The First Session of the 55th Legislature

Monday , February 8, 2021

WHAT'S HAPPENING
SENATE COMMITTEE STALLS BILL THAT WOULD LET SCHOOL BOARDS REOPEN NEW MEXICO SCHOOLS

The Senate Education Committee today stalled bipartisan legislation, SB-171 ([link removed]) , which would allow local school boards to reopen classes. The legislation would have enabled the Boards to get students back in class where they belong during the current Public Heath Order. The bill failed to clear the Committee after four Democrats opposed a motion to advance the bill.

This bill needs to more forward. Our students are falling further behind academically, dealing with mental health issues and suffering from the inability to socialize and participate in sports and extracurricular activities. Students must get back to class!

Brayden Ford, a high school junior from Rio Rancho, testified virtually before the Committee today and made his case:

[link removed]
Brayden Ford testifying today to the Senate Education Committee in a call to get students back to school.

“The intent of this legislation is not to undermine the impact of COVID-19, but to underscore the need for our children to resume in-person learning,” said Sen. Gay Kernan, a retired educator. “The social and emotional harms done to our students over the past eleven months will only widen the achievement gap and further aggravate the educational challenges facing our state. We must act now to mitigate the damage and I hope the committee will revisit this bill and take a step in that direction.”

CALL TO ACTION: Contact these Senators, and tell them to pass this bill!

William Soules (575) 640-0409
Harold Pope (505) 289-1087
Martin Hickey (505) 397-8828
Michael Padilla (505) 977-6247
Shannon Pinto (505) 397-8841

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REDISTRICTING BILL CLEARS HOUSE COMMITTEE

A bill to create an independent commission for redistricting legislative boundaries sailed through the House State Government, Indian and Veterans Affairs Committe today. HB 211 ([link removed]) passed unanimously. The Redistricting Act has steadily gained steam as the deadline to redistrict with the 2020 Census rapidly approaches.

“Fair and independent redistricting is something we can all agree on, which is pretty rare in Santa Fe,” said Representative Rebecca Dow (TorC). “Hyper partisanship builds distrust in the work that we do, and if we can take a step forward in rebuilding public trust in the Roundhouse, with both sides of the aisle in agreement, then why wouldn’t we move forward with this bill?”

The bill now heads to the House Judiciary Committee.
After Rep. Yvette Herrell won the 2^nd Congressional District seat, Speaker Brian Egolf said its boundaries would be redrawn in redistricting that would be guided by super majorities in the Democrat-controlled legislature. What we need is truly fair representation.

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2021 ROUNDHOUSE PROFILES: WORKING HARD FOR YOU
SEN. CRYSTAL DIAMOND
Sen. Diamond is a freshman Senator who lives in Elephant Butte and serves Dona Ana, Hidalgo, Luna and Sierra Counties. She is an Outreach Director. Sen. Diamond is a member of the Finance Committee. You can email Sen. Diamond at: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
REP. RANDAL CROWDER

Rep. Crowder is a business owner who serves Curry County. He has been in the House of Representatives since 2015. Rep. Crowder serves on the Appropriations & Finance and Transportation, Public Works & Capital Improvements Committees. Rep. Crowder's email: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
REP. GREG NIBERT

Rep. Nibert is an attorney who lives in Roswell. He serves Chaves and Lincoln Counties and has been in the House of Representatives since 2017. Committees: Judiciary, State Government, Elections & Indian Affairs. You can email Rep. Nibert at: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
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CHECK OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE NEW MEXICO SENATE AND HOUSE REPUBLICANS FACEBOOK PAGES
To go to the NM Senate Republicans Facebook page, click here. ([link removed])

To go to the NM House Republicans Facebook page, click here. ([link removed])
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DURING THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION, YOU WILL RECEIVE REGULAR UPDATES ON KEY BILLS AND OTHER HAPPENINGS AT THE ROUNDHOUSE
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LISTEN TO CHAIRMAN PEARCE'S PODCAST
Be sure to catch Inside New Mexico with Steve Pearce each week on your favorite podcast platform. You can subscribe to listen and be notified when a new episode is available.
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