New Mexico is also considering 10
other occupational compacts during the 2025 legislative session (see details below).
PED currently offers expedited and free licensure for military service members, spouses, and
veterans. Reciprocity for nonmilitary teachers also exists under current PED rules. A teacher
from another state can be granted a license if the teacher has teaching experience, demonstrates
the required competences, and meets other requirements and qualifications. HB110 would
streamline this process for applicants from ITMC member states.
Increased ease of mobility means teachers will likely move across state lines more often, but a
state could just as easily see its vacancy rates increase as decrease. Currently, New Mexico’s
average starting teacher salary is competitive with compact member states, but the overall
average salary lags behind ITMC member states, which could increase the likelihood teachers
leave the state if given the option. Cost-of-living differences and personal circumstances also
affect these decisions to change locations, which complicate projections on the impact of this
legislation on the supply of teachers in New Mexico.
House Bill 110 – Page 4
Additionally, according to a Learning Policy Institute (LPI) report, New Mexico ranks in the
middle among states for teacher attractiveness and some nearby compact member states rank
higher.
PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS
According to the New Mexico State University’s Southwest Outreach Academic Research
Evaluation and Policy Center Report, there were 737 teacher vacancies in 2024, down from 751
in 2023. Getting qualified teachers to fill these vacancies would have a positive effect on student
achievement. Although, as outlined above, increased mobility does not necessarily mean
decreased vacancies.
House Bill 110 – Page 5
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
PED’s licensure bureau would need to adopt a system of how to evaluate and award licenses to
teachers from compact states. Additionally, the PED secretary or secretary’s designee would
need to serve on the compact commission.
CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP
House Bill 110 relates to House Bill 156, which raises minimum teacher salary levels by $5,000
each tier and Senate Bill 343, which ensures minimum salary for vocational teachers. It also
relates to other professional licensure compact bills:
House Bill 79 and Senate Bill 104: Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Compact
House Bill 81: Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact
House Bill 82: Physical Therapy Licensure Compact
House Bill 217: Counseling Compact
House Bill 243 and Senate Bill 46: Interstate Medical Licensure Compact
House Bill 412: Emergency Medical Services Licensure Compact
House Bill 413: Physician Assistant Licensure Compact
House Bill 441 and Senate Bill 433: Dental & Dental Hygienist Compact
Senate Bill 105: Social Work Licensure Compact
Senate Bill 106: Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact
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