Legislative RoundupThe Santa Fe New Mexican
Let’s sleep in: The Sleep Foundation recently reported about 58% of middle school students and 73% of high schoolers are not getting enough sleep.
A House Democrat wants lawmakers to consider changing the start time for high schools.
House Memorial 56, introduced by Rep. Joy Garratt, D-Albuquerque, asks the interim Legislative Education Study Committee to work with students, school officials and the Public Education Department on a study of the issue and to make recommendations.
The memorial says the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends high schools begin at 8:30 a.m. or later, but it also notes any change in the start time could lead to transportation and other challenges.
The House Education Committee is scheduled to hear HM 56 on Monday.
CYFD reform: Custody cases involving children who have been placed in the care of the Children, Youth and Families Department twice within a six-month period would receive an elevated review under a bill the Senate unanimously approved Thursday.
Senate Bill 107 calls for executives within CYFD, in consultation with the children’s court managing attorney, to review such cases before a child can be released from the department’s custody.
“It leaves the case worker’s desk and is then seen by higher management,” said Sen. Crystal Diamond, R-Elephant Butte, who cosponsored SB 107 with Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto.
Diamond spoke of two cases in which children had been “removed and returned” to families multiple times, including a 4-year-old who had 13 CYFD removals before he was beaten to death.
“This bill is designed to stop that, to stop the revolving door of having children removed and then immediately [placed] into an area of danger without ever having their case brought before higher management within CYFD or ultimately, a judge, if necessary,” she said.
The bill would also give CYFD more time to file a petition.
“Currently, they have only two days before they must return a child,” Diamond said. “This bill allows them an additional day to further research the case.”
License to drive: Members of the House Transportation, Public Works and Capital Improvements Committee postponed making a decision on House Bill 56, which would require New Mexico drivers to display license plates and registration stickers on the front, as well as the back, of most vehicles.
Motorists would pay an additional $2 for the extra plate starting in 2024.
Supporters of the bill, including representatives and lobbyists for retail outlets, said a front plate would help law enforcement officials more easily identify shoplifters, thieves and other criminals. Rep. Bill Rehm, R-Albuquerque, who co-sponsored the bill, said it would ease the process of using surveillance video to “tie the face [of a suspect] to the plate.”
Some lawmakers objected to additional fees for motorists. Others did not like a clause eliminating government vehicles from the law.
Committee members said they wanted more time to review a substitute bill with an analysis on the issue before deciding how to proceed.
Dueling over safety measures: Members of the Democratic caucus of the state House of Representatives gathered Thursday to talk about several bills designed to address crime and public welfare problems.
Among the legislative initiatives promoted at the event were bills to reduce the backlog of outstanding felony warrants, to create a crime of knowingly providing a gun to a felon, to establish a 14-day wait period for gun purchases and to improve oversight and transparency of the Children, Youth and Families Department.
One, House Bill 11, would create an Office of the Child Advocate to review and respond to CYFD requests for services and complaints.
House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, said “it’s going to take time for our investments to show up” in results from these bills.
Speaking of the CYFD-related initiatives, he said the beleaguered agency, long under fire over child abuse deaths and other problems, has employees who are “overworked, underpaid and understaffed.”
House Republicans held their own news conference on the issue.
Stopping short of criticizing House Democrats for holding up their party’s crime bills, they said time is running out in the session to move crime-fighting legislation forward.
“Doesn’t seem like it’s a priority right now,” said Rep. Ryan Lane, R-Aztec, leader of the House minority.
Rep. Bill Rehm, R-Albuquerque, a retired police officer, said, “Unless we take it [crime] seriously and take it to the forefront, we’re going to see crime get out of control.”
Like House Democrats, Republicans also said they are pitching bills to support behavioral and mental health support initiatives.
It’s a gem!: New Mexico has a state song, a state bird, a state flower, a state tree and a lot of other state “stuff.”
One thing it doesn’t have, said Rep. Gail Armstrong, R-Magdalena, is a state mineral.
Members of the House of Representatives worked to remedy that Thursday by unanimously voting to approve House Bill 204, which makes smithsonite the state mineral.
Rep. Larry Scott, R-Hobbs, an advocate of the oil and gas industry, asked Armstrong, one of HB 204’s sponsors, why she did not suggest making oil the state’s mineral.
Because, Armstrong replied, “Oil can be found in other states.”
Quotes of the day: Thursday was a good day for quotes at the Roundhouse.
“I’m embarrassed to say nobody is paying me to be here.” —John Cook, speaking to members of the House Transportation, Public Works and Capital Improvements Committee after a string of lobbyists spoke about an issue.
“When you’re 21 years old, you’re qualified to run.” —Rep. Joy Garratt, D-Albuquerque, encouraging high school students attending a news conference to run for state office.
“I thought on our floor sessions, every day was Boxing Day.” —Rep. Ryan Lane, R-Aztec, to Rep. Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, referring to the sometimes heated debates in the House. Today is declared Boxing Day in the state Capitol.
“Hopefully they’ll let me out of COVID jail tomorrow.” —Rep. Dayan Hochman-Vigil, D-Albuquerque, speaking virtually today at a committee hearing. She is one of several lawmakers who have been participating in the session from home after contracting COVID-19.
