Senate committee unanimously advances bill to expand LESC jurisdiction to higher education and early childhood

The Senate Education Committee voted unanimously Oct. 12 to give House Bill 193 a do‑pass recommendation. The bill, presented by Senator Soules, would expand the Legislative Education Study Committee’s (LESC) authority to include higher education and early‑childhood education alongside its current K‑12 remit.

Why it matters: Supporters told the committee that including higher education and early childhood in LESC’s scope would provide continuity across the educational pipeline, let legislators see program outcomes earlier, and give staff authority to gather data and perform studies that inform funding and policy decisions. “If we’re going to have good quality education, we need to make sure that the entire sequence of education … we are able to study it,” Sen. Soules said.

Support and concerns: Representative and organizational witnesses—Public Charter Schools of New Mexico, AFT New Mexico, New Mexico Federation of Labor, and NEA New Mexico—spoke in favor, saying LESC’s research capacity would strengthen policymaking. LESC and its director told the committee they have staffing capacity to begin handling the additional scope but acknowledged the expansion would likely be phased and could require additional FTEs in future years.

Committee questions focused on fiscal and oversight implications. Senator Thornton asked whether work could begin without a new appropriation; LESC staff said they expected to begin with current capacity and, if necessary, request additional staff later. Committee members also asked why a prior version of the bill had been vetoed by the governor; Sen. Soules said he did not know the specific reason but suggested concerns raised then included higher‑education resistance to additional reporting and oversight.

Outcome: After discussion and public testimony in support, the committee voted unanimously to advance HB 193.