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HB 466

HORMONE THERAPY & PUBERTY BLOCKER PROTECTION

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Rebecca Dow and 4 co-sponsors

Prohibits puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender-affirming surgeries for minors; requires written parental notice/consent; imposes civil/licensing penalties on providers.

action postponed indefinitely
#children&families #health&healthfacilities
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Bill Summary · HB 466

HB 466 — "Hormone Therapy & Puberty Blocker Protection" (a.k.a. Hormone Therapy & Puberty Blocker Child Protection Act)

Status: Action postponed indefinitely (last recorded action: 2025-06-03)
Introduced: November 12, 2024 (sponsors per fiscal analysis: Rep. Montoya et al.)
Jurisdiction: New Mexico (bill text and fiscal notes provided by LFC)

Main purpose

To prohibit medical procedures (including prescribing puberty blockers or cross‑sex hormones and certain surgical care) intended to change a minor’s sex or to treat gender dysphoria, to require parental notice/consent for minors’ gender‑related healthcare, and to create civil and licensing penalties for providers who violate the law.

Key provisions

  • Creates the “Hormone Therapy and Puberty Blocker Child Protection Act” and adds new sections to Chapter 24 NMSA 1978.
  • Definitions:
    • “Gender‑affirming action” is defined broadly (includes use of desired pronouns, counseling to support gender identity, and name changes).
    • “Medical procedure” explicitly includes surgical care and prescribing puberty blockers or hormones.
    • “Minor” excludes emancipated minors; “parent” includes biological, adoptive, legal parents and guardians.
    • Parental notifications must be written and acknowledged in writing.
  • Prohibitions and exceptions:
    • Prohibits medical procedures intended to change a minor’s sex or to treat gender dysphoria.
    • Explicit exceptions for treating birth defects, precocious puberty, disease (language excludes gender dysphoria), or injury.
    • Counseling is allowed; parental consent does not shield providers from liability for prohibited procedures.
    • Treatments already begun before the act’s effective date may continue but must be concluded by December 31, 2025; no changes allowed after July 1, 2025.
  • Parental notification:
    • Requires healthcare providers to notify parents when a minor seeks or takes gender‑affirming actions or care.
    • Amends public‑records and reproductive‑health protections to remove or limit protections for minors absent parental consent (affects subpoenas, information sharing, and litigation protections that otherwise shield reproductive/gender‑affirming services).
  • Enforcement, civil remedies, and licensing:
    • Private right of action: a parent or minor may sue a provider for violations (including wrongful‑death claims); providers may be liable for compensatory damages and related expenses.
    • Licensing consequences: licensing boards are to be notified when a provider violates the act; boards may suspend a provider’s license (statute references suspensions up to two years).
    • State enforcement: New Mexico Attorney General and district attorneys may pursue penalties and enforcement actions.
  • Effective date stated in fiscal note: July 1, 2025.

Who would be affected

  • Primary targets: healthcare providers (physicians, clinics) who provide puberty blockers, cross‑sex hormone therapy, or related surgical interventions to minors.
  • Secondary effects: minors (except emancipated minors), parents/guardians, health‑care licensing boards, prosecutorial offices, and public bodies that handle reproductive‑health information.

Fiscal and administrative impact (Legislative Finance Committee / LFC summary)

  • No appropriation included. LFC estimates:
    • Increased legal/prosecutorial workload (NM Attorney General, district attorneys, and Public Defender Department may need 1–3 additional attorneys each; estimated ~$150,000/year per attorney).
    • Health Care Authority (HCA) may require 1 FTE to implement/monitor — partially state/federal funded.
    • Medicaid spend reductions estimated roughly $335,000 (with ~75% federal share), producing some offsetting federal savings.
    • Net fiscal impact is characterized as indeterminate but potentially minimal to moderate depending on litigation and enforcement volume.

Procedural/timeline notes

  • Introduced November 12, 2024. Multiple committee and calendar actions occurred in early–mid 2025 per the LFC file.
  • Reported fiscal analyses and agency reviews indicated potential workload increases for legal and enforcement agencies.
  • Latest recorded legislative status: action postponed indefinitely (2025‑06‑03), meaning the bill was effectively tabled and not advanced at that time.

Sources: bill text and fiscal/policy notes prepared by the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee and agency analyses (LFC Fiscal Impact Report).

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

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