House Memorial 13 requests the Legislative Finance Committee to convene a task force aimed at developing a comprehensive ten-year plan and funding strategy to modernize the New Mexico criminal justice system. The bill highlights systemic issues that hinder system performance, public safety, and equal justice, including high rates of case dismissals, outdated law enforcement training, and significant vacancy and turnover rates in critical positions. The task force will consist of diverse stakeholders from various sectors of the criminal justice system and will be responsible for creating a planning and oversight strategy, a funding strategy, and identifying immediate legislative actions to address these challenges.

The task force's goals include modernizing job descriptions and educational requirements for justice system positions, ensuring ongoing updates to training methods, and establishing a planning function at the judicial district level. Additionally, the task force is tasked with defining standardized data elements for evaluating system performance and recommending legislation for the 2027 session to address urgent needs. A report on the task force's findings and recommendations is to be submitted to the interim committee studying courts, corrections, and justice issues by November 26, 2026, and to the governor and legislature by January 5, 2027.