Bill > HB180

This bill amends the Minimum Wage Act in New Mexico to redefine who qualifies as an "employee" for minimum wage purposes by removing certain exemptions and renumbering others. Specifically, it removes the exemption for individuals eighteen years of age or under who are not students in a primary, secondary, vocational, or training school, and also removes the exemption for those eighteen or under who are not graduates of a secondary school, consolidating these into a new exemption for G.I. bill trainees. Additionally, it removes the exemption for seasonal employees of employers who obtain an annual certificate from the director of the labor relations division, and renumbers the subsequent exemptions for agricultural employees, employees handling agricultural commodities, and employees of charitable, religious, or nonprofit organizations residing in group homes. The bill also clarifies that for the purposes of a specific section of the Minimum Wage Act (Subsection A of Section 50-4-22 NMSA 1978), "employer" and "employee" include the state and its political subdivisions, and it sets an effective date of July 1, 2015.