New Mexico Statutes 61-1-34. Expedited licensure; military service members, including spouses and dependents, and veterans; waiver of fees
A. A board that issues an occupational or professional license pursuant to N.M. Stat. Ann. Chapter 61 shall, as soon as practicable but no later than thirty days after a military service member or a veteran files a complete application, and provides a background check if required:
Terms Used In New Mexico Statutes 61-1-34
- Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
(1) process the application; and
(2) issue a license prima facie to a qualified applicant who submits satisfactory evidence that the applicant holds a license that is current and in good standing, issued by another jurisdiction, including a branch of the armed forces of the United States.
B. A license issued pursuant to this section is a provisional license but shall confer the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as a regular license. If the military service member or veteran was licensed in a licensing jurisdiction that did not require examination, a board may require the military service member or veteran to take a board-required examination prior to renewing the license.
C. A military service member or a veteran who is issued a license pursuant to this section shall not be charged an initial or renewal licensing fee for the first three years of licensure.
D. Each board that issues a license to practice a trade or profession shall, upon the conclusion of the state fiscal year, prepare a report on the number and type of licenses that were issued during the fiscal year under this section. The report shall be provided to the director of the office of military base planning and support not later than ninety days after the end of the fiscal year.
E. As used in this section:
(1) “licensing fee” means a fee charged at the time an initial or renewal application for a professional or occupational license is submitted to the state agency, board or commission and any fee charged for the processing of the application for such license; “licensing fee” does not include a fee for an annual inspection or examination of a licensee, a late fee or a fee charged for copies of documents, replacement licenses or other expenses related to a professional or occupational license;
(2) “military service member” means a person who is:
(a) serving in the armed forces of the United States as an active duty member, or in an active reserve component of the armed forces of the United States, including the national guard;
(b) the spouse of a person who is serving in the armed forces of the United States or in an active reserve component of the armed forces of the United States, including the national guard, or a surviving spouse of a member who at the time of the member’s death was serving on active duty; or
(c) the child of a military service member if the child is also a dependent of that person for federal income tax purposes; and
(3) “veteran” means a person who has received an honorable discharge or separation from military service.