The bill establishes the "High School Internship Grant Program" within the New Mexico workforce solutions department, aimed at providing paid internship opportunities for high school students. It outlines the eligibility criteria and application process for both host organizations and internship programs seeking to participate. Host organizations must provide basic information, contribute financially to the internship costs, and meet readiness criteria, while internship programs must describe their support elements and payment structures. The department will award grants to qualified internship programs to fund these internships and will require regular reporting on key metrics to evaluate the program's effectiveness.

Additionally, the bill creates the "High School Internship Grant Program Fund," a nonreverting fund in the state treasury, which will consist of various financial contributions and will be administered by the workforce solutions department. An appropriation of $10 million is allocated from the general fund to this program fund for fiscal year 2026 and subsequent years, ensuring that any unspent balance at the end of a fiscal year will not revert to the general fund. This funding is intended to support the administration and grants of the high school internship program.