Legislative News

Legislative Bulletin # 19 April 9, 2021

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham completed action on all bills passed by the regular session of the 2021 New Mexico Legislature. Library advocates were successful in supporting retention of state grants-in-aid to public and tribal libraries at the current appropriation of $990,000 in House Bill 2, the General Appropriations Act.

BILLS SIGNED BY GOVERNOR

CS/SB 273 DEFINITION OF RURAL LIBRARY (ORTIZ Y PINO) This bill made technical corrections to the Rural Library Endowment act.

https://nmlegis.gov/Sessions/21%20Regular/final/SB0273.pdf

*HB 285 CAPITAL OUTLAY PROJECTS Javier Martínez

https://nmlegis.gov/Sessions/21%20Regular/final/HB0285.pdf

Thirteen library projects were funded in HB 285 to the amount of $2,303,000. The attached spreadsheet shows which legislators included each project in their district capital outlay request, how much they requested and what the Committee appropriated. The governor did not line-item veto any of the library projects in HB 285.

SB 377 GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS & EXPENDITURES George K. Munoz

This bill, commonly called House Bill 2 Junior, appropriates $233.4 million to projects and expenditures not covered in the General Appropriations Act. Almost all of these expenditures are for one-time "non-recurring" projects. Among these are $10,615,700 to Native American Education Initiatives in the Public Education Reform Fund. Several of the projects requested in House Bills 84-87 (which addressed issues raised by the Martinez/Yazzie educational equity decision, and which were tabled in the House Appropriations and Finance Committee) are funded by Section 19 of SB 377. This includes $4.5 million for tribal library programs listed in HB 85. The governor did not line-item veto these tribal library projects.

She also did not line-item veto an appropriation of $75,000 to furnish and equip a library at the Dolores Wright community center in Chaparral.

https://nmlegis.gov/Sessions/21%20Regular/final/SB0377.pdf

The Governor signed the two bills that focused on broadband. Libraries are not mentioned in either bill, but these acts will affect the future installation of broadband service throughout the state.

HB 10 BROADBAND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION Natalie Figueroa, Joy Garratt, Susan K. Herrera, Candie G. Sweetser and Christine Chandler

HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS AND FINANCE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

HOUSE TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC WORKS AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL 10.

AN ACT RELATING TO BROADBAND; ENACTING THE CONNECT NEW MEXICO ACT;

CREATING THE BROADBAND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT

OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY; CREATING THE CONNECT NEW MEXICO

COUNCIL; ESTABLISHING DUTIES; ESTABLISHING THE CONNECT NEW

MEXICO COUNCIL AS THE COORDINATOR OF STATE BROADBAND PROGRAMS;

PROVIDING FOR PLANNING; ESTABLISHING THE CONNECT NEW MEXICO

FUND; PROVIDING FOR GRANTS; REQUIRING REPORTS; RAISING THE

LEVELS OF DISBURSEMENT FOR BROADBAND FROM THE STATE RURAL

UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND.

https://nmlegis.gov/Sessions/21%20Regular/final/HB0010.pdf

SB 93 BROADBAND ACCESS & EXPANSION ACT Michael Padilla and Elizabeth "Liz" Stefanics

AN ACT RELATING TO BROADBAND; ENACTING THE BROADBAND ACCESS AND

EXPANSION ACT; ESTABLISHING THE OFFICE OF BROADBAND ACCESS AND

EXPANSION; PROVIDING POWERS AND DUTIES; MAKING AN

APPROPRIATION.

https://nmlegis.gov/Sessions/21%20Regular/final/SB0093.pdf

Joe Sabatini, Co-Chair

NMLA Legislation Committee

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Legislative Bulletin # 18 March 25, 2021

BILLS PASSED

SB 377 GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS & EXPENDITURES George K. Munoz

SB 377 was passed by the Senate in its original form on March 1st by a 38-0 vote. The House Appropriations and Finance Committee amended the bill by adding a 31 page amendment with around $231 million in new projects, and recommended a "do-pass" by a vote of 19-0. The House passed the amended bill on March 15 by a 64-3 vote. The Senate concurred with the House amendments on March 18th.

SECTION 19. TRIBAL EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS.--

A. The following amounts are appropriated from the public education reform fund to the public education department for expenditure in fiscal years 2021 through 2023 for the following purposes:

(2) four million five hundred thousand dollars ($4,500,000) for tribal libraries in each of New Mexico's

twenty-three nations, tribes and pueblos to develop and staff culturally and linguistically relevant after-school student services and community-based summer programs.

Also in SB 377 is an appropriation for the developing public library in Chaparral.

SECTION 3. GENERAL CONTROL FISCAL YEAR 2021 APPROPRIATIONS.--

(5) in Dona Ana county:

(b) seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000) to furnish and equip a library at the Dolores Wright community center in Chaparral

The Governor has until April 9th to act on legislation passed by the 2021 Legislature.

Build America's Libraries Act - NMLA advocacy request

We have been in communication with Gavin Baker, Deputy Director, Public Policy & Government Relations, American Library Association about encouraging library supporters in New Mexico to request that our Congressional delegation support the Build America's Library Act. Representative Teresa Fernandez Leger has signed on as a co-sponsor of HR 1581. Rep. Yvette Harrell has not. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan have not yet become co-sponsors of the companion bill, SB 127.

The Build America's Libraries Act appropriates $5 billion to fund upgrades to the nation's library infrastructure to address challenges such as natural disasters, COVID-19, broadband capacity, environmental hazards, and accessibility barriers. This groundbreaking legislation would pave the way for new and improved library facilities in underserved communities across the country. ALA estimates that “It would provide funding to construct and modernize public and tribal libraries in underserved communities, including an estimated $36 million for libraries in New Mexico."

A "Take Action Now" link is available to write letters to our legislators at

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/buildlibraries

Joe Sabatini, Co-Chair

NMLA Legislation Committee