The Senate approved House Bill 161 after a floor day of extended colloquy, moving from an initial failed tally to a successful final passage on reconsideration.

The bill, carried by Senator Block, would expand a state park benefit originally limited to veterans with 50% or greater service‑connected disability to all honorably discharged veterans, active duty, National Guard and reserve members; eligible dependents were also included in sponsor remarks. The benefit provides a free day‑use state park pass and an unlimited camping pass for eligible veterans and qualifying active service members.

Floor discussion combined policy questions and wide-ranging colloquy: senators asked about eligibility documentation (military ID or DD‑214), how the pass would be presented at parks, rules and outreach by the Department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources (state parks division), and capacity/utilization concerns. The sponsor said veterans could present military ID or a DD‑214 and that the Department of Veterans Services and state parks division would coordinate outreach.

Several senators asked operational questions. An expert cited 35 state parks in New Mexico and a prior utilization rate among previously eligible disabled veterans of 13.2 percent; applying that rate to the state’s veterans would imply thousands of users, the expert said (the sponsor provided an estimate of roughly 283,000 veterans statewide as eligible). Senators also asked about parking capacity and the potential first‑come, first‑served nature of access; the sponsor said parks would operate on that basis and gave a parking estimate of 1,750 spaces across parks (floor exchange).

On the first vote, the bill initially failed (11 in the affirmative, 28 in the negative). A motion to reconsider was later successful, and on the second vote the chair announced, “By a vote of 39 in the affirmative, 0 in the negative, we have finally passed House Bill 161.” Senator Block thanked colleagues; senators discussed outreach and invited the sponsor to visit parks.

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