Merit Institute Merit

The New Mexico Worker-Merit Credentialing Act (NM-ACSA)

New Mexico state companion to ACSA. Extends licensure recognition under NMSA 1978 Chapter 61, the Higher Education Department, the State Workforce Development Board, and NMSA 1978 Chapter 7 tax credits, with labor-protective worker provisions.

THE NEW MEXICO WORKER-MERIT CREDENTIALING ACT (NM-ACSA)

Vehicle: State passage. New Mexico Legislature, regular session. Primary referral to House / Senate Business and Industry / Labor, Veterans’ and Military Affairs / Taxation and Revenue.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE

This Act may be cited as the “New Mexico Worker-Merit Credentialing Act (NM-ACSA).”

SECTION 2. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT

The Legislature finds that New Mexico occupational licensure operates under NMSA 1978 Chapter 61; that the Higher Education Department operates under NMSA 1978 Chapter 9 Article 25; that the State Workforce Development Board operates under NMSA 1978 Sec. 50-14-1 et seq.; that NMSA 1978 Chapter 7 authorizes tax credits; and that NMSA 1978 Chapter 50 provides labor protections. This Act extends these frameworks.

TITLE I — DEFINITIONS & COORDINATION WITH NEW MEXICO LAW

Sec. 101. Definitions

  1. (a) “New Mexico Recognized Merit Credential” or “NMRMC” means a competency-based credential designated by the Secretary of Higher Education in coordination with the State Workforce Development Board under Sec. 201.
  2. (b) “Federal FRAC” means a Federally Recognized Alternative Credential under Section 202 of the federal ACSA.
  3. (c) “Covered State licensing authority” means a board under NMSA 1978 Chapter 61.

Sec. 102. Coordination with Existing New Mexico Law

  1. (a) Consistent with:
  • NMSA 1978 Chapter 61 (licensing).
  • NMSA 1978 Chapter 9 Article 25 (HED).
  • NMSA 1978 Sec. 50-14-1 et seq. (Workforce Board).
  • NMSA 1978 Chapter 7 (taxation).
  • NMSA 1978 Chapter 50 (labor).

TITLE II — NEW MEXICO RECOGNIZED MERIT CREDENTIALS

Sec. 201. Designation Authority

  1. (a) HED shall maintain a New Mexico Recognized Merit Credentials registry (“NMRMC Registry”) in machine-readable form, updated at least annually, crosswalked to Federal FRAC.

Sec. 202. Degree-Optional State Employment

  1. (a) The State Personnel Office, acting under the Personnel Act, NMSA 1978 Sec. 10-9-1 et seq., shall apply classifications so that an NMRMC-holder satisfies any position qualification stated in terms of a college degree, unless expressly required by New Mexico statute.

TITLE III — WORKFORCE-TRAINING TAX CREDIT (Worker-Protective Rewire)

Sec. 301. Skills-Based Hiring Tax Credit

  1. (a) A new credit is added to NMSA 1978 Chapter 7 equal to a percentage of qualified first-year wages paid to a New Mexico-resident employee whose qualifying pathway is an NMRMC or Federal FRAC.
  2. (b) Credit availability is conditioned on compliance with NMSA 1978 Chapter 50 (wages, labor), including prevailing-wage under NMSA 1978 Sec. 13-4-11 et seq.
  3. (c) Coordinated with federal IRC Sec. 45AA; aggregate cap.
  4. (d) Taxation and Revenue Department administers.

TITLE IV — OCCUPATIONAL LICENSURE PORTABILITY

Sec. 401. Licensure by Demonstrated Competency

  1. (a) Demonstrated-competency pathway accepting NMRMC, Federal FRAC, or examination-plus-supervised-experience, subject to public health and safety requirements.

Sec. 402. Interstate Recognition for Federal-Fund Recipients

  1. (a) Recognition by federally-funded authorities, consistent with Section 401 of the federal ACSA.

TITLE V — IMPLEMENTATION & GENERAL PROVISIONS

Sec. 501. Severability

If any provision is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect the remainder.

Sec. 502. Effective Date

This Act shall take effect on July 1 of the year following enactment, except that Sec. 301 shall apply to taxable years beginning on or after January 1 of the year following enactment.

Canonical federal version: ACSA. Other New Mexico bills: NM-MEWRA, NM-GT&P, NM-AI-Workforce.