New Mexico 2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee 1 R cosponsors

SB 173 — EXPAND MEDICAL MALPRACTICE INSURANCE TYPES

Last action — action postponed indefinitely

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced January 28, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Stalled 16% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 R).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

8 changes Share ↗

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

The bill expands the types of medical malpractice liability insurance that healthcare providers can obtain to qualify under the Medical Malpractice Act in New Mexico.

  • 41-5-5 NMSA 1978

    [except an independent outpatient health care facility]

    This change specifies that independent outpatient health care facilities are excluded from the qualifications applicable to other healthcare providers.

  • 41-5-5 NMSA 1978

    [occurrence]

    This change updates the term to make the regulations more consistent and clear regarding the nature of malpractice claims.

  • 41-5-5 NMSA 1978

    [hospitals and hospital-controlled outpatient health care facilities that establish financial responsibility through a policy of malpractice liability insurance may use any form of malpractice insurance; and provided further that]

    This removes the previous provision allowing hospitals to use any form of malpractice insurance, thereby standardizing requirements.

  • 41-5-5 NMSA 1978

    [occurrences]

    This change updates the wording regarding the coverage limits for independent providers under the Medical Malpractice Act.

  • 41-5-5 NMSA 1978

    [$250,000] per [occurrence] → $500,000 per [occurrence]

    This increases the minimum amount of malpractice liability insurance required for independent outpatient health care facilities.

  • 41-5-5 NMSA 1978

    [$750,000] in cash with the superintendent → $1,500,000 in cash with the superintendent

    This increases the deposit requirement for independent outpatient health care facilities to qualify under the Medical Malpractice Act.

  • 41-5-5 NMSA 1978

    the deposit or policy shall provide coverage for not more than three separate [occurrences] malpractice claims → the deposit or policy shall provide coverage for not more than three separate malpractice claims

    This change clarifies that the coverage limit relates to malpractice claims rather than occurrences.

  • 41-5-5 NMSA 1978

    occurrences malpractice claims; → malpractice claims;

    This further clarifies the type of claims covered under the insurance policy.

Action History

  1. action postponed indefinitely

  2. Sent to Senate Committees' Committee & Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee & Senate Judiciary Committee

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 111 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (111)

111 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 111 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

healthcare health-insurance
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SB 173?
SB 173 is sponsored by Rex Wilson (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 173?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced January 28, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 173?
Track SB 173 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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