Committees will hear a mixed bag of legislation today

After starting off on the right foot by passing HB 177, legislative committees have more work to do this afternoon. The Senate Finance Committee has plenty on its plate, with the excellent SB 234 and the bad SB 130 on the schedule. Rolled over from a previous meeting, SB 234 would allow home schooled students access to the legislature’s lottery scholarship. SB 130 requires the state government’s vehicle fleet to be 75% electric by 2030. Although it has not yet been scheduled for a hearing, keep an eye on this committee for the terrible SB 11, the Clean Fuel Standards Act. The Senate Finance Committee will meet beginning at 1 this afternoon or half an hour after the floor session.

The House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee will hear the misguided HB 352, a moratorium on contractor-operated prisons. This bill would devastate several local economies and ignore the good that these systems have done for New Mexico communities. This meeting is scheduled to begin at 1:30 today.

The Rio Grande Foundation has submitted testimony in favor of SB 234 and in opposition to SB 130, SB 11, and HB 352.