Days remaining in session: 33
Anti-donation overhaul moves ahead: The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee on Monday advanced a joint resolution that would ask New Mexico voters to approve a state constitutional amendment to repeal and replace the anti-donation clause.
House Joint Resolution 11 was sent forward to the House Judiciary Committee with no recommendation on approval after an initial vote to pass the bill and then a vote to table it both failed.
The committee ran out of time to discuss an accompanying measure, House Bill 290, which would create a new program in the Department of Finance and Administration that could distribute legislative allocations to nonprofits supporting a public purpose.
Rep. Andrea Romero, D-·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe, who sponsored the joint resolution, described the anti-donation clause as an “antiquated law†that keeps the state from investing in itself.
A handful of people from the public spoke in favor of the legislation, including The Food Depot Executive Director Jill Dixon and former ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe County Commissioner Anna Hansen.
Some members of the committee said they had concerns about guardrails included in the legislation and issues raised in agency analyses.
The Department of Finance and Administration said it anticipated “a significant increase in its administrative workload†if the bill went into effect, and the State Auditor’s Office opposes it on similar grounds.
Tribal regalia for grads: The Senate Education Committee unanimously advanced a bill that would require schools to allow Native American students to wear tribal regalia during graduation ceremonies.
Several tribal leaders spoke in support of Senate Bill 163 during a hearing Monday morning, and a young woman affiliated with the Navajo Nation told the committee she had been prohibited from wearing regalia at her graduation by administrators at her high school in Rio Rancho in 2024.
“As a Native youth achieving such a milestone in my education, graduation day was intended to be a day filled with joy, celebration and pride,†Kaiya Brown told the committee. “Instead, I was shunned by my high school’s administration for wearing the sacred pieces that represent my identity as a Diné woman — the exact regalia I wear before you today was deemed too distracting.â€
The bill would preempt school boards or governing bodies from prohibiting students from federally recognized tribes and pueblos from “wearing tribal regalia or objects of cultural significance along with or attached to a cap or gown or wearing tribally significant footwear or other items of apparel under a gown at graduation ceremonies or public school events.â€
Newsletter signup
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Increased early ed distributions: A measure that would ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment essentially replacing the state’s Early Childhood Education and Care Fund with an “Early Childhood Trust Fund†— with larger distributions — advanced through the Senate Rules Committee on Monday.
Senate Joint Resolution 6, sponsored by Sen. Michael Padilla, D-Albuquerque, would codify the Early Childhood Trust Fund in the New Mexico Constitution, instead of in the state treasury, where the Early Childhood Education and Care Fund lives, according to a State Investment Council analysis of the measure. Documents show the fund, established in recent years to create a revenue stream for child care, preschool and other programs for young children, now stands at $9 billion.
SJR 6 would double annual distributions from the fund, to $500 million or 5% of the three-year average market value of the fund, whichever is higher.
Because the resolution would amend the constitution, it would have to go before voters for final approval if it passes both chambers.
Open primaries advances: A bill that would allow non-major party voters to participate in primary elections cleared its second committee Monday evening. Senate Bill 16 would allow voters unaffiliated with a major party to vote in a party primary election without changing their voter registration status.
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the bill Monday night. It heads next to the Senate floor.
Proponents of the bill argue it will allow “decline-to-state†voters a voice in primary elections, which often decide races that don’t draw candidates from both parties.
Former state Rep. Natalie Figueroa presented the bill to the committee Monday evening, saying a 2019 law allowed such voters to declare their party on the same day, but the process has created a “headache†for county clerks and still poses an “unnecessary burden†to access to the ballot in primaries.
·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe County Deputy Clerk Rosangela Ortiz told the committee the County Clerk’s Office supports the bill, saying it would increase access to the ballot as well as reduce the “administrative burden†of same-day registration during primary elections.
Quote of the day: “If they can’t afford the speeding tickets, then don’t speed? I think I’m too pretty for prison, so I don’t steal.†— Sen. Crystal Brantley, R-Elephant Butte, during a discussion of legislation concerned with speed cameras.
“I don’t want another ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe Ring, which some people argue currently exists when it comes to the state of our state†— Rep. John Block, R-Alamogordo, during a discussion of legislation that would repeal and replace the anti-donation clause.
The New Mexican
