Daily Update
Thursday
March 6

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

Link to State Department of Education Bill Analyses as .pdf documents

Amended Senate Joint Resolution 6 Passes Senate

Senate Joint Resolution 6, sponsored by Senator Cynthia Nava,  passed the Senate late Thursday afternoon.  As originally drafted, the measure would have placed a constitutional amendment before the voters  to amend the state constitution to increase from 4.7 percent to 6.0 percent the amount of the annual distribution from the Permanent Fund to public schools and other recipients of money from the Permanent Fund, providing about 77 million new dollars annually for public schools. The measure was amended by Senator Manny Aragon to gain the needed support to pass the Senate.  The amendments decrease the amount of money allotted from the permanent and gradually reduce that amount over 12 years.  The amendments allot a 5.8% distribution (the original measure had 6%) for eight years (about 65 million new dollars), then a 5.5% distribution for five years and a 5% distribution in perpetuity.  The amendment also set a base of 5.8 billion dollars beneath which the permanent will not be allowed to drop; if the fund goes below this amount, the distribution rate reverts to 4.7%.

The measure now goes to the House.

The Senate roll call was Yes-28; N0-14

We need to urge all House Members to support Senate Joint Resolution 6. 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). The use of cash balances and the need to fund the second year of reform require new revenue!

We need to thank Senators who voted yes (especially sponsor Senator Cynthia Nava and Senator Manny Aragon, sponsor of the floor amendment that gained the votes needed to pass the measure). We also need to thank Governor Richardson, who put in major effort on behalf of passage.

Bargaining Bill Signing Ceremony at Noon Friday in the Capitol Rotunda!

At about 12:30 PM on Friday, March 7 New Mexico's Public Employees will make history.  Collective bargaining rights lost when former Governor Gary Johnson vetoed the extension of the public employee collective bargaining law will be restored!  Governor Bill Richardson plans to sign legislation restoring those rights!  Everyone is invited to the ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda to witness this historic event!  The Ceremony will begin at noon and conclude by 1:00 PM.  House Bill 508, sponsored by House Speaker Ben Lujan and Senate Bill 46 , sponsored by Senate President Pro-temp Richard Romero are identical versions of the Public Employee Collective Bargaining Legislation.  Both versions are on the way to the Governor's office.  The Governor will have to choose which of the two identical versions to sign.

The legislation, which takes effect on July 1, 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 if the parties cannot reach agreement on a successor contract.

The House vote on Senate Bill 46 was:  40-YES; 24-NO; 3-EXCUSED; 3-ABSENT

Representative	Vote on Senate Bill 46
Thomas A. Anderson Bernalillo	NO
Janice E. Arnold-Jones Bernalillo	NO
Ray Begaye San Juan	YES
William "Ed" Boykin Dona Ana	NO
Donald E. Bratton Lea	NO
Gail C. Beam Bernalillo	YES
Joseph Cervantes Dona Ana	YES
Max Coll Santa Fe	YES
Kandy Cordova Valencia	YES
Jose A. Campos DeB, Curr, Guad, & Roosevelt	YES
Anna M. Crook Curry	NO
Daniel R. Foley Chaves, Lincoln & Otero	ABSENT
Mary Helen Garcia Dona Ana	YES
Miguel P. Garcia Bernalillo	YES
Ron Godbey Bernalillo, Sandoval & Santa Fe	NO
Roberto J. Gonzales Taos	YES
Irvin Harrison McKinley & San Juan	YES
Dianne Miller Hamilton Grant, Hidalgo & Sierra	NO
Ted Hobbs Bernalillo	NO
George J. Hanosh Cibola & McKinley	YES
John A. Heaton Eddy	YES
Manuel G. Herrera Grant & Hidalgo	YES
Dona G. Irwin Luna	YES
Rhonda S. King Bernalillo, Santa Fe & Torrance	YES
Larry A. Larranaga Bernalillo	NO
Fred Luna Valencia	YES
Patricia A. Lundstrom McKinley & San Juan	YES
Antonio Lujan Dona Ana	YES
Ben Lujan Santa Fe	YES
W. Ken Martinez Cibola, McKinley & San Juan	YES
Rick Miera Bernalillo	YES
James Roger Madalena Bern, McK, R.A. & Sandoval	YES
Terry T. Marquardt Dona Ana & Otero	NO
Brian K. Moore Cur,Hard,Quay,Roose,S.M. & Union	NO
Andy Nunez Dona Ana	YES
Rory J. Ogle   Bernalillo	NO
Al Park   Bernalillo	YES
Danice Picraux Bernalillo	YES
Jane E. Powdrell-Culbert Sandoval	NO
Pauline J. Ponce Chaves	YES
Raymond M. Ruiz Bernalillo	YES
Bengie Regensberg Colfax, Guad, Mora, S.M. & Taos	YES
Debbie A. Rodella Rio Arriba, Sandoval & Taos	EXCUSED
Earlene Roberts Chaves, Eddy, Lea & Roosevelt	ABSENT
Henry Kiki Saavedra Bernalillo & Valencia	YES
Nick L. Salazar Mora, R.A., S.M., S.F. & Taos	YES
Edward C. Sandoval Bernalillo	YES
Joe M Stell Eddy & Otero	YES
Mimi Stewart Bernalillo	YES
Thomas E. Swisstack Sandoval	YES
Sheryl Williams Stapleton Bernalillo	EXCUSED
Daniel P. Silva Bernalillo	YES
Jim Trujillo Santa Fe	YES
Sandra L. Townsend San Juan	ABSENT
James G. Taylor Bernalillo	EXCUSED
Thomas C. Taylor San Juan	NO
Don Tripp Catron, Socorro & Valencia	NO
J. Paul Taylor Dona Ana	YES
Joe Thompson Bernalillo	NO
Nick Tinnin San Juan	NO
Richard D. Vigil San Miguel & Torrance	YES
Luciano "Lucky" Varela Santa Fe	YES
Gloria C. Vaughn Otero	ABSENT
Avon W. Wilson Chaves, Lincoln & Otero	NO
W. C. "Dub" Williams Lincoln & Otero	NO
Jeannette O. Wallace Los Alamos, Sandoval & Santa Fe	YES
Robert White Bernalillo	NO
Donald L. Whitaker Lea	NO
Eric A. Youngberg Bernalillo & Sandoval	NO
Teresa A. Zanetti Bernalillo	NO

The Senate roll call was Yes-23; N0-12; Absent-7

We need to thank all supporters of collective bargaining rights, including the sponsors House Speaker Ben Lujan and Senate President Pro-temp Richard Romero.  Also several committee chairs in both Houses were important in making sure these bills moved expeditiously though the process. These chairs are Representative Sheryl Williams Stapleton, House Labor; Representative Max Coll, House Appropriations; Senator Dede Feldman, Senate Public Affairs; and Senator Michael Sanchez, Senate Judiciary.  These chairs deserve special thanks for their support of collective bargaining rights for school employees.

We need to thank all House Members who voted yes and all Senators who voted yes!