New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

New Mexico House Bill HB274 Compare Versions

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

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28	28	HOUSE BILL 274
29	29	57TH LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SESSION, 2025
30	30	INTRODUCED BY
31	31	Elaine Sena Cortez and Jay C. Block and Rod Montoya
32	32	and John Block and Alan T. Martinez
33	33	AN ACT
34	34	RELATING TO CRIME; MAKING THE TRAFFICKING OF FENTANYL A FIRST
35	35	DEGREE FELONY WITH A SENTENCE OF LIFE IN PRISON.
36	36	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
37	37	SECTION 1. Section 30-31-20 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1972,
38	38	Chapter 84, Section 20, as amended) is amended to read:
39	39	"30-31-20. TRAFFICKING CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES--
40	40	VIOLATION.--
41	41	A. As used in the Controlled Substances Act,
42	42	"traffic" means the:
43	43	(1) manufacture of a controlled substance
44	44	enumerated in Schedules I through V or a controlled substance
45	45	analog [as defined in Subsection W of Section 30-31-2 NMSA
46	46	1978];
47	47	(2) distribution, sale, barter or giving away
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75	75	of:
76	76	(a) a controlled substance enumerated in
77	77	Schedule I or II that is a narcotic drug;
78	78	(b) a controlled substance analog of a
79	79	controlled substance enumerated in Schedule I or II that is a
80	80	narcotic drug; or
81	81	(c) methamphetamine, its salts, isomers
82	82	and salts of isomers; or
83	83	(3) possession with intent to distribute:
84	84	(a) a controlled substance enumerated in
85	85	Schedule I or II that is a narcotic drug;
86	86	(b) a controlled substance analog of a
87	87	controlled substance enumerated in Schedule I or II that is a
88	88	narcotic drug; or
89	89	(c) methamphetamine, its salts, isomers
90	90	and salts of isomers.
91	91	B. Except as authorized by the Controlled
92	92	Substances Act, it is unlawful for a person to intentionally
93	93	traffic. A person who violates this subsection shall be
94	94	sentenced pursuant to Section 31-18-15 NMSA 1978 and is:
95	95	(1) for the first and subsequent offenses when
96	96	the controlled substance is fentanyl, guilty of a first degree
97	97	felony for trafficking fentanyl;
98	98	[(1)] (2) for [the first offense ] all other
99	99	first offenses, guilty of a second degree felony [and shall be
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128	128	sentenced pursuant to the provisions of Section 31-18-15 NMSA
129	129	1978]; and
130	130	[(2)] (3) for [the second and ] all other
131	131	subsequent offenses, guilty of a first degree felony [and shall
132	132	be sentenced pursuant to the provisions of Section 31-18-15
133	133	NMSA 1978].
134	134	C. A person who knowingly violates Subsection B of
135	135	this section within a drug-free school zone excluding private
136	136	property residentially zoned or used primarily as a residence
137	137	is guilty of a first degree felony and shall be sentenced
138	138	pursuant to the provisions of Section 31-18-15 NMSA 1978."
139	139	SECTION 2. Section 31-18-15 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1977,
140	140	Chapter 216, Section 4, as amended) is amended to read:
141	141	"31-18-15. SENTENCING AUTHORITY--NONCAPITAL FELONIES--
142	142	BASIC SENTENCES AND FINES--PAROLE AUTHORITY--MERITORIOUS
143	143	DEDUCTIONS.--
144	144	A. As used in a statute that establishes a
145	145	noncapital felony, the following defined felony classifications
146	146	and associated basic sentences of imprisonment are as follows:
147	147	FELONY CLASSIFICATION BASIC SENTENCE
148	148	first degree felony
149	149	resulting in the death
150	150	of a child life imprisonment
151	151	first degree felony for
152	152	aggravated criminal sexual
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181	181	penetration life imprisonment
182	182	first degree felony for
183	183	trafficking fentanyl life imprisonment
184	184	first degree felony eighteen years imprisonment
185	185	second degree felony
186	186	resulting in the death of
187	187	a human being eighteen years imprisonment
188	188	second degree felony for a
189	189	sexual offense against a
190	190	child fifteen years imprisonment
191	191	second degree felony for
192	192	sexual exploitation of
193	193	children twelve years imprisonment
194	194	second degree felony nine years imprisonment
195	195	third degree felony resulting
196	196	in the death of a human being six years imprisonment
197	197	third degree felony for a
198	198	sexual offense against a
199	199	child six years imprisonment
200	200	third degree felony for sexual
201	201	exploitation of children eleven years imprisonment
202	202	third degree felony three years imprisonment
203	203	fourth degree felony for
204	204	sexual exploitation of
205	205	children ten years imprisonment
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234	234	fourth degree felony eighteen months imprisonment.
235	235	B. The appropriate basic sentence of imprisonment
236	236	shall be imposed upon a person convicted and sentenced pursuant
237	237	to Subsection A of this section, unless the court alters the
238	238	sentence pursuant to the provisions of the Criminal Sentencing
239	239	Act.
240	240	C. A period of parole shall be imposed only for
241	241	felony convictions wherein a person is sentenced to
242	242	imprisonment of more than one year, unless the parties to a
243	243	proceeding agree that a period of parole should be imposed. If
244	244	a period of parole is imposed, the court shall include in the
245	245	judgment and sentence of each person convicted and sentenced to
246	246	imprisonment in a corrections facility designated by the
247	247	corrections department authority for a period of parole to be
248	248	served in accordance with the provisions of Section 31-21-10
249	249	NMSA 1978 after the completion of any actual time of
250	250	imprisonment and authority to require, as a condition of
251	251	parole, the payment of the costs of parole services and
252	252	reimbursement to a law enforcement agency or local crime
253	253	stopper program in accordance with the provisions of that
254	254	section. If imposed, the period of parole shall be deemed to
255	255	be part of the sentence of the convicted person in addition to
256	256	the basic sentence imposed pursuant to Subsection A of this
257	257	section together with alterations, if any, pursuant to the
258	258	provisions of the Criminal Sentencing Act.
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287	287	D. When a court imposes a sentence of imprisonment
288	288	pursuant to the provisions of Section 31-18-15.1, 31-18-16 or
289	289	31-18-17 NMSA 1978 and suspends or defers the basic sentence of
290	290	imprisonment provided pursuant to the provisions of Subsection
291	291	A of this section, the period of parole shall be served in
292	292	accordance with the provisions of Section 31-21-10 NMSA 1978
293	293	for the degree of felony for the basic sentence for which the
294	294	inmate was convicted. For the purpose of designating a period
295	295	of parole, a court shall not consider that the basic sentence
296	296	of imprisonment was suspended or deferred and that the inmate
297	297	served a period of imprisonment pursuant to the provisions of
298	298	the Criminal Sentencing Act.
299	299	E. The court may, in addition to the imposition of
300	300	a basic sentence of imprisonment, impose a fine not to exceed:
301	301	(1) for a first degree felony resulting in the
302	302	death of a child, seventeen thousand five hundred dollars
303	303	($17,500);
304	304	(2) for a first degree felony for aggravated
305	305	criminal sexual penetration, seventeen thousand five hundred
306	306	dollars ($17,500);
307	307	(3) for a first degree felony, fifteen
308	308	thousand dollars ($15,000);
309	309	(4) for a second degree felony resulting in
310	310	the death of a human being, twelve thousand five hundred
311	311	dollars ($12,500);
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340	340	(5) for a second degree felony for a sexual
341	341	offense against a child, twelve thousand five hundred dollars
342	342	($12,500);
343	343	(6) for a second degree felony for sexual
344	344	exploitation of children, five thousand dollars ($5,000);
345	345	(7) for a second degree felony, ten thousand
346	346	dollars ($10,000);
347	347	(8) for a third degree felony resulting in the
348	348	death of a human being, five thousand dollars ($5,000);
349	349	(9) for a third degree felony for a sexual
350	350	offense against a child, five thousand dollars ($5,000);
351	351	(10) for a third degree felony for sexual
352	352	exploitation of children, five thousand dollars ($5,000);
353	353	(11) for a third or fourth degree felony, five
354	354	thousand dollars ($5,000); or
355	355	(12) for a fourth degree felony for sexual
356	356	exploitation of children, five thousand dollars ($5,000).
357	357	F. When the court imposes a sentence of
358	358	imprisonment for a felony offense, the court shall indicate
359	359	whether or not the offense is a serious violent offense as
360	360	defined in Section 33-2-34 NMSA 1978. The court shall inform
361	361	an offender that the offender's sentence of imprisonment is
362	362	subject to the provisions of Sections 33-2-34, 33-2-36, 33-2-37
363	363	and 33-2-38 NMSA 1978. If the court fails to inform an
364	364	offender that the offender's sentence is subject to those
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393	393	provisions or if the court provides the offender with erroneous
394	394	information regarding those provisions, the failure to inform
395	395	or the error shall not provide a basis for a writ of habeas
396	396	corpus.
397	397	G. No later than October 31 of each year, the
398	398	New Mexico sentencing commission shall provide a written report
399	399	to the secretary of corrections, all New Mexico criminal court
400	400	judges, the administrative office of the district attorneys and
401	401	the chief public defender. The report shall specify the
402	402	average reduction in the sentence of imprisonment for serious
403	403	violent offenses and nonviolent offenses, as defined in Section
404	404	33-2-34 NMSA 1978, due to meritorious deductions earned by
405	405	prisoners during the previous fiscal year pursuant to the
406	406	provisions of Sections 33-2-34, 33-2-36, 33-2-37 and 33-2-38
407	407	NMSA 1978. The corrections department shall allow the
408	408	commission access to documents used by the department to
409	409	determine earned meritorious deductions for prisoners."
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