Senate committee members heard testimony on Senate Bill 78, the bill from Senator Pope that would update the nurse-practice law to recognize certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) as able to practice without required supervision and to clarify licensure, scope and prescriptive authority.

The bill’s sponsor and multiple CRNA supporters told the committee the measure reflects current practice and would provide legal certainty for providers in rural and underserved areas. "Senate bill 78 gives us clear, concise language. It codifies our nurse practice act to our current practice," said Shannon Allen, president of the New Mexico Association of Nurse Anesthetists.

The nut graf: supporters said CRNAs already provide the bulk of anesthesia care in many parts of the state and need statutory certainty; some committee members pushed back that the described scope is inherently interdependent with surgeons and operating-room teams, creating legal and safety questions if labeled "independent."

Allen told the committee CRNAs perform roughly "79% of all the anesthetics in the state," and that nearly 93 CRNAs attended the hearing in support. "We love to work in collaboration, and we love to work with other team members. But sometimes, like me in Lea County, we don't have a team," Allen added, describing after-hours calls to provide labor epidurals when other staff are not available.

Committee members pressed on the statutory language that lists preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative anesthesia care as the CRNA scope. One committee member summarized a recurring concern: the listed scope, he said, "is an inherently interdependent scope of practice," and questioned what an "independent" role would cover given CRNAs typically work as part of a surgical team.

Supporters responded that practice has already evolved: several speakers told the committee that modern CRNA training includes doctoral-level education and that state reimbursement and facility practice patterns have resulted in de facto independent practice in many places. Committee members also raised questions about off‑label or behavioral-health uses of anesthetic agents such as ketamine; supporters and staff noted the New Mexico Board of Nursing and other boards have issued regulations for ketamine clinics since the bill was last considered.

The hearing included public sign-ins and written letters of support from hospital executives, surgeons, dentists and podiatrists. The committee proceeded to member questions and announced a roll-call vote would be taken; the transcript of the hearing records senators answering on the roll call but does not include a clear final committee disposition in the segment provided.

Ending: The bill drew both detailed professional backing and continued statutory concerns from committee members about how independence would be defined and constrained. Committee discussion and a roll call were recorded in the hearing; the transcript provided does not include a definitive committee disposition for SB 78 in this session, and committee staff may provide the official committee action in the minutes.