◆ Legislative roundup.

Days remaining in session: 30

In the beginning: The 54th annual legislative session begins at noon Tuesday at the state Capitol on the corner of Paseo de Peralta and Old Santa Fe Trail. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is scheduled to give the State of the State address outlining her initiatives on the floor of the House of Representatives later in the afternoon.

Musical political chairs: The Senate’s Committee on Committees meets at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Room 326 to discuss assignments. Members will choose a successor for Sen. Richard Martinez, D-Ojo Caliente, who stepped down as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee after a judge convicted him of aggravated drunken driving and reckless driving.

If the chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee goes to Sen. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, that would create a leadership opening as well. He now chairs the Conservation Committee.

At least two positions on other committees will have to be filled after the deaths last year of Sens. John Pinto, D-Gallup, and Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa.

Pinto headed the Indian and Cultural Affairs Committee; Cisneros was vice chairman of the Finance Committee.

Teacher pay: The Legislative Finance Committee on Monday endorsed a proposal to appropriate $57 million to increase pay for certain teachers.

Raises would go to teachers who work with at-risk students in special education and bilingual programs, as well as those who serve as mentors to new educators. The initiative is part of a state effort to comply with a court order to provide more resources to help various groups of students.

The pay boost would be on top of the proposed 3 percent or 4 percent salary raise suggested by, respectively, the Legislative Finance Committee and the governor.

No harassment: A hundred or so legislators packed a Roundhouse committee room on Monday afternoon to take a two-hour anti-harassment training one day before the 2020 legislative session was to began.

The seminar, titled “Harassment Free Workplace” and operated by Albuquerque-based The Solutions Group, began with lawmakers filling out a quiz of sorts testing their knowledge of workplace harassment issues. One question stated, “What should you do if you are harassed?” Another asked if it was “true or false” that “if no one complains, then it is not harassment.”

A presenter also handed out a “Stress-o-meter” that can gauge legislators’ stress levels during the session. “If you’re in session and it’s black, take a few breaths,” trainer Maribeth Bohley said. “Find a way to find your inner peace.”

Members received a per diem for attending the training.

Quote of the day: “I used to park my car on a hill when I was going to the University of New Mexico because I needed a rolling start to get there.” — Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, recalling his impoverished days as a college student.