[LWVNM Action] The final 5 days for the Governor to sign legislator

[Richard Mason]

*Lujan Grisham signs education package*

*By Dan McKay / Journal Staff Writer
<https://www.abqjournal.com/author/dmckay>*

*Monday, April 5th, 2021 at 4:27pm*

SANTE FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham began a critical week Monday by
signing legislation designed to deliver extra funding to schools serving
large Native American communities and some of New Mexico’s poorest families
— part of a burst of action as she faces a Friday deadline to act on more
than 130 bills.

Also approved Monday were measures establishing an independent office to
review special education in New Mexico and banning discrimination based on
a student’s cultural hairstyle.

It was the start of what will be a busy week.

Awaiting action by Friday are proposals that would require private
employers to offer paid sick leave, establish a Civil Rights Act, authorize
medical aid-in-dying and ban animal traps on public land.

The approval of a package of education bills Monday comes as New Mexico
confronts the loss of in-person classroom time during the COVID-19
pandemic, on top of already-poor academic outcomes.

One measure signed Monday, House Bill 6, is expected to send an extra $60
million in federal Impact Aid to districts with vast amounts of tribal and
other tax-exempt land. The state had previously deducted much of the
federal money from the districts’ funding allocation, blocking the funds
from reaching their intended target.

Lujan Grisham said the legislation ends “a longstanding practice that was
fundamentally unfair, disadvantaging too many Native American students and
communities.”

Another measure, Senate Bill 17, is expected to distribute $30 million over
the next two years to schools serving a concentration of low-income
families. The funding is for math, reading and other programs to support
students.

“The need is great, and resources are limited,” Public Education Secretary
Ryan Stewart said in a written statement. “That’s why it’s critical to
target extra funding to the schools where it is most needed.”

A $7.4 billion budget plan is awaiting action this week — an appropriations
bill for which Lujan Grisham has line-item veto authority.

*Also on deck are bills to extend public campaign financing to District
Court judicial candidates, expand tax breaks for working families and
create a citizens’ redistricting committee.*

Any bill the governor doesn’t sign or veto by Friday is automatically
rejected, a procedure known as a pocket veto. The deadline applies only to
bills passed in the final days of the regular 60-day session, which ended
March 20.

A proposal to legalize retail sales of marijuana, by contrast, has extra
time. It was passed in last week’s special session, so the governor has
until April 20 to act.

As for the regular session, Lujan Grisham has so far signed 23 bills and
vetoed one — out of 158 bills passed in the 60-day session.

Among the bills signed Monday are:

— Senate Bill 140, updating New Mexico’s child support laws to avoid the
loss of $148 million in federal funding.

— House Bill 222, establishing an ombud’s office to investigate and resolve
problems with special education. It would operate within the state
Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, independent of the Public
Education Department.

— House Bill 29 and Senate Bill 80, prohibiting discrimination in schools
based on a student’s cultural headdress or certain hairstyles, such as
braids, cornrows or weaves.

— House Bill 6, sending an extra $60 million to school districts that have
a small tax base because they cover tax-exempt land for Native American
communities and military bases. The measure changes New Mexico’s education
funding formula to allow the districts to keep federal Impact Aid intended
to help them pay for education.

It’s expected to make a particular difference in McKinley and San Juan
counties in northwestern New Mexico.

— Senate Bill 17, distributing extra funding to certain schools based on a
family income index. The state budget proposal would authorize $15 million
a year for the effort over the next two years.
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