Legislative Roundup
SFNM
Technical difficulties: While the House of Representatives jumped into action right around noon, the Senate didn’t get started until about 12:45 p.m. Officials blamed an issue with the computer that works the video and visual screen in the chamber.
Oh, say can you see?: In the House, a band of seniors from the New Mexico School for the Arts sang, via an audio loop, the national anthem while a video display showcased students from the school translating the words in American sign language to the song. Legislators, visibly moved by the performance, broke out in applause at the end.
Speaker of the Pack: To the surprise of no one, House Democrats reelected Rep. Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, as House Speaker, pushing back efforts from House Republicans to elect Rep. James Townsend, R-Artesia, to the position. Townsend didn’t have much of a chance — Democrats outnumber Republicans 45-25 in the House, and the vote went along party lines. Townsend will be the minority leader.
Happy birthday: The Senate celebrated the birthdays of Sen. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, and Chief Clerk Lenore Naranjo. But there was no singing to mark the occasion. “Normally, we would love to have Sen. [Stuart] Ingle sing and lead us all,” said Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, referring to the Portales Republican. “But I think probably given COVID, it’s not a good idea for us to be singing, so let’s just all stand and give them a clap.”
Double up: Everyone admitted into the Roundhouse was wearing a face mask. It wasn’t exactly by choice. Face coverings are a requirement during the session. But some lawmakers, including Wirth and Sens. Linda Lopez and Katy Duhigg, both Albuquerque Democrats, took the mask-wearing requirement to another level by wearing two masks at the same time.
Quote of the day: “There’s only one person who has benefited from COVID — and that is this governor. She has ultimate power because of this virus and she’s taking advantage of that.” —Rep. Rod Montoya, R-Farmington, during a news conference about Republican initiatives held before the session began at noon. Montoya and other leading Republicans want the governor to reopen schools and businesses soon.