This bill amends the definition of "health care practitioner" in New Mexico law to include veterinarians, thereby extending certain legal protections and provisions to them. Specifically, the bill modifies Section 24A-4-1 NMSA 1978 to add "veterinarian" as a recognized health care practitioner alongside other professionals such as dentists, physicians, and pharmacists. Additionally, it updates the language in Section 24A-4-5 NMSA 1978 to clarify the applicability of the provisions to agreements involving veterinarians, stating that these provisions will apply to agreements executed on or after the effective date of the 2025 act.

The bill also makes several technical amendments, including the replacement of "Chapter 24" with "Chapter 24A" and the term "podiatrist" with "podiatric physician." These changes aim to modernize the language and ensure consistency within the legal framework governing health care practitioners in New Mexico. Overall, the inclusion of veterinarians in this context reflects a broader recognition of their role in health care and aims to protect their professional agreements under the same standards as other health care practitioners.

Statutes affected:
introduced version: 24A-4-1, 24A-4-5