The Santa Fe New Mexican:
New representative takes oath of office: Rep. Martha Garcia, a former Cibola County commissioner who was appointed Wednesday to represent House District 6, took the formal oath of office Thursday.
Garcia, a Democrat from Pine Hill, will serve the remainder of the legislative session, representing parts of Cibola and McKinley counties.
“We’re so glad to have you. We are complete,” said Rep. Jenifer Jones, R-Deming, welcoming her new colleague to the House.
Education oversight overhaul advances: Michael Jordan played his last game. The crew members of the Space Shuttle Columbia perished. MySpace was born.
Also in 2003, New Mexico voters decided to create the Public Education Department, giving the governor the responsibility of selecting an education secretary. Previously, a superintendent of public instruction had been selected by the Board of Education.
Now, legislators are proposing switching back to that system by creating a state Board of Education and Public Education Commission, each composed of 10 members elected from throughout the state and one member appointed by the governor. The board would be tasked with selecting a superintendent of public instruction and determining public school policy.
The Senate Finance Committee voted 7-3 Thursday to advance the proposed constitutional amendment, which would then need voter approval if it passes the Legislature.
Bill sponsor Sen. Bill Soules, D-Las Cruces, said the move is about restoring “consistency” to the state’s public education system.
Since 2003, Soules said, there has been a rapid turnover of education secretaries. In September, Mariana Padilla was named the fifth education secretary during the administration of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the 11th secretary named since 2003.
Sen. Steve Lanier, R-Aztec, a retired teacher, said “knee-jerk” curriculum changes are made whenever a new education secretary is appointed.
“What we have now is we have two people that are deciding the curriculum for the entire state of New Mexico: the governor and the secretary of education,” Lanier said.
But some public commenters and legislators said the measure might not lead to a significant increase in student performance. New Mexico KidsCAN executive director Amanda Aragon said resources might be better spent on other bills before the Legislature.
“We’ve tried this before, and we didn’t have outrageously better outcomes,” Aragon said.
Sen. Linda Trujillo, D-Santa Fe, who voted against the bill, said there might be other ways to address the “lack of stability,” including the creation of six-year terms like those on the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission.
Student seclusion, restraint bill moves forward, despite much debate: House Bill 260, which seeks to provide more clarity for school staff members regarding the restraint and seclusion of students, passed the House on Thursday.
Sponsored by Albuquerque Democrat and teacher Rep. Yanira Gurrola, the bill explicitly prohibits seclusion of students and sets limits on restraint, while allowing teachers to intervene to mitigate imminent danger.
“I’m concerned as a parent. I’ve got actually four kids who have gone through the public school system, and what I wanted to do is make sure that school staff have the tools necessary to keep our classrooms safe,” co-sponsor Rep. Eleanor Chávez, D-Albuquerque, said in support of the bill.
Rep. Brian Baca, a school administrator and Republican from Los Lunas, proposed an amendment to the bill to allow school resource officers or security personnel to use devices to restrain students or restrain students on their bellies when necessary in emergency situations.
Ultimately, though, lawmakers voted to table Baca’s amendment.
No vetoes for pocket veto bill: The House on Thursday unanimously passed House Joint Resolution 2, which proposes a constitutional amendment to eliminate pocket vetoes — a de facto veto that happens when the governor doesn’t act on a particular bill — and require explanations for each of the governor’s vetoes.
“This is an important transparency measure for us and the public,” bill sponsor Matthew McQueen, D-Galisteo, said while presenting the bill on the House floor.
Quote of the day: “You’re not saying I’m like Trump?” — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, teasing House Speaker Javier Martínez. During a bill-signing ceremony Thursday, Martínez denounced congressional Republicans for “tripping over themselves” to do President Donald Trump’s bidding and said New Mexico’s executive and legislative branches operate under a more collaborative process.