The Santa Fe New Mexican:

Training for regents: University and college regents in New Mexico would undergo 10 hours of training in the first six months of their term under a bill headed to the full Senate.

Senate Bill 19, which was unanimously approved by the Senate Rules Committee on Friday, requires the Higher Education Department to develop and provide the 10 hours of training to regents at all New Mexico postsecondary education institutions.

According to the bill, the training includes:

• Two hours covering the state constitution and state statute pertaining to postsecondary education.
• Two hours on financial management, budgeting and fiduciary duties.
• Two hours on student success and student support services.
• Two hours on institutional governance, innovation, best practices and available resources to assist the boards of regents.
• Two hours on ethics and state statutes related to ethics oversight and public accountability, including the procurement code, Open Meetings Act and the Inspection of Public Records Act.

Though lauded as a good idea, the measure lacks consequences for regents who don’t take the training.

“Constitutionally, these are appointed positions, and in some cases, they’re elected positions, so I don’t know that we have the authority to say they have to stop serving, anything like that,” said Sen. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, who is sponsoring the bill.

“I think there’s a lot of moral authority for them to do that and get it done or face the wrath of the public eye and the media,” he said, “so I think we’re relying on that and professionalism to make this part of the culture of becoming a new regent … but there’s no penalty, per se.”

Sen. Crystal Brantley, R-Elephant Butte, called the proposed training “more of a strong suggestion than a mandate” if there aren’t any consequences and noted school boards have “similar encouragements.”

“But they do post it publicly, so you can see if one of your school board members has refused to take the classes,” she said. “It’s public record and easily accessible.”

Brantley said 10 hours of training for a regent is reasonable and encouraged Steinborn to add a disclosure provision.

Sen. Jay Block, R-Rio Rancho, agreed “there needs to be some type of accountability” in the bill.

The training would be provided through “online modules,” which Steinborn said wasn’t “optimal.”

“Having been a public employee and gone through training, I think when you sit eyeball to eyeball and meet your peers, it’s better training,” he said.

Cleaning up contaminated sites: Lawmakers announced two parallel pieces of legislation in each legislative chamber that would authorize $50 million for the New Mexico Environment Department to begin the cleanup of abandoned uranium mines and other contaminated sites around the state.

The funding would start with cleanups of two sites: an abandoned mine on state land in the Grants Mining District and a truck stop in Tucumcari, with costs estimated at $4 million to $6 million for the former and $5 million for the latter.

“This has been in the works for years,” said John Rhoderick, deputy secretary of the state Environment Department.

Rhoderick said the Legislature passed the Abandoned Uranium Mine Act a few years ago and created a fund, but it didn’t have any money. The move, however, allowed for the hiring of two coordinators, one in the Environment Department and the other in the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, who helped develop a work plan.

“Now we’re going to have the money to step on that,” he said. “Today is the day that we begin to change the legacy in this state.”

Rep. Joseph Hernandez, D-Shiprock, said the proposed funding send a clear message about New Mexico’s future.

“When it comes to abandoned uranium mines in New Mexico, the talking stops today, and the action begins tomorrow,” he said.

Veterans’ tax break clears committee: A bill to raise property tax exemptions for veterans is headed to the full House after unanimously passing out of the House Taxation and Revenue Committee on Friday.

House Bill 47 would raise the existing property tax exemption of $4,000 up to $10,000 and allow additional exemptions for veterans with service-related disabilities, according to a news release from House Democrats. It is being sponsored by Reps. Art De la Cruz, D-Albuquerque, Alan Martinez, R-Rio Rancho and Luis Terrazas, R-Santa Clara.

“The men and women who selflessly served our country and protected our freedoms deserve a good quality of life when they return from duty,” De la Cruz said in a statement.

Background check bill fails on tie vote: House Bill 39, which would include juvenile gun offenses in background checks run on prospective gun buyers, failed in the House Judiciary Committee on a tie vote of 5-5 Friday.

House Majority Leader Rep. Reena Szczepanski, D-Santa Fe, voted along with four Republicans against the bill. She pointed to the language in the bill which she said did not protect people from having juvenile offenses count against them in decisions involving employment or housing. 

“I think this issue of whether somebody should be allowed to purchase a firearm or whether someone should be allowed to transfer a firearm to someone who has committed a crime with a gun under the age of 18 is one thing,” she said. “Adding them to the ‘felon in possession’ statute is an approach that, just, personally, I don’t agree with.” 

Quote of the day: “Senator, this is Santa Fe. Shenanigans happen all day long.” —Sen. Jim Townsend, R-Artesia, reacting to Sen. Harold Pope, D-Albuquerque, saying he hoped there wouldn’t be any shenanigans to sidestep a bill that would prohibit former legislators from getting paid as lobbyists for two years after their term ends.

The Iron Star Singers Eric Valencia, center, Derrick Valencia, Sheldon Velasquez and Louis Valencia, right, open a joint session of the Legislature with a performance during American Indian Day at the Capitol Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. Native Americans from all over the state turned out for a celebration of Indigenous culture and to mingle with their local representatives. Photo by Jim Weber/The New Mexican

Buu Nygren, president of the Navajo Nation, gets a warm welcome as he addresses a joint session of the Legislature during American Indian Day at the Capitol Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. Native Americans from all over the state turned out for a celebration of Indigenous culture and to mingle with their local representatives. Photo by Jim Weber/The New Mexican

Buu Nygren, president of the Navajo Nation addresses a joint session of the Legislature during American Indian Day at the Capitol Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. Photo by Jim Weber/The New Mexican