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Senate panel amends SB234 to extend foster‑student transportation funding statewide and gives do‑pass
Summary
The Senate Education Committee adopted an amendment to SB234 that expands a previously local funding provision for foster‑student transportation to apply statewide; the committee voted to give the bill a do‑pass recommendation as amended after testimony from PED and advocates.
The Senate Education Committee on Wednesday amended Senate Bill 234 to change a targeted Albuquerque Public Schools funding provision into a statewide funding stream for transporting foster children to their school of origin, and then voted to give the bill a do‑pass recommendation as amended.
Marilyn Beck, speaking on behalf of Senator Tobias, said the amendment expands the bill beyond APS to apply statewide. "CYFD stated that they spent $1,300,000 last year on foster care transportation statewide," Beck said, adding that relying on Medicaid for these costs is not sustainable and that transporting foster youth needs its own funding stream as a separate line item or reimbursement from PED transportation.
During committee questioning, a representative from the Public Education Department, identified in the hearing as Greg, said the department would prefer the statute not prescribe the administrative mechanism and that it may be easier administratively to provide a per‑student amount. Greg recommended collecting data first to determine how many students need special transportation to the school of origin before fixing a mechanism.
Sponsor remarks emphasized that the amendment strikes the APS‑only language and inserts "statewide," making the allocation applicable to all foster students throughout New Mexico. Senators asked whether the bill's $1.2 million request would be sufficient given the CYFD estimate of $1.3 million last year; the sponsor and PED noted district variation and the possibility that district or CYFD delivery choices could affect total cost.
The committee adopted the amendment by motion and voice vote and later recorded a roll call on a motion for a do‑pass as amended; the clerk reported affirmative votes and the chair announced the committee's recommendation in favor of the amended bill.
The next procedural step is for the bill to proceed to the next committee or floor consideration according to the legislative calendar.
