Roundhouse RoundupResounding ‘yes’ for affirmative consent: The Senate Education Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved House Bill 151, which would require colleges and universities to adopt trauma-informed policies for investigations of sexual assault and domestic violence allegations.
Sponsored by Rep. Liz Thomson, D-Albuquerque, and other Democrats, the bill would impose an “affirmative consent standard” in campus’ sexual assault and violence policies, noting it is the responsibility of all parties involved in sexual activities to acquire the affirmative consent of all other parties. Under the bill, students must be made aware of that standard.
Audience members, including organizations advocating on behalf of women, youth and LGBTQ+ communities, overwhelmingly supported the bill.
“One of our core beliefs is that sex is a gift of the divine and must be expressed with respect,” Joan Lamunyon Sanford, executive director of the New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, told lawmakers. “Affirmative consent makes that possible and protects our young people.”
Tax package: The House passed an omnibus tax bill that would, among other things, decrease personal income taxes for New Mexicans.
Rep. Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo, said the proposed adjustments to the state’s income tax brackets are the most expensive part of the package. While the proposed adjustments would benefit all taxpayers, Lente said they would benefit lower- to middle-income wage earners the most.
“We have a $200 million cap that we are looking to utilize, and we’ve done our best to stay within that dollar amount with allowances for the Senate to obviously do its own work for their own initiatives,” he said.
The 48-21 vote came after a three-hour hearing and an unsuccessful effort by Rep. Jim Townsend, R-Artesia, to pass a substitute bill that would have eliminated the tax brackets altogether and created a flat individual income tax rate of 1%, which critics cautioned would lead to financial turmoil for the state.
“It returns massive recurring budget surpluses back to the taxpayers,” Townsend said.
Banning book bans: House Bill 123, which would prohibit the removal of certain books from state-funded public libraries on the basis of “partisan or doctrinal disapproval,” or the author’s ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or political views, garnered unanimous support from the House Education Committee on Wednesday.
Though the bill maintains patrons’ rights to challenge items in libraries’ collections, it would ensure challenged books — including those by New Mexican authors like Rudolfo Anaya and Benjamin Alire Sáenz — would not be removed without adherence to proper policies.
Rep. Willie D. Madrid, D-Chaparral, framed the bill as a “commonsense” policy designed to protect library patrons’ freedom to read.
“The reading of a book is the most enriching thing you can do to the mind,” he said.
Gov.’s emergency powers intact: A bill introduced by five Republican lawmakers to limit the governor’s emergency powers died in a committee Wednesday morning.
The bill would have asked voters to approve a constitutional amendment enabling the Legislature to end a governor’s declaration of a state of emergency and limiting such a declaration to 90 days.
The bill died in the House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs committee on a 5-3 vote along party lines.
Rep. Ryan Lane, R-Aztec, a sponsor, said in an interview Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s recent public health orders temporarily banning firearms in areas of Bernalillo County “really have fired people up.”
He added, “For me, it’s not about partisan politics, it’s about making the Legislature a co-equal branch of government.”
School board training: Senate Bill 137, a push for additional training requirements for school board members, secured a unanimous “do pass” recommendation from the House Education Committee on Wednesday.
Sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, the bill would mandate training hours for school board members; list board members who have not completed training requirements on public websites; require campaign finance reporting for any candidate spending more than $1,000 on their bid for school board; and bar school boards from firing a superintendent without cause for 60 days following their ascension to the board.
Quote of the day: “What’s the PITA factor in this?” —Sen. Bill Sharer, R-Farmington, during a Senate floor discussion on a bill that would update the state’s high school graduation requirements. Sharer also said PITA stands for “pain-in-the-rear.”
