New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

New Mexico House Bill HB521 Compare Versions

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

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28	28	HOUSE BILL 521
29	29	57
30	30	TH LEGISLATURE
31	31	-
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33	33	STATE
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35	35	OF
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37	37	NEW
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39	39	MEXICO
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42	42	FIRST SESSION
43	43	,
44	44
45	45	2025
46	46	INTRODUCED BY
47	47	John Block
48	48	AN ACT
49	49	RELATING TO TOURISM; ENACTING THE AGRITOURISM PROMOTION ACT;
50	50	LIMITING THE LIABILITY OF AN AGRITOURISM OPERATOR IN CERTAIN
51	51	CIRCUMSTANCES.
52	52	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
53	53	SECTION 1. [NEW MATERIAL] SHORT TITLE.--This act may be
54	54	cited as the "Agritourism Promotion Act".
55	55	SECTION 2. [NEW MATERIAL] DEFINITIONS.--As used in the
56	56	Agritourism Promotion Act:
57	57	A. "agritourism" means activities that allow
58	58	members of the public, for recreational, entertainment or
59	59	educational purposes, to view or enjoy rural activities,
60	60	including farming and ranching activities; historic, cultural
61	61	or natural attractions; harvesting; winemaking; farm-to-table
62	62	activities; and other similar agricultural experiences;
63	63	.230149.3 underscored material = new
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90	90	B. "agritourism location" means a specific parcel
91	91	of land where an agritourism operator engages in agritourism;
92	92	C. "agritourism operator" means a person who is
93	93	engaged in the business of providing one or more agritourism
94	94	activities;
95	95	D. "inherent risks of agritourism" means dangers or
96	96	conditions that are an integral part of agritourism, including
97	97	certain hazards, such as surface and subsurface conditions;
98	98	natural conditions of land, vegetation, foliage and waters; the
99	99	behavior or presence of wild or domestic animals; exposure to
100	100	and use of farm equipment; and ordinary dangers of structures
101	101	or equipment ordinarily and routinely used in farming or
102	102	ranching operations. "Inherent risks of agritourism" includes
103	103	a participant's negligence; and
104	104	E. "participant" means a person who engages in
105	105	agritourism and assumes responsibility for the person's own
106	106	safety while adhering to posted rules and instructions.
107	107	SECTION 3. [NEW MATERIAL] LIMITED LIABILITY FOR
108	108	AGRITOURISM OPERATORS.--
109	109	A. Except as provided in Subsection B of this
110	110	section, an agritourism operator is not liable for injury to or
111	111	death of a participant resulting from the inherent risks of
112	112	agritourism as long as the warning contained in Section 4 of
113	113	the Agritourism Promotion Act is posted as required. Except as
114	114	provided in Subsection B of this section, a participant or
115	115	.230149.3
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143	143	participant's representative shall not maintain an action
144	144	against or recover from an agritourism operator for the loss,
145	145	injury or death of the participant resulting exclusively from
146	146	the inherent risks of agritourism or any dangerous condition
147	147	clearly communicated by the agritourism operator to the
148	148	participant via signage, waiver acknowledgments, warnings on
149	149	the operator's website or any other means of communication.
150	150	B. Subsection A of this section does not limit the
151	151	liability of an agritourism operator if the agritourism
152	152	operator:
153	153	(1) commits an act or omission that
154	154	constitutes willful, wanton or reckless disregard for the
155	155	safety of the participant and that act or omission proximately
156	156	causes injury or death to the participant;
157	157	(2) has actual knowledge or reasonably should
158	158	have known of a dangerous condition on the land or in the
159	159	facilities or equipment or the dangerous propensity of a
160	160	particular animal used in the course of agritourism and does
161	161	not make the danger known to the participant and the danger
162	162	proximately causes injury or death to the participant; or
163	163	(3) intentionally injures the participant.
164	164	C. An agritourism operator shall obtain a
165	165	certificate of insurance coverage.
166	166	D. The limitation on liability provided to an
167	167	agritourism operator by the Agritourism Promotion Act is in
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196	196	addition to any other limitation of liability otherwise
197	197	provided by law. Nothing in the Agritourism Promotion Act
198	198	shall be construed to limit, restrict or impede a person and an
199	199	agritourism operator to existing coverage provided pursuant to
200	200	state law.
201	201	E. In any action for damages arising from the
202	202	operation of agritourism, the agritourism operator may plead an
203	203	affirmative defense of assumption of risk by the participant.
204	204	SECTION 4. [NEW MATERIAL] POSTING OF NOTICE.--
205	205	A. An agritourism operator conducting agritourism,
206	206	whether the activities occur on or off the site of an
207	207	agritourism location, shall post a warning sign, which shall
208	208	serve as notice of the inherent risks of the agritourism
209	209	activity. Agritourism operators shall post the warning signs
210	210	at all entry points to the agritourism location and at key
211	211	activity sites. Each sign shall have lettering of at least one
212	212	inch in height and be in a conspicuous location where it is
213	213	clearly visible to participants. The warning sign shall
214	214	contain, at a minimum, the following statement:
215	215	"WARNING
216	216	Under New Mexico law, there is no liability for an injury
217	217	to or death of a participant in an agritourism activity
218	218	conducted at this location if the injury or death results from
219	219	the inherent risks of the agritourism activity. Inherent risks
220	220	include risks of injury inherent to land, equipment and
221	221	.230149.3
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249	249	animals, as well as the potential for a participant to act in a
250	250	negligent manner that may contribute to injury or death.".
251	251	B. Failure to post warning signs in the manner
252	252	provided pursuant to Subsection A of this section shall prevent
253	253	an agritourism operator from invoking the immunity provided by
254	254	the Agritourism Promotion Act.
255	255	SECTION 5. [NEW MATERIAL] RULEMAKING.--The office of
256	256	superintendent of insurance shall promulgate rules relating to
257	257	liability insurance accessibility for agritourism operators,
258	258	including state-backed insurance programs and tiered insurance
259	259	requirements based on the size and nature of an agritourism
260	260	operation.
261	261	SECTION 6. SEVERABILITY CLAUSE.--If any part or
262	262	application of the Agritourism Promotion Act is held invalid,
263	263	the remainder or its application to other situations or persons
264	264	shall not be affected.
265	265	SECTION 7. EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the
266	266	provisions of this act is July 1, 2025.
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268	268	.230149.3