Committee hears broad support for bill letting Native students wear tribal regalia at school ceremonies

Senate Bill 163, introduced in the New Mexico Senate Indian, Rural and Cultural Affairs Committee, drew broad support at a public hearing as students, tribal leaders, educators and advocacy groups urged the panel to allow Native students to wear tribal regalia and culturally significant items at graduation and other school events.

Sponsor Senator Shindo told the committee the bill would protect students who are enrolled in or eligible for enrollment in a federally recognized tribe, pueblo or nation from being prohibited from wearing traditional dress or culturally significant objects at graduation and promotional ceremonies. Testimony emphasized that students would still wear the cap and gown; regalia could be worn underneath or attached to the gown.

Speakers at the roundhouse and on Zoom recounted recent incidents in which students were prevented from wearing beaded caps or eagle feathers, and urged a statutory fix. The New Mexico Public Education Department’s director of college and career readiness, Breezy Gutierrez, testified she has served as a volunteer library director but took personal time to support the bill. Youth speakers described regalia as “carrying our ancestors, our prayers, and our identity.”

The committee heard specific data and legal arguments in favor of SB 163: witnesses told senators there are roughly 41,905 Native American students in New Mexico public schools; counsel and advocates said about 18 other states have similar laws; and the Native American Rights Fund provided written support. Melissa Candelaria of the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty noted the fiscal impact report cited nearly $700,000 in school-district settlements and legal fees in fiscal year 2024 tied to discriminatory incidents.

Several tribal governments and intertribal groups submitted or delivered testimony in support. James Mountain, chairman of the All Pueblo Council of Governors, and Patty Williams, registered lobbyist for the Navajo Nation Council speaker’s office, urged the committee to pass the bill. Educators and charter-school representatives including Carrie Robin Brunder of Public Charter Schools of New Mexico said a uniform law would help ensure consistent treatment across districts and charters.

Senator Sher asked who defines ‘‘regalia.’’ Witnesses responded that definitions vary by nation and that the respective tribe would best define what counts as tribal regalia. The transcript does not record a committee vote during the hearing; testimony and questions continued through the provided excerpt.