AFT New Mexico - Oct. 21 Special Session Update

Wed, Oct 21 – ROUNDHOUSE UPDATE — Conservative lawmakers who want to cut student values again fought with progressives who don’t want to cut school children on fourth day of the special session.

On Oct. 20, progressive senators tried to revive tax revenue generator bills, but were narrowly outvoted by conservative leaders of the Democratic Party and right-wing Republicans.

Also, the House Finance Committee, chaired by conservative Democrat Rep.Kiki Saavedra (ABQ), debated Rep. Varela’s (Santa Fe) bill to cut student values, education spending, and school district budgets.

Varela is a conservative Democratic leader. Saavedra recommended a do pass, and Varela’s bill may go to the House floor for a vote today. Everyone should email and/or call their representative and tell them, KILL VARELA’S BILL.

Conservative Democrats and right-wing Republicans are trying to ram thru more than 30 student value-cutting bills which were recommended by the so-called Gang of 12. Conservatives were planning to ram these bills thru in one (1) day, but registered voters got wind and revolted.

Resistance to cutting student values, education spending and school district budgets grows geometrically each hour as thousands of emails and phone calls flow into conservative lawmakers.

The Sanderoff Poll for NM Education Partners explains the resistance to conservative lawmakers, who control the Senate & House. Sanderoff’s poll discovered:

· 88 to 81 percent of registered voters surveyed are strongly opposed to cutting student values, cutting education spending, and cutting school district budgets in order to balance the budget deficit.

· 70 – 49 percent want lawmakers to increase taxes on tobacco and alcohol, close tax loopholes for out-of-state corporations, use the $7 billion Permanent School Fund, and roll back the 2003 tax cuts for wealthiest New Mexicans instead of cutting education spending in order to balance the budget.

Conservative Democrats and right-wing Republicans are worried by another Sanderoff Poll finding:

· 43 percent of 400 randomly-selected, registered voters say they will be less likely to vote for their legislators in November 2010 if their lawmakers vote to cut education spending instead of raising certain taxes.

But, the second most powerful man in the Senate, Majority Leader Michael Sanchez isn’t worried. He told the ABQ Journal in a copyright story printed Oct. 20, “If doing what's right up here means the end of my political career, I'm going to do what's right.”

Sanchez is confused about what’s right, he’s sponsoring most of the student value-cutting bills in the Senate.

Conservative lawmakers are becoming more frustrated by the hour, by popular resistance from voters back home. "We've been here now for four days ... there is no consensus being developed in either the House or the Senate on how we're going to solve this budget," said House Majority Caucus Chairman John Heaton, conservative Democrat from Carlsbad.

In the Senate, progressive Democrats said Richardson doesn’t have the constitutional authority to dictate what they can hear in committees and vote on. The progressives' efforts to revive tax revenue generator bills failed as 22 conservative Democrats and right-wing Republicans formed an unholy coalition to defeat 16 progressive votes on the Senate floor Tuesday, and move forward with bills to cut the value of school children.

Sen. Dede Feldman, a progressive ABQ Democrat from the north valley, said the governor doesn't have the constitutional authority to stop lawmakers from using any measure to balance the budget deficit.

The most powerful man in the Senate, President Pro Tem Tim Jennings, conservative Democrat from Roswell, said the governor has the authority to dictate. This is the first time seasoned veterans of Senate debate can recall Tim Jennings hiding behind the skirts of Little Bill Richardson!

Jennings' group of conservative Democrats and right-wing Republicans (Sen. Rod Adair -Roswell refused to join the unholy coalition), came-up with 22 votes. But, freshman progressives in the Senate joined senior progressives to fight this weird coalition of conservative Democrats and right-wing Republicans.

Sens. Feldman, Gerald Ortiz y Pino (ABQ TIDDs supporter), Peter Wirth (Santa Fe), Eric Griego (ABQ), and Cisco McSorley (ABQ) led the charge for progressives. They were joined by other senators and Adair.

REPEAT: The House may take-up Varela’s bill which cuts student values, education spending and school district budgets by 6.8 percent. Everyone should email their state representative and tell them, KILL VARELA’S BILL.

Some conservative House Democrats believe they will succeed in cutting student values again. "I think we’re making progress," said Rep. Rick Miera (ABQ), chairman of the Education Committee. Miera is the sponsor of HB 10, which will increase class sizes resulting in teacher and education assistance layoffs.