The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.New Mexico bill requires single-sex restrooms and sleeping facilities in public schools, shelters, and detention centers
Last action · February 2, 2026: Not PrintedSponsors: John Block and 15 others
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 273 requires domestic violence shelters, public schools, correctional facilities, and juvenile detention centers in New Mexico to designate single-sex sleeping quarters and multiple-occupancy restrooms or changing rooms based on biological sex. The measure mandates single-occupancy alternatives for individuals unable or unwilling to use sex-segregated facilities, while prohibiting access to opposite-sex spaces when others are present. Exceptions are provided for maintenance, medical assistance, law enforcement, emergencies, and young children accompanying caretakers.
State and local public facilities across New Mexico would be required to reconfigure or strictly segregate restrooms, locker rooms, shower rooms, and overnight sleeping quarters by biological sex, impacting operational policies in schools, shelters, and correctional institutions.
- House Bill 273 was introduced during the 2026 Regular Session of the New Mexico Legislature by Representative Rod Montoya and co-sponsors. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Domestic violence shelter residents
Residents must use sex-segregated sleeping quarters and restrooms, with access to single-occupancy alternatives upon request.
Public school students
Students must use sex-segregated restrooms and changing rooms, and adhere to same-sex sleeping arrangements on overnight school trips.
Incarcerated individuals and juveniles in detention
Inmates and detained juveniles are subject to sex-segregated housing, restroom, and changing facility requirements.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What facilities are covered by the Women's Safety and Protection Act?
Are there any exceptions that allow a person to enter an opposite-sex restroom or sleeping quarter?
How must public schools handle overnight field trips under this legislation?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · introduced in the House.
Procedural history
1 action- Feb 2, 2026New Mexico LegislatureNot Printed
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 11 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandated Sex-Segregated Facilities Across Multiple Sectors
The bill standardizes sex-segregated facility requirements across disparate institutions including public education, domestic violence shelters, and juvenile/adult correctional facilities.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.nmlegis.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy90Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment15Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
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