The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.New Mexico presumes specific cancers and health conditions are job-related for full-time firefighters
Last action · March 5, 2026: Signed by Governor - Chapter 36 - Mar. 5Sponsors: Cynthia Borrego and 6 others
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What This Bill Does
Full-time firefighters in New Mexico diagnosed with specific cancers after five years of employment, infectious diseases, posttraumatic stress disorder, or heart injuries and strokes within twenty-four hours of emergency duties are legally presumed to have contracted them due to their work. Employers must provide medical treatment for these conditions as job-related injuries unless a court determines otherwise.
Full-time municipal and state firefighters gain legal protections when claiming workers' compensation for specific medical conditions, shifting the burden of proof to employers to show the illness or injury came from non-work activities.
- Occupational disease disablement laws provide workers' compensation coverage for illnesses and injuries contracted as a direct result of employment duties. context
- Legislative presumptions relieve emergency responders from the heavy burden of scientifically proving that toxic exposures or acute strains during service directly caused their illnesses. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Full-time non-volunteer firefighters
Eligible firefighters receive legal presumptions connecting specific cancers, infectious diseases, PTSD, and cardiac events to their employment for workers' compensation purposes.
State and local government employers
Employers must provide medical treatment for covered conditions as job-related injuries unless a court rules otherwise, and must maintain qualifying physical training and medical screening programs.
Workers' compensation insurance providers
Insurers must cover medical treatment for presumed job-related conditions and receive reimbursements from health benefit plans if a court finds the presumption does not apply.
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
Which firefighters are covered by these occupational presumptions?
What happens if a firefighter develops cancer?
Can an employer challenge these presumptions?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
10 actions- Mar 5, 2026Governor of New MexicoEnrolledSigned by Governor - Chapter 36 - Mar. 5
- Feb 18, 2026SenateFloorPassed in the Senate - Y:39 N:0
- Feb 17, 2026SenateSHPAC: Reported by committee with Do Pass recommendation
- Feb 11, 2026SenateCommitteeSent to SHPAC - Referrals: SHPAC
- Feb 10, 2026HouseFloorPassed in the House of Representatives - Y:61 N:1
- Feb 6, 2026HouseHLVMC: Reported by committee with Do Pass recommendation
Show 4 earlier actions
- Feb 4, 2026HouseHHHC: Reported by committee with Do Pass recommendation
- Jan 30, 2026HouseCommitteeSent to HHHC - Referrals: HHHC/HLVMC
- Jan 30, 2026New Mexico LegislatureCommitteeWithdrawn from committee or daily calendar, ordered printed and referred to
- Jan 22, 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
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Presumptive Occupational Conditions for Firefighters
The measure broadens existing workers' compensation law by adding specific cancer timeframes, infectious diseases, mental health impairments, and cardiac events to statutory presumptions.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.nmlegis.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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