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This color indicates active hyperlinks to documents or other pages Friday, February 10 Legislative Hotline Budget Nobody Loved Passes Senate Ignoring the public and school employees alike, the Senate reduced education funding by about 12.8 million from the already too low levels in the General Appropriations Act passed by the House. All public employee salaries increases were cut by .5% from the levels in the bill passed by the Houses. The Senate on a near-unanimous vote gave this woefully inadequate measure its blessing. The General Appropriations Act amended in the Senate Finance Committee passed the Senate with only two negative votes. Senators Phil Greigo and James Taylor were the only two senators voting against this inadequate measure (click the links to send emails thank them). Several other usual education supporters voiced concerns and hope that the conference committee between the House and Senate will improve school employee salaries and add further funding to children's issues; these included Senators Mary Jane Garcia and Cynthia Nava. However, most Senators were resigned to the triumph of the coalition of the Senate Finance Committee members and Republicans that effectively controls the New Mexico Senate. A conference committee of the House and Senate will have to work out differences between the version passed by the House and the version passed by the Senate. That committee can effectively change anything in the budget for the better--or worse. We must keep pressure on all legislators to make sure that the only changes in school funding in the conference committee are for the better; let legislators know that they need to increase salaries to at least the House Education Committee’s recommendation of an average increase of 6% for all school employees! After the House refuses to accept the Senate amendments to the budget (likely tomorrow), the conference will be named and go to work. Follow this Link to Email Legislators to Instruct Conference Committee to Restore Cuts
Bill to Provide Education Support Providers Licensure System Passes House An amended version of House Bill 418, Instructional Support Provider Licensure, introduced by Representative Mimi Stewart passed the House today. The amended version is effective with the 2007-2008 school year and amends the School Personnel Act to provide a licensing framework and minimum salaries for certain instructional support providers: Level 1, $30,000; Level 2, $40,000; and Level 3, $50,000. This legislation is needed to make sure that education professionals, such as counselors and therapists, are not treated unfairly. It will create the same minimum salary structure as that currently in law for teachers and instruct the Public Education Department to create a progressive licensure and compensation framework for all instructional support providers. This bill's next stop is the Senate, likely in the Senate Education Committee. Bill to Raise Your Retirement Payroll Tax in Senate Education Friday Senate Bill 541 cannot be seen as anything other than a crass attack on public school and higher education employees' paychecks. This bill sponsored by Senator Sue Beffort-Wilson simply makes you pay more of your salary in educational retirement withholdings. It would raise withholdings to 8.6% by full implementation in 2008, .7% more than current law. It is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Education Committee Friday morning. Follow this link to Send an Email to Ask Your Senator to Oppose Senate Bills 541
Bill to Give Private Schools Tax Money for Technology also in Senate Education Friday Also scheduled to be heard in the Senate Education Committee Friday morning is Senate Bill 743 This bill adds a new section to the Technology for Education Act to allow accredited private schools to receive distribution from the Educational Technology Fund. Even though well intended, the measure would allow public money to spent for private purposes. Ask members of the Committee to oppose Senate Bill 743 . Bill to Cut Retirement Benefits for New Employees in Senate Finance Senate Bill 206, sponsored by Senator John Arthur Smith, would make it harder for new employees to retire. Currently employees are eligible to retire after 25 years of service or when their years of service and age equal 75, the so-called Rule of 75. This bill proposes a Rule of 80 as the requirement new employees who choose this retirement option. This bill is awaiting a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee. Since Senator John Arthur Smith is the powerful vice-chair of this committee, this measure is almost assuredly headed to the Senate Floor. Let Senators know that is not fair to create a retirement system for new employees inferior to that afforded current employees and it is not fair further increase the disparity between educational retirement and that of other public employees! We oppose any change that increases the disparity between ERA and PERA members or any change that makes new employees second class citizens with inferior benefits to current employees. Follow this link to Send an Email to Ask Your Senator to Oppose Senate Bill 206. Minimum Wage Bill Clears House House Bill 258, sponsored by Speaker Ben Lujan, passed the House Monday on a near party-line vote of 38-30. With 10 days left in the annual legislative session, the measure headed to the state Senate, where an alternative proposal — $7.50 phased in over three years — is pending. The House bill would increase the state's current $5.15 minimum — same as the federal minimum — to $6.75 in 2007 and to $7.50 in 2008. Employers could pay a "training wage'' of $5.15 for the first 60 days a worker was on the job. And, in a concession to chile producers, food processors could apply to the state Department of Labor for exemptions. The bill passed on a vote of 38-30 after three hours of debate. Democrats went along with a Republican amendment that would bring state and local governments under the minimum wage law. Currently, they're exempt. Supporters said there would be minimal budget impact on state government. The bill provides a cost of living increase of the annual Cost of Living Index or 3% whichever is less, and protects Santa Fe's already higher living wage ordinance. This important fairness measure now moves to the Senate floor today. Let Senators know that raising the state's minimum wage is an important fairness issue for all the state's workers. Educational Assistant Career Ladder Bill Waiting in Finance Committees House Bill 206-Educational Assistant Career Ladder, introduced by Representative Rick Miera, provides an EA career ladder and minimum salaries: Level 1 $12,000; Level 2 $13,000; Level 3 $15,000; Level 4 $17,000. The House Education Committee gave a do-pass recommendation to the measure on Saturday. The bill was temporarily tabled in the House Appropriations and Finance Committee on Monday. That tabling is part of a strategy to keep the measure alive in case the 9.5% salary increase provided Educational Assistants in the General Appropriations Act does not survive as the Senate Finance Committee amends to the act. The Senate version of the bill, Senator Mary Kay Papen's Senate Bill 232 received a do-pass recommendation from the Senate Education Committee. It is awaiting a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee.
Click on this link to ask legislators to support the Educational Assistant Career Ladder legislation
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