HOUSE MEMORIAL 29

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2025

INTRODUCED BY

John Block

 

 

 

 

 

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE LEGISLATIVE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE TO EXAMINE THE CURRENT RULES FOR APPLYING FOR AND RENEWING DRIVER'S LICENSES FOR PEOPLE WITH DIABETES, ASSESS WHETHER THE RULES CAN BE REVISED TO BE LESS BURDENSOME WHILE MAINTAINING DRIVER SAFETY IN LIGHT OF CURRENT MEDICAL SCIENCE AND PRACTICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DIABETES AND DEVELOP LEGISLATION BASED ON THE COMMITTEE'S FINDINGS.

 

     WHEREAS, current rules for certain driver's licenses in New Mexico require drivers with diabetes to annually present a physician's report stating that they have not had an episode of ketosis or other metabolic disorder in order to renew their licenses; and

     WHEREAS, ketosis is not uncommon and is, in fact, a goal of the popular "keto diet"; and

     WHEREAS, although a much more serious condition called ketoacidosis is most prevalent within the population of people with type one diabetes, it is still fairly rare, with an estimated incidence of approximately two episodes of ketoacidosis per one hundred patient-years of diabetes; and

     WHEREAS, most people who have been diagnosed with type one diabetes are vigilant about monitoring their physical condition and blood sugar levels and administering their medication; and

     WHEREAS, scheduling a doctor's appointment can be time-consuming and arduous, particularly in rural areas; and

     WHEREAS, paying for a doctor's visit simply to get a note from a doctor when a patient has been diligently monitoring their physical condition and blood sugar levels and administering medication may seem overly burdensome; and

     WHEREAS, the use of the term ketosis rather than ketoacidosis in the New Mexico Administrative Code indicates that the issue of driver safety for drivers with diabetes has not been examined in many years;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the legislative health and human services committee be requested during the 2025 interim to:

          A. examine:

                (1) the rules for people with diabetes to apply for or renew driver's licenses in light of current medical science and practice with regard to people with diabetes; and

                (2) whether there are potentially less burdensome methods that can be used to maintain driver safety for this population of people; and

          B. develop legislation to update New Mexico's statutes governing driver's licenses based on the committee's findings; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the chair and vice chair of the legislative health and human services committee upon their appointment by the New Mexico legislative council for the 2025 interim; to the director of the motor vehicle division of the taxation and revenue department; and to the chair of the New Mexico diabetes association.

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