New Mexico Senate Introduces SB 219: No Citizenship Proof For Occupational License
On Monday, February 1, Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino introduced Senate Bill 219, “No Citizenship Proof For Occupational License” as an extension of last year’s SB 137.
Last year, the New Mexico Senate passed SB137, a bill that removed immigration status as a barrier to professional licensure for a number of occupations. Federal law states that citizenship or Legal Permanent Residency is a requirement, qualifying that states do have the power to license or certify whomever they see fit. In passing SB 137, New Mexico no longer requires citizenship or Legal Permanent Residency for eligibility for many careers, including medicine, education, cosmetology and social work.
SB 137 did not, however, cover occupations that explicitly require a specific immigration status in New Mexico. Occupations in this category include real estate, home inspection, optometry and physical therapy, among others.
NMILC staff members lobbying for SB 137, January 2020
This legislative session, NMILC hopes to see a secondary bill passed, expanding upon the terms of SB 137. This bill, titled, “No Citizenship Proof For Occupational License” would allow New Mexico to see an increase in licensed professionals—a huge win for our state. Under current New Mexico law, many occupations carry statutory immigration status requirements. SB 219 would see such requirements removed. This year’s bill aims to eliminate an employment bottleneck for the immigrant community under broader terms than those outlined by SB 137.
“SB 219 can give young adults the opportunity to pursue their career of choice in their home state. In turn, these young professionals will offer New Mexicans their valuable skills and allow our state to reap the rewards of its decades long educational investment in undocumented youth.”
-Diana Torres, NMILC Attorney
