New Mexico Statutes
Article 5 - Indigent Hospital and County Health Care
Section 27-5-1 - Short title.

Chapter 27, Article 5 NMSA 1978 may be cited as the "Indigent Hospital and County Health Care Act".
History: 1953 Comp., § 13-2-12, enacted by Laws 1965, ch. 234, § 1; 1993, ch. 321, § 1.
The 1993 amendment, effective July 1, 1993, substituted "Chapter 27, Article 5 NMSA 1978" for "This act" and "and County Health Care" for "Claims".
Compiler's notes. — Section 13-2-21, 1953 Comp., authorizing suit against a county on hospital claim with judgment to be collected through a levy, was held unconstitutional in Board of Dirs. of Mem. Gen. Hosp. v. County Indigent Hosp. Claims Bd., 77 N.M. 475, 423 P.2d 994 (1967). The court held that the provision was an unconstitutional attempt to circumvent N.M. Const., art. VIII, § 2 since such a judgment would not create a "public debt" and thus did not fall within exception to constitutional limitation on property tax levies. See also 1968 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 68-107.
Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 79 Am. Jur. 2d Welfare Laws §§ 38 to 41.

Structure New Mexico Statutes