Senate Bill 46, the Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act, will be heard in the Senate Public Affairs Committee on Tuesday Afternoon at about 2:30 PM. A long series of negotiations with representatives of public employers has led to a compromise version of Senate Bill 46.  The compromise still contains most of the items we wanted in the bill; it will appear as committee substitute tomorrow.  Contact members of the  Senate Public Affairs Committee, ask them to give the bill a do-pass recommendation.  

Most management groups including the Coalition of School Administrators, the Municipal League, and League of Counties have agreed not to oppose the legislation. The bill is sponsored by Senate President pro temp Richard Romero and co-sponsored by Democratic Floor Leader Manny Aragon.   

House Speaker Ben Lujan  introduced the same version in the House today, House Bill 508.  It will be heard first in the House Government and Urban Affairs Committee.  Remind all House Members, especially members of the committee, and  Senators to support school employees' collective bargaining rights.  The legislation still contains language that:

(1) forces local board policies adopted since 1991 to comply with most provisions of the new law; 
(2)adopts a scope of bargaining that forces school management to talk about professional and instructional concerns; and 
(3)a impasse resolution procedure that ends in final binding arbitration.
  
These three issues are the heart of the new legislation.  Call all Senators and ask them to support Senate Bill 46, as amended in the Senate Public Affairs Committee next Tuesday. The legislation is sponsored by Senate President pro temp Richard Romero and co-sponsored by Democratic Floor Leader Manny Aragon.  

Don't forget these this important event:

House Education Committee Hearing on February 8