What prevailed
STATE BUDGET: Near the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, state economists projected a nearly $1 billion budget shortfall in the fiscal year that starts July 1. Thanks to an infusion of federal pandemic relief money and much more optimistic revenue projections from oil and gas, the state government will increase spending by 4.8 percent, or $373 million. The proposed $7.4 billion budget passed both chambers in the final days of the session and is now headed to the governor.
PANDEMIC RELIEF: Those hit hardest by the pandemic will benefit from Senate Bill 3, which the governor signed into law. It offers long-term, low-interest loans up to $150,000 to eligible New Mexico businesses and nonprofits. ABORTION RIGHTS: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham made history when she signed Senate Bill 10, striking a 1969 law from the books that made it a crime to perform an abortion. The move came after weeks of emotional testimony from people on both sides of the argument as abortion-rights advocates feared a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court might weaken or overturn the historic Roe v. Wade ruling. AID IN DYING: House Bill 47, which allows terminally ill patients of sound mind to ask a physician to prescribe drugs to help them die, led to impassioned arguments. Proponents said people should have the right to a peaceful death, while opponents said life should be respected and raised concerns about misuse. Previous attempts to pass such legislation failed, but this year’s effort made it across the finish line. The governor has said she will sign it.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FUNDING: Call it the battle of the decade. Democratic lawmakers intent on using money from a multibilliondollar state endowment to boost services for young children finally prevailed in passing House Joint Resolution 1. It allows voters to decide on the issue. Under a compromise, some of the new money would go into the state’s K-12 public school system. Voters will face the question in the 2022 general election.
CIVIL RIGHTS: House Bill 4, giving New Mexicans the right to sue government agencies over civil rights violations, came after a year of nationwide calls for law enforcement accountability. The legislation sparked concerns about skyrocketing costs for local governments. Still, the bill made it through the House and Senate. A spokesman said Lujan Grisham probably would sign it into law. LIQUOR LICENSES: An initial push to legalize home delivery of alcohol became an effort to overhaul the state’s decades-old liquor license laws to end what some call a monopoly system. House Bill 255 had wide support from both sides. At the last minute, a 2 percent booze tax was eliminated. The governor has signed the bill.
PAID SICK LEAVE: A highly charged Senate debate over a bill requiring the state’s private employers to provide their workers paid sick leave left some lawmakers feeling nauseated. But House Bill 20, also known as the Healthy Workplaces Act, passed and is likely to be signed by the governor. Workers would get at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.
BROADBAND: Senate Bill 93 would create a central state agency to develop and upgrade New Mexico’s broadband system. Despite investments of hundreds of millions of dollars, access to broadband services has remained spotty for many New Mexicans. SB-93 awaits the governor’s signature. CAPITAL OUTLAY: Dozens of infrastructure and other projects around the state will receive a combined $517 million in capital outlay funding under House Bill 285. Not including statewide capital outlay, Santa Fe County is poised to receive $59 million, including $1.8 million for a new teen center in south Santa
Fe and $1 million for infrastructure improvements on the midtown campus. CAPITAL OUTLAY TRANSPARENCY: Under House Bill 55, The Legislature would be required to publish a searchable database showing how each lawmaker spends capital outlay dollars. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle said it would make the capital outlay process more transparent. The measure is awaiting the governor’s signature.
IMPACT AID: Legislation that would redirect federal Impact Aid money to schools it was intended for is awaiting the governor’s signature after being approved by both the House and Senate. Around three-quarters of that federal aid currently goes into a pool of funds for all of the state’s public schools. House Bill 6 would ensure the money goes to schools that need it the most, including many that primarily serve Native American students. FAMILY INCOME INDEX: Senate
Bill 17 would require the state Public Education Department to calculate, on an annual basis, a family income index to determine which students are most in need of extra help. Public schools with the highest rate of low-income kids would be eligible for extra money. It was one of the last measures to pass the House.
EXTENDED LEARNING: Both the House and Senate approved Senate Bill 40 to extend the academic year and require all public elementary schools to provide K-5 Plus or extendedlearning programs to make up for lost instructional time due to the pandemic. OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP: Lawmakers agreed to continue funding the Opportunity Scholarship at $18 million, which provides tuition assistance for thousands of New Mexico students pursuing degrees at two-year colleges, and they gave $10.5 million to the Legislative Lottery Scholarship, which covers 90 percent of college tuition costs.
NO HAIR DISCRIMINATION: Supporters of an effort to prohibit discipline or discrimination based on a student’s race or culture because of a hairstyle or headdress scored a victory when Senate Bill 80 passed both chambers.
REDISTRICTING: In a late-night vote in the House, lawmakers approved an independent commission to redraw election district boundaries for congressional and legislative seats, a task mandated by national law and utilizing U.S. Census Bureau data. Senate Bill 304 is on its way to the Governor’s Office.
TRAPPING BAN: Animal rights advocates celebrated the passage of Roxy’s Law, named after a dog killed by a poacher’s snare at Santa Cruz Lake in 2018. Senate Bill 32 outlaws the use of traps, snares and wildlife poison on public land, with some exceptions. It narrowly cleared the House on a vote of 35-34. excessive regulations. The measure is awaiting the governor’s signature. governor. Opponents of House Bill 122 expressed concern that a premium tax on providers to pay for it would hurt businesses and other workers.
Senate Bill 272 would allow military parents to enroll their children in public schools 45 days in advance. They currently have 10 days to make those arrangements. It is awaiting the governor’s signature.