Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the State Symbols Food topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee backs bill naming tortilla New Mexico’s state bread after student testimony
Summary
Senate Bill 315, sponsored by Senator Sanchez and introduced with testimony from a 10-year-old student, received a do-pass recommendation from the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee. The bill designates the flour tortilla as the state bread; committee amendments and floor debate were mentioned as likely next steps.
Senate Bill 315, a measure to designate the tortilla as New Mexico's state bread, won a committee do-pass recommendation after light debate and multiple public comments, including testimony from a 10-year-old student.
Sponsor Senator Sanchez presented the bill as a simple symbolic designation: "The tortilla would be the state bread," he said, explaining that the item would be added to the state's list of symbols. The committee heard public comments both in support and in opposition. Adeline McIntosh, a fifth-grade student from Las Cruces who participated in a civic education program, told the committee she conceived the bill as a TeenPact project and asked lawmakers to support it. "I think the state bread would be a tortilla," Adeline said.
A few speakers suggested alternative breads: one commenter said she preferred fry bread, another raised sopapillas as a distinctive New Mexico food. Committee members discussed whether the designation should specify flour or corn tortillas; Senator Sanchez indicated the draft designates a flour tortilla, a choice that generated a mix of reactions from members.
Senators moved and seconded a do-pass recommendation; the committee recorded a do-pass recommendation by a vote of 9 to 1. Several senators recorded explanations of their votes for the record. Sponsor and committee members signaled that amendments related to competitions or appropriations (for example, costs if a state competition were attached) could be considered on the floor.
Because this measure is symbolic and nonbinding on agencies except for any administrative steps tied to enactment, the committee action is a procedural advance to the full Senate for further deliberation.
