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Legislative
Session Contacts for Legislators-Phone: (505) 986-4300, Letters:
Link to State Department of Education Bill Analyses as .pdf documents Senate Education Committee Gives School Reform Unanimous Do-pass Recommendation The Senate Education Committee heard an extensive two hour discussion of House Bill 212 Saturday morning. After this prolonged discussion, the bill received an unanimous do-pass recommendation. The measure next goes to the Senate Finance Committee. We need to urge members of this committee and all Senators to pass this important component of school reform. This bill is the major reform measure supported by NEA-New Mexico for this legislative session. House Bill 212, sponsored by Representative Mimi Stewart for the Legislative Education Study Committee, representing the recommendations of the Education Reform Task Force, passed the House late Friday. Passage of this measure is also vital to completing the education reform agreements. The measure provides real reform including a new licensure system for teachers tied to minimum salary levels, which when fully implemented after five years, will provide $30,000 starting salary for level I licenses, $40,000 minimum salaries for level II licenses, and $50,000 minimum salaries for level III licenses. While the bill mainly addresses teachers, it is a good first step to comprehensive reform and is supported by most education advocacy groups. We need to urge committee members to support this important legislation Senate Education Committee to Hear Mini-voucher Bill The Senate Education Committee will soon hear Senate Bill 535, a well intentioned bill that nonetheless provides vouchers to poor students in the Albuquerque Public Schools as a pilot project. For this reason, even though the sponsor Senator Manny Aragon is a friend of education, we must urge the committee to table this bill! Bargaining Bill Signed at Ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda! Governor
Bill Richardson Friday signed collective bargaining legislation into law
that restores public employees’ rights to negotiate agreements with
management.
Public employees lost those rights in 1999 when Gary Johnson
vetoed legislation that would have extended collective bargaining rights.
State and local governments, including school districts, will now be required to bargain with
labor organizations representing public employees.
Governor
Richardson released the following statement before signing the
legislation:
The legislation
signed by Governor Richardson , which takes effect on July 1, contains language that: 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. Link to roll call votes on Collective Bargaining We need to thank all House Members who voted yes and all Senators who voted yes! 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, where it will be heard on Tuesday morning in the House Voters and Elections Committee. We need to urge all members of this committee and all House members to support this important opportunity for voters to express their support for education. Link to the Senate roll call vote, 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! |
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