Legislative roundup — Feb. 14

Days remaining in session: 4

Supreme change nixed

The Senate Rules Committee on Saturday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to elect the five state Supreme Court justices by district instead of in statewide elections.

Sen. Cliff Pirtle, R-Roswell, sponsored the proposal as a means of adding geographic balance to the court. Douglas Meiklejohn, executive director of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, testified against it. Meiklejohn said state residents need to put the best lawyers on the Supreme Court, not worry about what part of the state they come from.

More money for education

The Senate Finance Committee has voted 5-3 along party lines to approve Senate Joint Resolution 3, which would let voters decide whether to increase the amount of funding for K-12 public schools that is taken from a state endowment. Currently, public schools and universities divvy up 5.5 percent of investment proceeds from the state’s $15 billion Land Grant Permanent Fund. That amount is scheduled to drop to 5 percent in July. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Michael Padilla, D-Albuquerque, would increase that distribution to 5.8 percent, with a 10-year sunset clause. That distribution would stop if the endowment drops below $12 billion.

The resolution next goes to the full Senate. If it passes both houses of the Legislature, the question would be put to voters in the November 2016 general election, and if it passes, the distributions would begin in January 2017.

House passes lobbyist bill: Legislative lobbyists would have to list each legislator who receives a gift, meal or other expenditure from them under a bill that passed the House on Saturday.

House Bill 137, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, passed the House by a 58-10 vote.

Steinborn has been trying for two straight years to pass legislation calling for more lobbyist disclosure. The bill that passed Saturday is one of three Steinborn measures related to lobbyists. Neither of the other two has made significant progress in the House.

HB 137 goes next to the Senate, where the big question is whether the bill will have enough time to pass.

Breakfast bill

The Senate voted 40-1 on Saturday to give school districts more flexibility as to when and where to offer students a free breakfast under a bill sponsored by Sen. Gay Kernan, R-Hobbs, and Sen. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque. Senate Bill 144 changes the parameters of Breakfast After the Bell, which ensures that kids in low-income schools across the state eat a healthy meal in the morning.

The state program, which costs about $1.9 million per year, serves about 116,000 students, including more than 6,200 in Santa Fe.

Sen. Pat Woods, R-Broadview, voted against the measure, citing concerns that districts might force bus drivers to make sure that there is food on their vehicles and provide first aid if “the food goes down the wrong way.” The bill next goes to the House.

Quote of the day

“Those of you who voted for this bill, thank you very much. Those of you who voted against it, I hope you enjoy your tofu.” — Rep. Candy Spence Ezzell, R-Roswell, after the House voted 39-29 to approve Senate Bill 72, which would limit “nuisance” lawsuits against agricultural operations. Rep. Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, then pointed out that tofu is an agricultural product. It comes from soybeans.

— The Santa Fe New Mexican