A. A state agency, board or commission that issues an occupational or professional license pursuant to Chapter 61 NMSA 1978 shall, as soon as practicable but no later than sixty days after a military service member or a recent veteran files an application, and provides all of the documents required for the application, for a license accompanied by the required fees:
(1) process the application; and
(2) issue a license 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, and has met minimal licensing requirements that are substantially equivalent to the licensing requirements for the occupational or professional license that the applicant applies for pursuant to Chapter 61 NMSA 1978.
B. A license issued pursuant to this section is not a provisional license and shall confer the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as a license issued pursuant to Chapter 61 NMSA 1978.
C. A license issued pursuant to this section shall not be renewed unless the license holder satisfies the requirements for the issuance and the renewal of a license pursuant to Chapter 61 NMSA 1978. Upon the issuance of a license pursuant to this section, the issuing state agency, board or commission shall notify the license holder of the requirements for renewing the license in writing.
D. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this section, a military service member or a recent veteran who is issued a license pursuant to this section shall not be charged a licensing fee for the first three years a license issued pursuant to this section is valid.
E. As used in this section:
(1) "licensing fee" means a fee charged at the time an 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 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 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
(c) the child 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; provided that child is also a dependent of that person for federal income tax purposes; and
(3) "recent veteran" means a person who has received an honorable discharge or separation from military service within the three years immediately preceding the date the person applied for a professional or occupational license pursuant to this section.
History: Laws 2013, ch. 33, § 1; 2020, ch. 6, § 5.
ANNOTATIONSThe 2020 amendment, effective July 1, 2020, required state agencies, boards or commissions that issue occupational or professional licenses to process and issue a license to qualified military service members and recent veterans within sixty days of application, waived the licensing fees for the first three years of a valid license for military service members and recent veterans; defined "licensing fee" and "recent veteran" and amended the definition of "military service member" as used in this section, and after "Chapter 61", deleted "Articles 2 through 34" throughout the section; in the section heading, added "and dependents; waiver of fees; recent"; in Subsection A, after "as soon as practicable", added "but no later than sixty days", after "military service member", deleted "the spouse of a military service member", and after "files an application", added "and provides all of the documents required for the application"; in Subsection B, after "provisional license and", deleted "must" and added "shall"; deleted former Subsections D and E; added a new Subsection D and redesignated former Subsection F as Subsection E; in Subsection E, added a new Paragraph E(1) and redesignated former Paragraph E(1) as Paragraph E(2), in Paragraph E(2), added Subparagraphs E(2)(b) and E(2)(c); and deleted former Paragraph E(2) and added Paragraph E(3).