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Bill Summary · HB 192

HB 192 — Digital Trunked Radio System Subscriber Fees (Final enacted version)

Status: Signed by Governor (Sept. 17, 2025)
Primary subject areas: Communications, Public Safety, State Agencies

Main purpose

Require the New Mexico Department of Information Technology (DoIT) to provide annual transparency to the Legislature about users and subscriber fees for the State’s digital trunked radio communications system (DTRS), the statewide public‑safety radio platform.

Key provisions

  • Creates a new reporting requirement in the Department of Information Technology Act.
  • Beginning December 1, 2026, and by December 1 of each year thereafter, DoIT must submit a written report to the Legislative Finance Committee that details:
    • the users of the digital trunked radio communications system; and
    • the subscriber fees (and related fee information) for the upcoming fiscal year.
  • No substantive changes to DTRS fee structure, subsidy policy, or user eligibility are made by this bill.

Who is affected

  • Department of Information Technology: required to compile and deliver the annual report.
  • Legislative Finance Committee: receives the report for review and oversight.
  • Existing and prospective DTRS users (state agencies, municipal/county/tribal public‑safety agencies, school and local police, fire departments, and other government entities) are indirectly affected because the report will document fee obligations and user counts.
  • No new direct obligations or fees are imposed on private entities by the statute itself.

Fiscal and operational impact

  • The enacted bill itself imposes minimal administrative workload on DoIT to prepare the annual report; state fiscal notes indicate no significant fiscal impact.
  • Earlier committee amendments during the session contemplated and later removed (struck from the bill) an appropriation that would have funded a subsidy (e.g., $2.8 million for FY26) to pay subscriber fees for municipal, county, and tribal public‑safety agencies. The final law contains only the reporting requirement (no appropriation).

Context and background

  • DoIT operates the DTRS (an upgraded digital public safety radio system covering a significant portion of the state). DoIT previously charged non‑state users a per‑device monthly fee (historically around $20/device/month), and projected non‑state fees have been in the multi‑million dollar range in recent estimates.
  • The reporting requirement is intended to increase legislative oversight and transparency about DTRS users and the scale/impact of subscriber fees on local and tribal public‑safety partners.

Implementation timeline / notable dates

  • Enacted: Signed by Governor Sept. 17, 2025.
  • Reporting begins: first report due December 1, 2026; then annually by December 1 each year.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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