Roundhouse Roundup
The Santa Fe New Mexican
‘Sofia’s Law’ moves forward: The Senate Education Committee approved Senate Bill 219, a $1 million plan to supply high schools across the state with naloxone nasal spray — a drug better known by its brand name Narcan that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.
Sen. Moe Maestas, D-Albuquerque, said the bill would not only allow students and staff to administer naloxone at school but would ensure students could take the nasal spray with them, in case of an overdose off-campus.
The proposed legislation comes from Albuquerque Academy senior Karl Pergola Jr., whose sister, Sofia, died of an opioid overdose. The bill is named in Sofia’s honor.
“By ensuring that naloxone is readily available in our schools, we can intervene swiftly in the face of an overdose emergency,” Pergola told lawmakers. “You can empower teachers, administrators and even fellow students to become first responders in the fight against opioid overdoses.”
‘Fake electors’ bill advances: Members of the House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee voted 6-3 to approve House Bill 19, which would impose a third-degree felony on anyone “disrupting election results.”
“We want to do everything we can to protect the integrity of our elections,” Rep. Gail Chasey, D-Albuquerque said.
The bill specifically creates a new crime of falsely acting as a presidential elector, inspired by the aftermath of the 2020 election, in which Republicans in some states won by President Joe Biden, including New Mexico, declared themselves electors for former President Donald Trump.
Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, issued a report last month saying the “fake electors” in New Mexico had not broken any existing laws and recommended the Legislature do something to change that.
The bill would also criminalize suppressing, defacing or making false entries in a county canvass report or certificate of election. HB 19 goes next to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration.
Putting it to the voters: Members of the Senate Rules Committee voted 5-3 to approve Senate Joint Resolution 6, which would ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment creating a new commission to oversee the troubled Children, Youth and Families Department.
The three-member commission would start Jan. 1, 2026. Among its duties would be hiring an executive director for that agency by July 1, 2026.
The goal, said Sen. Gerry Ortiz y Pino, a Democrat from Albuquerque who co-sponsored the resolution, is to take the agency’s leadership out from under any governor’s control.
Earlier this week the state Senate voted to confirm Teresa Casados as Cabinet secretary of the agency, which has been facing increased scrutiny in the wake of high-profile child abuse and death cases and high staff turnover rates.
The resolution next goes to the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration.
Keeping college students: Senate Bill 235, a plan to set aside $1 million for efforts to retain college students through graduation, secured a “do pass” recommendation from the Senate Education Committee on Friday.
In New Mexico, “It’s not how many people enter [college]; it’s how many people exit,” Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto, D-Albuquerque, said during the committee meeting.
Though the Opportunity Scholarship, now in its second academic year of providing New Mexico residents with tuition-free college at public institutions, has expanded access to higher education across the state and spiked college enrollment, student retention rates hover around 60%, according to data from the Higher Education Department.
The funding from SB 235 would go toward increasing that figure through “evidence-based” programs, said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Moe Maestas, D-Albuquerque. The bill will move to the Senate Finance Committee next.
Senate confirms secretary on aging: The Senate voted 29-1 Friday to confirm Jen Paul Schroer as Cabinet secretary of the New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department.
“I am honored to continue to lead the Aging and Long-Term Services Department in its mission to provide essential support to our state’s older adults,” Schroer said in a statement after the vote.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office put out a statement after her confirmation praising Schroer’s record in her current job, which she has held since August, and as tourism secretary for four years before that.
Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, who sponsored Schroer’s nomination, said she steered the Tourism Department through tough times during the pandemic “and led an extraordinary comeback for one of the state’s most important economic drivers.
“She is a compassionate and driven change agent with a history of service to New Mexico, and I have great confidence that Secretary Schroer will lead the Aging and Long-Term Services Department to do great things using these proven skills,” Wirth said in a statement.
American Indian Day: Lawmakers in both chambers celebrated American Indian Day at the state Capitol by welcoming guests from the state’s tribes and pueblos and speaking about the resiliency and power of Native voices.
Rep. Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo, told the House of Representatives he considers it an honor to be one of the “very few Native legislators to serve in this beautiful institution.”
He went on to say Native Americans must work to “stand up for what our ancestors left to us … their hopes and dreams they left to us.”
Native Americans on hand for the event performed dances and songs in the Rotunda.
Marlene Blackwell, a young Diné girl, sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” in Navajo in the Senate to kick off the day’s floor session. A few senators introduced Native American guests, including Sen. Leo Jaramillo, D-Española, who was accompanied by several rodeo queens from the Jicarilla Apache Nation, which is in his district.
Hurrah for the Gila: The Senate took a moment Friday to mark the 100th anniversary of the Gila Wilderness.
Created in 1924, the wilderness area north of Silver City is the largest in New Mexico and was the first in the country.
Sen. Siah Correa Hemphill, D-Silver City, also noted the Gila Wilderness is where Aldo Leopold, the influential early environmentalist credited with securing protection for the area, met and married Correa Hemphill’s ancestor Estelle Bergere.
“To this day it’s such an important area for myself and my family,” Correa Hemphill said, adding she and her husband frequently take their children backpacking and hiking there.
“It’s a very important part of our lives, where we go to heal and to find peace and tranquility outside of the craziness that is our lives,” she said.
Saluting those who serve(d): Saturday is Military and Veterans Day at the state Capitol.
The event, which starts at 9 a.m., includes informational booths and a ceremony at noon in the Rotunda.
The New Mexico Department of Veterans Services and the New Mexico National Guard host the event to pay tribute to New Mexico’s military community for its sacrifice and service.
Quote of the day: “I haven’t had coffee, either. I almost forgot I was here.” —Rep. Janelle Anyanonu, D-Albuquerque, after Rep. Gail Chasey, D-Albuquerque, neglected to introduce her at a committee meeting because, Chasey said, she hadn’t had any coffee.
