Bill Would Create COVID-19 Presumption, Disallow Use of Pandemic Claims for Ratemaking

A bill introduced in the New Mexico Legislature would create a rebuttable COVID-19 presumption for essential workers and bar the use of pandemic-related claims in ratemaking. House Bill 268, by Reps. Dayan Hochman-Vigil, D-Albuquerque, Christine Chandler, D-Los Alamos, and Meredith Dixon, D-Albuquerque, would create an emergency statute that would be in effect until Jan. 31, 2023. According to the bill’s language, if an essential worker is diagnosed with COVID-19 and establishes that the employer did not strictly adhere to public health orders, the illness is presumed to...