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Senate Finance advances several bills in morning session; roll calls recorded on multiple measures
Summary
Senate Finance voted to advance multiple bills with roll-call votes including SB201 and SB202 (do pass), the broadband fund cap increase, and a series of education and disaster‑funding bills; vote tallies and short descriptions are listed.
The Senate Finance Committee recorded roll‑call votes on several bills during the session and advanced them out of committee.
Votes at a glance
- Senate Bill 201 (LFC bill on Public Education Reform Fund accountability and earlier PED budget deadline): Motion for do pass carried 9–0. Sponsor: Senator Gonzales. LFC staff noted a contingent $82.5 million in the current budget tied to enactment of the bill.
- Senate Bill 202 (LFC financial cleanup bill to align fund investments and clarify reversion timelines): Motion for do pass carried 9–0. Sponsor: Senator Gonzales; LFC staff described it as financial cleanup language agreed with financial agencies.
- Senate Bill 126 (Padilla) — Rural Universal Service Fund cap increase to $40 million (broadband funding): Committee voted do pass 9–2. Sponsor: Senator Padilla. Supporters (New Mexico Exchange Carrier Group) said the fund subsidizes high‑cost rural broadband service; senators asked how the surcharge is assessed (access line charges, primarily cell phones).
- Senate Bill 343 (CTE minimum salary correction for vocational teachers): Motion for do pass carried 11–0. Sponsor: Senator Soules. The bill removes statutory exceptions that some districts had used to avoid paying the intended vocational teacher minimums.
- Senate Bill 280 (adds New Mexico Military Institute to Public School Capital Outlay Act as a constitutional special school): Motion for do pass carried 11–0. Sponsor: Senator Ozell.
- Senate Bill 345 (reciprocity for instructional support providers): Motion for do pass carried 11–0. Sponsor: Senator Figueroa; bill clarifies recognition of equivalent out‑of‑state instructional support licenses.
- Senate Bill 31 (Natural Disaster Revolving Fund: 0% loans to political subdivisions and cooperatives for FEMA‑approved public assistance): Motion for do pass as amended carried 11–0. Sponsor: Senator Campos. The bill creates a $150 million revolving loan account to provide bridge financing until federal reimbursements arrive; sponsors discussed FEMA timelines and the need for repayment rules.
Meeting context and next steps: Committee staff indicated several bills will receive further hearings or floor amendments; some bills included technical LFC staff explanations during the hearing and unobjectionable amendments adopted in committee. Several motions named the mover and seconder on the record and the committee called roll for final disposition; the committee recorded the roll calls verbatim in the hearing minutes.
Ending: Sponsors and staff said they would provide or follow up with requested technical materials on transfers, reversion language and program‑level detail where needed.
