New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

New Mexico House Bill HB245 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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28	28	HOUSE BILL 245
29	29	57
30	30	TH LEGISLATURE
31	31	-
32	32
33	33	STATE
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35	35	OF
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37	37	NEW
38	38
39	39	MEXICO
40	40
41	41	-
42	42	FIRST SESSION
43	43	,
44	44
45	45	2025
46	46	INTRODUCED BY
47	47	Debra M. Sariñana and Craig W. Brandt and Alan T. Martinez
48	48	AN ACT
49	49	RELATING TO VETERANS' AFFAIRS; PROHIBITING RECEIVING
50	50	COMPENSATION FOR ASSISTING A PERSON TO OBTAIN VETERANS'
51	51	BENEFITS EXCEPT AS PERMITTED UNDER FEDERAL LAW; AMENDING THE
52	52	UNFAIR PRACTICES ACT.
53	53	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
54	54	SECTION 1. A new section of Chapter 20 NMSA 1978 is
55	55	enacted to read:
56	56	"[NEW MATERIAL] COMPENSATION FOR SERVICES RELATED TO
57	57	VETERANS' BENEFITS MATTERS.--
58	58	A. As used in this section:
59	59	(1) "compensation" means payment of money, a
60	60	thing of value or a financial benefit; and
61	61	(2) "veterans' benefits matter" means the
62	62	preparation, presentation or prosecution of a claim affecting a
63	63	.229494.2 underscored material = new
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90	90	person who has filed or expressed an intent to file a claim for
91	91	a benefit, program, service, commodity, function or status,
92	92	entitlement to which is determined under the laws and
93	93	regulations administered by the United States department of
94	94	veterans affairs or the United States department of defense
95	95	pertaining to veterans, their dependents, their survivors and
96	96	any other individual eligible for such benefits.
97	97	B. Pursuant to this section, a person shall not:
98	98	(1) receive compensation for preparation,
99	99	presentation or prosecution of, or advising, consulting or
100	100	assisting another person with, a veterans' benefits matter,
101	101	except as permitted under federal law;
102	102	(2) receive compensation for referring an
103	103	individual to another person to prepare, present or prosecute,
104	104	or advise, consult or assist that person with, a veterans'
105	105	benefits matter;
106	106	(3) receive, with respect to a person's
107	107	veterans' benefits matter, compensation for services rendered
108	108	before the date on which a notice of disagreement, decision
109	109	review or appeal is filed, whichever occurs first;
110	110	(4) guarantee, either directly or by
111	111	implication, that any person is certain to receive specific
112	112	veterans' benefits or that any person is certain to receive a
113	113	specific level, percentage or amount of veterans' benefits; or
114	114	(5) receive excessive or unreasonable fees, as
115	115	.229494.2
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143	143	determined pursuant to 38 C.F.R. Part 14.636, as compensation
144	144	for preparation, presentation or prosecution of, or advising,
145	145	consulting or assisting a person with, a veterans' benefits
146	146	matter.
147	147	C. A person seeking to receive compensation for
148	148	preparation, presentation or prosecution of, or advising,
149	149	consulting or assisting another person with, a veterans'
150	150	benefits matter shall, before rendering any services,
151	151	memorialize in a written agreement signed by both parties.
152	152	D. The provisions of this section do not apply to
153	153	an accredited representative of a recognized organization or an
154	154	accredited agent or attorney as provided pursuant to 38 C.F.R.
155	155	Part 14.629."
156	156	SECTION 2. Section 57-12-2 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1967,
157	157	Chapter 268, Section 2, as amended) is amended to read:
158	158	"57-12-2. DEFINITIONS.--As used in the Unfair Practices
159	159	Act:
160	160	A. "person" means, where applicable, natural
161	161	persons, corporations, trusts, partnerships, associations,
162	162	cooperative associations, clubs, companies, firms, joint
163	163	ventures or syndicates;
164	164	B. "seller-initiated telephone sale" means a sale,
165	165	lease or rental of goods or services in which the seller or the
166	166	seller's representative solicits the sale by telephoning the
167	167	prospective purchaser and in which the sale is consummated
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196	196	entirely by telephone or mail, but does not include a
197	197	transaction:
198	198	(1) in which a person solicits a sale from a
199	199	prospective purchaser who has previously made an authorized
200	200	purchase from the seller's business; or
201	201	(2) in which the purchaser is accorded the
202	202	right of rescission by the provisions of the federal Consumer
203	203	Credit Protection Act, 15 U.S.C. 1635, or regulations issued
204	204	pursuant thereto;
205	205	C. "trade" or "commerce" includes the advertising,
206	206	offering for sale or distribution of any services and any
207	207	property and any other article, commodity or thing of value,
208	208	including any trade or commerce directly or indirectly
209	209	affecting the people of this state;
210	210	D. "unfair or deceptive trade practice" means an
211	211	act specifically declared unlawful pursuant to the Unfair
212	212	Practices Act, a false or misleading oral or written statement,
213	213	visual description or other representation of any kind
214	214	knowingly made in connection with the sale, lease, rental or
215	215	loan of goods or services or in the extension of credit or in
216	216	the collection of debts by a person in the regular course of
217	217	the person's trade or commerce, that may, tends to or does
218	218	deceive or mislead any person and includes:
219	219	(1) representing goods or services as those of
220	220	another when the goods or services are not the goods or
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249	249	services of another;
250	250	(2) causing confusion or misunderstanding as
251	251	to the source, sponsorship, approval or certification of goods
252	252	or services;
253	253	(3) causing confusion or misunderstanding as
254	254	to affiliation, connection or association with or certification
255	255	by another;
256	256	(4) using deceptive representations or
257	257	designations of geographic origin in connection with goods or
258	258	services;
259	259	(5) representing that goods or services have
260	260	sponsorship, approval, characteristics, ingredients, uses,
261	261	benefits or quantities that they do not have or that a person
262	262	has a sponsorship, approval, status, affiliation or connection
263	263	that the person does not have;
264	264	(6) representing that goods are original or
265	265	new if they are deteriorated, altered, reconditioned,
266	266	reclaimed, used or secondhand;
267	267	(7) representing that goods or services are of
268	268	a particular standard, quality or grade or that goods are of a
269	269	particular style or model if they are of another;
270	270	(8) disparaging the goods, services or
271	271	business of another by false or misleading representations;
272	272	(9) offering goods or services with intent not
273	273	to supply them in the quantity requested by the prospective
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302	302	buyer to the extent of the stock available, unless the
303	303	purchaser is purchasing for resale;
304	304	(10) offering goods or services with intent
305	305	not to supply reasonable expectable public demand;
306	306	(11) making false or misleading statements of
307	307	fact concerning the price of goods or services, the prices of
308	308	competitors or one's own price at a past or future time or the
309	309	reasons for, existence of or amounts of price reduction;
310	310	(12) making false or misleading statements of
311	311	fact for the purpose of obtaining appointments for the
312	312	demonstration, exhibition or other sales presentation of goods
313	313	or services;
314	314	(13) packaging goods for sale in a container
315	315	that bears a trademark or trade name identified with goods
316	316	formerly packaged in the container, without authorization,
317	317	unless the container is labeled or marked to disclaim a
318	318	connection between the contents and the trademark or trade
319	319	name;
320	320	(14) using exaggeration, innuendo or ambiguity
321	321	as to a material fact or failing to state a material fact if
322	322	doing so deceives or tends to deceive;
323	323	(15) stating that a transaction involves
324	324	rights, remedies or obligations that it does not involve;
325	325	(16) stating that services, replacements or
326	326	repairs are needed if they are not needed;
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355	355	(17) failing to deliver the quality or
356	356	quantity of goods or services contracted for;
357	357	(18) violating the Tobacco Escrow Fund Act;
358	358	(19) violating Section 1 of this 2025 act ; or
359	359	[(19)] (20) offering or providing unposted or
360	360	unadvertised pricing or service based on the buyer's gender or
361	361	perceived gender identity; provided, however, that this
362	362	provision does not apply to persons regulated by the office of
363	363	superintendent of insurance pursuant to the New Mexico
364	364	Insurance Code; and
365	365	E. "unconscionable trade practice" means an act or
366	366	practice in connection with the sale, lease, rental or loan, or
367	367	in connection with the offering for sale, lease, rental or
368	368	loan, of any goods or services, including services provided by
369	369	licensed professionals, or in the extension of credit or in the
370	370	collection of debts that to a person's detriment:
371	371	(1) takes advantage of the lack of knowledge,
372	372	ability, experience or capacity of a person to a grossly unfair
373	373	degree; or
374	374	(2) results in a gross disparity between the
375	375	value received by a person and the price paid."
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