Pastor Vince Torres prays with a group gathered Wednesday in the Capitol Rotunda to celebrate Pastor’s Day at the New Mexico Legislature. Gabriela Campos/The New Mexican
Denee Reyes sings with musicians from churches around New Mexico during a celebration Wednesday in the Capitol of Pastor’s Day at the Legislature. Gabriela Campos/The New Mexican
By The New Mexican
Days left in the session: 16
Lottery bill: Ask Sen. Pete Campos, D-Las Vegas, to explain one of his bills and he’ll often get out a piece of paper and a marker, then start drawing an answer for you to follow — or not.
This was how Campos tried to explain his Senate Bill 598, which would eliminate the guarantee of 30 percent of the state lottery’s gross revenues being used for college scholarships. Pressed by two different reporters what he wanted the bill to accomplish, Campos had a difficult time explaining it.
Then, on Wednesday, he asked the Senate Education Committee to permanently table the bill.
Campos told committee members he will spend the next year looking for other revenue sources to shore up the scholarship fund. It once paid 100 percent of tuition for eligible New Mexico college students, but now covers 60 percent because of rising tuition and other factors.
The committee unanimously agreed to kill his bill.
College study: The Senate Education Committee voted 4-3 to advance Senate Bill 595, another Campos initiative.
The bill requires the Higher Education Department to conduct an annual study of the state’s 29 colleges, including their branch campuses, to see how they are being utilized and what can be done to improve them and use empty space.
The bill seeks nearly $4 million in one-time funding to conduct the study. It next goes to the Senate Finance Committee.
Top cop: The Senate on Wednesday voted 34-0 to confirm Mark Shea as secretary of the Department of Public Safety.
Shea takes over the agency that includes the New Mexico State Police and manages a forensics lab as well as the registry for licenses of those carrying concealed weapons.
It is a big job as New Mexico notches some of the highest crime rates in the country.
Shea told the Senate Rules Committee he would assign a command-level staff member to work on community policing. He also said he would commission a top-down survey of salaries as the state vies to hold onto officers amid tough competition among law enforcement agencies for certified personnel.
Shea, most recently the undersheriff of Valencia County, has worked in law enforcement for more than four decades. He previously worked at the Albuquerque Public Schools Police Department and in the Department of Public Safety’s training and recruiting division. He also was chief of the department’s advanced training bureau.
Starting young: Some two dozen fourth-graders from Alamosa Elementary School in Albuquerque visited the Capitol on Wednesday to ask lawmakers to support a bill.
House Bill 381 would allow the state Taxation and Revenue Department to create special license plates for people who support “pollinator protection.” The students belong to a chapter of Wild Friends, a program that blends civics and wildlife law and is based at the University of New Mexico’s School of Law.
Ana, one of the fourth-graders, said coming to the Roundhouse to talk to legislators made her feel as if she had a voice. Others in the group said it was exciting to visit the Capitol.
House Bill 381 has cleared one legislative committee. It heads next to the House Taxation and Revenue Committee.
A different stripe: Legislators on Wednesday honored the Taos High School Tigers, last year’s state football champion in Class 4A.
It was a feel-good event until Sen. Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa, introduced the team as “the infamous” Tigers. Groans followed.
Infamous means to be known for something bad. Few moments in a teenager’s life will be richer or better than winning a state championship.
Viva Dolores: The Senate and the House of Representatives designated Wednesday as Dolores Huerta Day in honor of the New Mexican-born social activist and farm workers’ advocate.
Huerta, 88, visited both legislative chambers, where members praised her for her pursuit of social justice.
“Some people have their George Washington. Some have their Abraham Lincoln,” said a tearful Rep. Angelica Rubio, D-Las Cruces. “We have our Dolores Huerta.”
Efforts are underway to name a street in Albuquerque in Huerta’s honor. It would intersect with Avenida César Chávez. Huerta and Chávez founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962.
Quote of the Day: “This is a liberal-free zone. Know the boundaries.” — A handwritten sign on Rep. Candy Spence Ezzell’s desk on the floor of the House of Representatives. Ezzell, R-Roswell, has voiced opposition to a number of Democrat-led initiatives, including some that she says violate the Second Amendment.
Dolores Huerta, 88, was honored by New Mexico legislators on the House floor on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 27, 2019, which was officially declared “Dolores Huerta Day.” Gabriela Campos/The New Mexican
