By Santa Fe New Mexican
Days remaining in session: 54
Committee processes under microscope: The New Mexico Senate is expected to discuss committee processes Tuesday after objections emerged over a five-minute time limit for lawmakers to ask questions during Monday’s Senate Rules Committee meeting, as well as the consideration of bills without a fiscal impact report.
“I do want our chairs to kind of respond about how things have been done and kind of what the customs have been,” Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, said at the conclusion of Monday’s Senate floor session.
Sen. David Gallegos, R-Eunice, said he was frustrated he couldn’t ask all of his questions during the committee meeting about a bill that would change the New Mexico Game and Fish Department.
“It would’ve been nice to be able to vote [in support of the bill], but I’m not going to do it under pressure,” said Gallegos, who was among three Republicans who voted against Senate Bill 5.
“I don’t set her schedule, so if she overbooks her committee, not my fault,” he said, referring to Sen. Katy Duhigg, an Albuquerque Democrat who chairs the Senate Rules Committee.
“But I think that bill should have the time needed to be justified because it’s going to change what we do in the state,” Gallegos said.
Missing fiscal impact reports: On a related topic, the Senate Conservation Committee is scheduled to consider four bills Tuesday, but the agenda may get slimmed down because none of the bills’ fiscal impact reports were available Monday.
“I’m trying to get at least the FIR for the first bill, so if we could hear the first bill on the agenda [Tuesday], that would be good and then we’ll roll the other ones to Thursday,” said Sen. Liz Stefanics, D-Cerrillos, the committee chair.
Senate Minority Leader Bill Sharer, R-Farmington, said “it’s not a rule but it’s certainly been a custom” for fiscal impact reports to be available 24 hours ahead of a committee hearing “until we get to the very end of a session.”
“Custom is not a rule, but custom is still cool,” he said.
The first bill on the committee’s agenda is among the most contentious.
Senate Bill 4, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, would set pollution reduction targets and seeks to meet Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Permanent fund for health care: A bipartisan team of lawmakers have come together to support Senate Bill 88, a plan to establish a $2 billion permanent fund to support the state’s biggest health care expense.
Sens. Sharer and Stefanics, as well as Sens. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, and Pat Woods, R-Broadview, have introduced House Bill 88, which would set aside an initial investment of $300 million with plans to eventually reach a $2 billion target.
In the House, Rep. Pamelya Herndon, D-Albuquerque, has signed on in support of the bill.
The bill also has the backing of nonpartisan think tank Think New Mexico.
“Because of the 3-to-1 federal match, setting aside permanent funding for Medicaid is the best long-term investment New Mexico can make,” said Fred Nathan Jr., executive director of Think New Mexico.
Capping class sizes: Some state lawmakers are thinking small — at least when it comes to class sizes for students in New Mexico’s kindergarten, first, second and third grade classrooms.
Rep. Raymundo Lara, D-Chamberino, has introduced House Bill 94, which would, over the next three school years, cap class sizes for grades K-3 at 20 students.
The bill also would require educational assistants in K-3 classrooms with more than 15 students.
Like the push for a health care permanent fund, the class size proposal is backed by Think New Mexico, which included smaller class sizes as a high-priority policy change in its 2022 policy report on “rethinking” New Mexico’s public education system.
Quote of the day: “I hope the pope is listening.” — Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, after Sen. Joe Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, said he planned to start a campaign urging Pope Francis to keep John C. Wester as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Wester, who must submit a letter of resignation when he turns 75 in November, delivered the invocation during the Senate floor session and was lauded by Cervantes for his inclusiveness and leadership.