State agencies would set remote work rules and employee benefits

The state would pay covered workers at least $15 per hour. It covers state employees and employees at the state educational institutions named in the New Mexico Constitution, but excludes student employees as defined by the higher education department. The minimum would not apply where it conflicts with a current collective bargaining agreement. The hourly minimum would be adjusted each July 1 starting in 2027, using the consumer price index for the twelve months ending the previous September.

State employees would accrue annual leave at minimum rates based on their cumulative service. The minimum ranges from 4.62 hours per pay period for less than three years of cumulative employment to 7.39 hours for fourteen or more years. The rates would not apply where they are more restrictive than a current collective bargaining agreement. Coverage follows the state employee definition and service exemptions in state law. These accrual rates would start July 1, 2027.

The state would provide eligible employees at least twelve fully paid work weeks of parental leave. It covers state employees under the state employee definition and service exemptions in state law. Leave would follow a child's birth or adoption, or when an employee gains custody of a child. If both parents, including a parent's domestic partner, are eligible state employees, each would receive leave. The provision would not apply where it conflicts with a current collective bargaining agreement. Eligibility would begin July 1, 2027.

State agencies would run remote work programs and identify positions eligible for remote work. Remote work locations would be approved duty stations in New Mexico, separate from the official employer work site. Positions could be full-time remote or hybrid. Agencies would base eligibility for hybrid or full-time remote work on job duties, work needs, and a strategic review of agency needs. Employees at remote locations would have to live in New Mexico and meet the same work hours, productivity, performance, communication, and responsiveness standards as at their regular work site. The provisions would not apply where they conflict with a current collective bargaining agreement. The general effective date is July 1, 2026; this section gives no separate start date for remote work programs.