The bill proposes comprehensive updates to the Enhanced 911 Act, which will be renamed the 911 Act. Key changes include renaming the Enhanced 911 Fund to the 911 Emergency Service Fund and the Enhanced 911 Bond Act to the 911 Bond Act. It introduces new definitions for terms related to 911 services, such as "911 equipment" and "voice-over-internet protocol service provider," while deleting outdated terminology. The bill also increases the 911 surcharge from fifty-one cents to one dollar, clarifying its application to various communication services while exempting certain categories like broadband internet access service. Additionally, it expands grant funding opportunities and allows local governing bodies to incur costs for establishing and maintaining 911 systems, emphasizing the importance of geographic information system data to enhance service efficiency.

Furthermore, the bill amends various sections of the New Mexico Statutes regarding the prepaid wireless 911 surcharge, removing the term "enhanced" and establishing a new definition for "prepaid wireless communication service." It clarifies that the surcharge is the consumer's liability, with sellers responsible for remitting collected surcharges. The bill creates the "911 emergency service fund" in the state treasury to reimburse local governing bodies for emergency service costs, including next-generation 911 equipment, and grants the division administering the fund the authority to adopt rules and establish service areas. It also provides immunity from liability for local governing bodies and service providers in connection with 911 services, except in cases of intentional acts, and emphasizes the importance of maintaining the 911 surcharge to ensure sufficient revenue for bond obligations. The bill establishes an effective date of July 1, 2025, for the new provisions.

Statutes affected:
introduced version: 63-9D-1, 63-9D-2, 63-9D-3, 63-9D-4, 63-9D-5, 63-9D-5.1, 63-9D-7, 63-9D-8, 63-9D-8.1, 63-9D-10, 63-9D-11, 63-9D-12, 63-9D-13, 63-9D-14, 63-9D-15, 63-9D-16, 63-9D-17, 63-9D-18, 63-9D-19, 63-9D-20
FC substitute: 63-9D-1, 63-9D-3, 63-9D-4, 63-9D-5, 63-9D-5.1, 63-9D-7, 63-9D-8, 63-9D-8.1, 63-9D-10, 63-9D-11, 63-9D-12, 63-9D-13, 63-9D-14, 63-9D-15, 63-9D-16, 63-9D-17, 63-9D-18, 63-9D-19, 63-9D-20, 63-9D-2