Legislative roundup, March 11, 2023

Mar. 10—Days remaining in session: 7

Cowboys for Cancer: Both chambers unanimously approved memorials proclaiming Friday "Cowboys for Cancer Research Day."

Cowboys for Cancer Research started in 1981 after some cowboys held a team roping benefit in memory of Alma Cohorn, who died of cancer in 1981. She was the wife of roper Kenneth Cohorn, who died of heart problems in 2019.

The money raised from the event went to the University of New Mexico's Comprehensive Cancer Center. In 1999, the Alma Cohorn Memorial/C4CR Endowment was established within the cancer center to support cancer research.

Rep. Candy Spence Ezzell, R-Roswell, sponsored the memorial, and several lawmakers stood up to praise Denny and Geraldine Calhoun, who attended the event, for driving the initiative over the years.

Visit C4CR.com for more information.

Rodeo queen: Emma Cameron, Miss Rodeo New Mexico 2023, lassoed the attention of the Senate and its visitors Friday.

Cameron, a Cornell University graduate who grew up in Santa Fe, was among the guests recognized during the Senate's morning floor session.

The 23-year-old, who will compete at the Miss Rodeo America pageant in December, has had what she called a long "rodeo queening career." She was Rodeo de Santa Fe princess in 2010, New Mexico High School Rodeo queen in 2017 and then the National High School Rodeo queen in 2018.

"I always felt this pull to come back to New Mexico and represent the state that really gave me that foundation of being who I am today," said Cameron, who plans to attend law school in the future.

Rural health care fund: Members of the House Health and Human Services Committee unanimously voted to approve Senate Bill 7, which would create a rural health care delivery fund for private, nonprofit and public providers in counties with fewer than 100,000 people.

Sen. Liz Stefanics, D-Cerrillos, who co-sponsored the bill, told committee members the fund will "encourage rural [medical] places to staff and expand services" and help defray operating costs.

Rep. Gail Armstrong, D-Magdalena another sponsor, said rural clinics are having a difficult time attracting and keeping workers and expanding services, including behavioral health programs.

Though the bill originally had a $200 million appropriation, Stefanics said the state budget — House Bill 2 — will likely provide $80 million to $100 million to get the fund going.

SB 7, which cleared the Senate, next goes to the House floor for consideration.

More nurses, please: Nurses gathered outside the state Capitol on Friday to ask lawmakers and community members to let them keep being heroes by acting as heroes themselves and pushing through House Bill 236.

The legislation would create a hospital staffing ratio committee to advise the Department of Health in setting minimum staffing ratios for nursing units in hospitals around the state. The 10-member committee would include hospital administrators, union representatives and nonmanagerial hospital workers.

Nicole Holmes, a registered nurse at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, told the crowd, "We are in crisis. ... We are struggling" to maintain staffing levels and provide quality care for patients. She said she is sometimes scared "somebody could die" because there are not enough nurses on hand.

Rep. Eleanor Chávez, D-Albuquerque, said HB 236 is awaiting a hearing on the House floor.

Office of Special Education: A House Education Committee substitute for House Bill 285 — a governor-backed bill that would establish a dedicated Office of Special Education — received a 6-3 vote of endorsement Friday by the House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Elizabeth "Liz" Thomson, D-Albuquerque, calls for the new office to provide streamlined support from early childhood through higher education for the more than 50,000 New Mexico students who qualify for special education services.

The legislation would also expand oversight for state and federal special education spending; provide additional training for educators; and make data on special education student achievement and service efficacy publicly accessible.

Public Education Secretary-designate Arsenio Romero said the office would decrease the significant achievement gap for special-education students by ensuring cooperation among state agencies providing services to children.

The bill has garnered broad support from families of children with disabilities and disability rights organizations.

"These are some of our most vulnerable school kids, and we really need to do better by them. Even the courts have told us that," said Bill Jordan, a lobbyist for New Mexico Voices for Children.

"As a special-needs family, we need the win," added a mother of disabled child.

The bill was met with some opposition, largely from school administrators who argued it needs another year of study and would place additional bureaucratic demands on schools. The committee's Republicans opposed the bill.

Quote of the day: "We got robbed, Mr. Speaker." — Rep. Gail Chasey, D-Albuquerque, of the House's loss to the Senate in Thursday night's Hoops4Hope charity basketball game. The Senate won the game 33-32 in overtime.