Senate Finance committee tables multiple bills, advances water and other measures

The Senate Finance Committee used tabling motions to clear a large number of bills from its docket and recorded a handful of do-pass recommendations on select measures.

Committee members repeatedly explained that bills with funding already embedded in the budget were being tabled so the appropriations do not need separate floor action. "If there's money in the budget and there still remains money in the budget, the bill gets tabled," a committee member said when discussing a STEM Center proposal.

Several bills were tabled by unanimous or unchallenged tabling motions. Early in the meeting, committee members announced that Senate Bill 64 was being tabled. Senator Brent and other senators moved to table a range of bills including Senate Bill 107 (STEM Center/Center of Excellence), Senate Bill 198 (reinstating provider rate increases for the Family Infant and Toddler or FIT program), Senate Bill 300 (adult literacy appropriation as amended), Senate Bill 394 (UNM Taos Observatory) and others. When a bill's funding was already in the executive budget, members said tabling was the routine practice.

Not every bill was tabled. Senator Compromise (recorded as Senator Compose in the transcript) presented Senate Bill 495, which would amend the educational television equipment replacement fund to allow expenditures at public schools for radio equipment and clarify the fund is nonreverting; that bill did not get tabled and received substantive committee discussion. The committee took a do-pass motion on that bill; a roll call recorded a majority and the motion passed (due pass). Recorded roll calls were used for some measures to capture member votes.

The committee also advanced legislation affecting the state's drinking water financing. A revision to the state water revolving loan fund statute (listed in the meeting as a bill to update the state act to align with federal safe drinking water act amendments) received a do-pass recommendation by roll call with an 11-0 tally. Committee staff described the revision as allowing the state to offer loan terms consistent with federal updates, to permit grants to the drinking water revolving loan fund, and to extend repayment periods for eligible drinking-water projects.

Other clarifying points offered during the meeting included: - Senate Bill 107 sponsors said an existing Math Lab program in Rio Rancho would scale to up to 30 labs at approximately $100,000 per lab to fund a teacher and classroom items for k-5 rotations. - FIT program testimony noted the program serves more than 14,000 children birth to age 3; the bill sought funding to reinstate provider rate increases for FY25 to reimburse providers for quarters earlier in the fiscal year. - An adult-literacy bill (Senate Bill 300) would appropriate $10 million over three years to expand services from a current statewide spend of about $750,000 and address serving a small share of the adult population in need. - Testimony on the Taos observatory project noted $2.5 million had already been invested, that construction documents were complete, and that an $83,000 telescope donation had been received.

The committee adjourned to return after floor business, with members saying they would reconvene to "clean up a whole bunch of this stuff" and continue work on larger measures such as House Bill 2 over the next two days.

Votes at a glance: - Senate Bill 64: Tabled (committee explanation: funding/process already in budget) - Senate Bill 107 (STEM Center/Center of Excellence): Tabled (tabling motion noted budget inclusion) - Senate Bill 198 (FIT provider rate reinstatement): Tabled (money in budget; language present) - Senate Bill 300 (Adult literacy funding, as amended): Tabled (motion carried) - Senate Bill 394 (UNM Taos Observatory): Tabled (presenter noted existing funding and readiness to break ground) - Senate Bill 44 (medical complex / Holy Cross Medical Center): Tabled (committee noted money in budget) - Senate Bill 495 (Educational television equipment replacement fund amendment to include public-school radio equipment): Do pass (committee recorded roll call; fiscal impact described as limited and fund nonreverting) - State water revolving loan statutory revision (listed as house/senate item near end of meeting): Do pass, 11-0 (revises state act to align with federal Safe Drinking Water Act updates; permits grants and extended loan repayment terms)

The committee noted it would reconvene after floor activity to complete remaining business.