A Senate Rules subcommittee voted to advance the reappointment of Chris Heffner to the full New Mexico Senate for confirmation, with a recorded nine votes in favor.

Heffner, the state mine inspector, told the committee he has overseen training and accident investigations statewide during his four years in the job and said a recent rule change created an official Deputy State Mine Inspector so responsibilities continue during his absence. "We train approximately 1,500 miners every year," Heffner said, adding that figure represents roughly "20 to 35% of all the miners in the state." Heffner also said his office performs about "15 to 20 compliance inspections per year."

The committee heard support for the reappointment from John Purcell, chair of the New Mexico Mine Safety Board, who joined by Zoom and urged unanimous confirmation. "I wholeheartedly support Chris and endorse him for reconfirmation," Purcell said.

Why it matters: the state mine inspector enforces miner safety, conducts inspections and investigates accidents across New Mexico’s diverse mining sectors, including potash operations in the southeast and copper and coal districts in other regions. Committee members pressed Heffner on staffing, training capacity and coordination with federal inspectors.

During questioning, Sen. Gregos asked about field staffing and training availability for mine operators; Heffner said his inspectors travel frequently and that the office used to do employer-specific training and is willing to reintroduce that. Heffner also described friction with federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) inspections, saying MSHA is short-staffed and sometimes assigns inspectors more familiar with coal mines to metal/nonmetal operations, which can lead to inconsistent citations. "MSHA is relatively short staffed at this time," Heffner said, adding that some incoming inspectors "have actually never worked in a mine."

Sen. Duhigg moved to advance Heffner’s nomination to the full Senate; the committee conducted a voice/roll-call style vote with nine members recorded in favor. The committee chair announced: "With the vote in 9 in favor of your reappointment, you'll be moving forward for a full senate confirmation later this morning." The transcript records affirmative responses from senators during the roll call but does not list any opposing votes.

Details committees flagged: Heffner noted one underground mine closure in Farmington during his tenure and described his office’s use of an MSHA grant for compliance work. He emphasized the importance of having a deputy inspector in place for continuity of operations.

What’s next: Heffner’s nomination advances to the full Senate for confirmation; the subcommittee did not take a final confirmation vote. The committee record indicates follow-up on staffing and coordination with federal inspectors may continue as part of oversight.