Daily Hotline

Daily Update
February 10

Hotlines
Return to Legislature 2003

Legislative Session Contacts for Legislators-Phone: (505) 986-4300, Letters:
New Mexico State Capitol Building, Santa Fe, NM 87503, or Fax: (505) 986-4610.

[The "Hotlines Link" will take you to our daily hotline archive. You may view previous hotlines to place current events in perspective.]

Legislative Education Study Committee Listing of All Introduced Education Legislation as .pdf Document

Public Employee Collective Bargaining Sails Through Senate Committee, In House Committee Tuesday

The House version of the public employee bargaining bill House Bill 508, sponsored by House Speaker Ben Lujan will be heard in the House Labor and Human Resources Committee on Tuesday afternoon. Call committee members and all House Members and ask them to support House Bill 508.

Senate Bill 46, the Senate version of public employee bargaining received a do-pass recommendation in the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday afternoon. The vote was:

Senator	Party	Vote
Michael S. Sanchez	Democrat	YES
Cisco McSorley	Democrat	YES
Linda Lopez	Democrat	YES
Dede Feldman	Democrat	YES
Ramsay L. Gorham	Republican	NO
Clinton D. Harden	Republican	YES
Steve Komadina	Republican	ABSENT
Richard C. Martinez	Democrat	YES
William H. Payne	Republican	NO
Lidio G. Rainaldi	Democrat	YES

The bill goes next to the Senate Finance Committee. Ask committee members as well as other Senators to support school employees' (and other public 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)an impasse resolution procedure that ends in final binding arbitration.

These three issues are the heart of the new legislation.

House Bill 451, providing 18 million dollars for a one time one percent increase for all school employees in the current school year has been introduced by Representative Sheryl Williams-Stapleton. This legislation fulfills House Democrats pledge to provide supplemental salary funding this year following their approval of the Budget negotiated in the Extraordinary Session of the Legislature last summer. Urge Democratic House Members to keep their pledge and support this token salary increase now. The measure's first hearing will be in the House Education Committee.

Ask All Legislators to Save Education Funding Harmless in Tax Cuts!

The Senate Finance Committee rejected the language added by the House to prevent revenue shortages caused by the Governor's recommended tax cuts. Previously, the House Taxation and Revenue Committee added language protecting state revenues from the effects of the Governor's proposed tax decrease in the event state revenues fall below acceptable levels. The House amendments, which passed the full House on Friday night, make clear that if there is not sufficient economic growth and new business development in fiscal years 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 to provide new revenues, then the tax cuts are off; the House language requires that state reserves remain at 4% for the fiscal year ending and be projected at 5% for the next fiscal year in order for the tax cut to be triggered. We believe that this circuit-breaker protection is necessary to protect school funding (some 47% of general fund revenues). The measure will likely go to conference committee, assuming the Senate does go along with the Finance Committee action and the the House does not.

We need to urge all House Members, and all Senators to provide some "save-harmless" provision for school revenues in any final tax bill!

Ask members to not be fooled by Republican party "robo" calls into the districts of House members who voted for the Governor's tax package and for protection of school funding against revenue shortfalls. It has come to our attention that calls critical of Representatives Ponce, Cordova, and Swisstack have been made. These representatives voted for your interests by supporting Speaker Lujan's proposal to protect school funds against unforeseen consequences of the the tax cut!

Contact Legislators on Salaries and Funding

We need to begin contacting all House Members, and all Senators as well as Governor Richardson, immediately regarding salaries and school budgets. Our message must be simple:

Schools need adequate new revenues, we can't find all the money need for salaries and reform by simply reallocating current budgets (although prioritizing salaries and the classroom over administrative costs is an important priority).
All school employees deserve salary increases Now! No category of employee should be left behind just because teacher salaries are the most easily ranked among the states!

Plan to Spend Presidents' Day in Santa Fe for Education Lobby Day on February 17

Return to Legislature 2003