2.5.2021 Alert

2-5-21 Alert: Green Amendment, Perm. Fund for Early Childhood, Oil & Gas Ops., Rural Opportunities

NEW: TODAY, Feb. 5, 9 a.m., Senate Rules is scheduled to finish hearing SJR 3 Environmental Rights Act (Green Amendment). Public comment was taken for SJR 3 at the last Senate Rules hearing, and today will be only legislator discussion and vote. Get talking points at the link above, and please call and email committee members first thing this morning before they vote! You can watch the hearing via Webcast at nmlegis.gov. Committee contact info is below.

Senate Rules Committee (SRC)

NEW: Mon., Feb. 8, 8 a.m., the House Education Committee is scheduled to hear HJR 1 Permanent Fund for Early Childhood. Use the link below to participate in the hearing. Or watch it via Webcast at nmlegis.gov. You’ll find talking points at the link above. And please use the contact info below to call committee members to urge them to support this bill.

Use this link to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84672132667. Or iPhone one-tap: US: +16699009128,,84672132667# or +12532158782,,84672132667# Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 Webinar ID: 846 7213 2667.

House Education Committee (HEC)

NEW: Tues., Feb. 9, 9 a.m., the Senate Conservation Committee is scheduled to hear SB 86 Use of Water for Oil & Gas Operations. Get talking points at the link in the bill title. They are also scheduled to hear one of our Priority Bills, SB 132 Photovoltaic Systems in New Homes. SB 132 would require all new homes constructed after July 1, 2021 to have photovoltaic systems installed that provide at least one watt per square foot of heated area and at least one electrical receptacle for charging electric vehicles.

Instructions from the committee: For public participation send an email to SCONC@nmlegis.gov with your Name, Entity Represented, Bill #, For or Against and indicate if you wish to speak. The deadline to respond is Monday, February 8 at 3:00 p.m. You will be contacted by our Zoom Operator with the virtual meeting instructions.

Please call and email committee members before Feb. 9 to urge them to support these bills. If you don’t plan to offer public comment during the hearing, you can watch it via Webcast at nmlegis.gov.

Senate Conservation Committee (SCONC)

REMINDER: Tues., Feb. 9, 9 a.m., the House Local Government, Land Grants & Cultural Affairs Committee is scheduled to hear HB 16 Rural Opportunities Interim Committee. This bill would have significant impact on the quality of life for rural New Mexicans. You’ll find talking points at the link above, and you’ll find a link below to participate in the hearing via Zoom. Or you can watch the hearing by Webcast at nmlegis.gov. Please use the contact info below to call and email committee members this week to urge them to support this bill.

Go to this link to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89983253499  Or iPhone one-tap: US: +12532158782,,89983253499# or +13462487799,,89983253499# Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 9128 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 558 8656 Webinar ID: 899 8325 3499

House Local Government, Land Grants & Cultural Affairs Committee (HLELC)


What About Priority Bill Hearings?

We’re not tracking them diligently like we are our Transformational Bills, but there are lots of interesting and valuable Priority Bills that are worth your attention. Here’s a list of Priority bills being heard over the next few days:


HB 51 Environmental Database Act, is scheduled to be heard in House State Govt., Elections & Indian Affairs today, Friday, Feb. 5, at 8:30 a.m. HB 51 establishes a public web-based database of statewide environmental data, including locations of oil and gas wells and pipelines, active mines, solar and wind projects on state land, air pollution permits, superfund sites, state trust land leases, child asthma rates by Zip Code, poverty levels by Zip Code, threatened and endangered species, wildlife corridors, and much more.

Here’s the link to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89283197941. Or watch the Webcast at nmlegis.gov. To contact committee members, find the House State Govt., Elections & Indian Committee contact info on our website at this link, listed alphabetically, House committees first, followed by Senate Committees.

HB 4 Civil Rights Act is scheduled to be heard in the House Judiciary Committee today, Friday, Feb. 5, at 1:30 p.m. HB 4 would establish a right of action against any public body or person representing a public body for violation of an individual’s rights, privileges, or immunities under the NM constitution. It would prohibit the defense of qualified immunity in such actions and waive the defense of sovereign immunity in such actions. It would also set a 3-year statute of limitations and require that public bodies keep records of final judgments and settlements for claims under the civil rights act.

Here’s the link to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89543370073. Or watch the Webcast at nmlegis.gov. To contact committee members, find the House Judiciary Committee contact info on our website at this link, listed alphabetically, House committees first, followed by Senate Committees.

HB 9 Climate Solutions Act is scheduled to be heard tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 6, at 9 a.m. by the House Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Committee.HB 9 would form a Climate Leadership Council to create a statewide framework for addressing climate change and developing sustainable economy, establishing statewide greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements, directing state agencies to adopt rules to achieve statewide greenhouse gas emissions reductions and foster inclusion in workforce development and procurement related to climate solutions.

Here’s the link to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88692377623. Or watch the Webcast at nmlegis.gov. To contact committee members, you can find the House Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Committee contact info on our website at this link, listed alphabetically, House committees first, followed by Senate Committees.

HB 209 State Indian Child Welfare Act and HB 211 Redistricting Act are scheduled to be heard on Mon., Feb. 8, 8:30 a.m. in the House State Govt., Elections & Indian Affairs Committee. HB 209 and its companion bill SB278 would protect Native American children so they can remain within their tribal communities and extended families. They would codify the federal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) into state law. The U.S. Congress passed the Indian Child Welfare Act into law in 1978, but it is too often not enforced, according to experts working on the state law. HB 211 and its companion bill SB 199 would create an impartial 7-person State Redistricting Commission that would work with a professional services vendor hired by the Legislative Council to develop three to five sets of districts maps for the: US Congress, NM Public Education Commission, NM Senate, and NM House of Representatives. The Legislature would vote for one of the sets of maps without amendment. In the same

Here’s the link to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89283197941. Or watch the Webcast at nmlegis.gov. To contact committee members, you can find the House State Govt., Elections & Indian Committee contact info on our website at this link, listed alphabetically, House committees first, followed by Senate Committees.

SB 170 Financial Literacy School Credit is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Education Committee, Mon., Feb. 8 at 9 a.m.SB 170 and its companion bill HB 163, focus on making financial literacy a high school graduation requirement. New Mexico currently ranks near the bottom of the nation for its financial literacy: 47out of 50 according to a 2019 study by WalletHub. Twenty-one states have made financial literacy a graduation requirement in the last decade and are already seeing positive results.

Instructions from the committee: For public participation send an email to SEC@nmlegis.gov with your Name, Entity Represented, Bill #, For or Against and indicate if you wish to speak. The deadline to respond is Sunday, February 7 at 5:00 p.m. You will be contacted by our Zoom Operator with the virtual meeting instructions.

To contact committee members, you’ll find the Senate Education Committee contact info on our website at this link, listed alphabetically, House committees first, followed by Senate Committees.

SB 278 State Indian Child Welfare Act is scheduled to be heard Tues., Feb. 9, 9 a.m. in the Senate Indian, Rural & Cultural Affairs Committee.

Instructions from the committee: For public participation send an email to SIAC@nmlegis.gov with your Name, Entity Represented, Bill #, For or Against and indicate if you wish to speak. The deadline to respond is Monday, February 8 at 3:00 p.m. You will be contacted by our Zoom Operator with the virtual meeting instructions.

To contact committee members, you’ll find the Senate Indian, Rural & Cultural Affairs Committee contact info on our website at this link, listed alphabetically, House committees first, followed by Senate Committees.

Whew! That’s a lot of legislation. Thank you for hanging in there and getting to the end of this long message. We can only make this happen by working together.

In solidarity and hope,

Roxanne and Paul