Senate Bill 77, New Home Build Renewable Requirements sponsored by Senator Soules, has passed the Senate and two House Committees, and will now head to the House floor for a final vote.
The bill has been amended, based on stakeholder negotiations, stating that all new residential construction after July 1, 2023 shall offer photovoltaic systems installed that provide at least one watt per square foot of heated area. To view the original bill, see: https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/23%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0077.html and to view the amendments, see: https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/23%20Regular/Amendments_In_Context/SB0077.pdf.
The bill is now on the House calendar, but that does not guarantee it will be heard before the end of the session.
REIA-NM members can do two things -- call House Speaker Javier Martinez's office (see: https://www.nmlegis.gov/Members/Legislator?SponCode=HMARJ) encouraging the bill to be heard as soon as possible on the House floor. Members can also contact their Representative's office to reinforce our industry's support of the bill and encourage it to be heard as soon as possible. To find out who your Representative is, visit: https://www.nmlegis.gov/Members/Find_My_Legislator.
After the session, REIA-NM will determine the next steps for rulemaking related to the bill to ensure that the "offering" of photovoltaic systems to new residential home owners will be as robust as possible.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
