Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

HB 1205 TEACHING OF FINANCIAL LITERACY IN SCHOOLS
In 2007, this bill provided that financial literacy be offered as an elective for high school students. Financial literacy has received notable attention since the passage of Title V of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACT Act) that established the Financial Literacy and Education Commission with the purpose of improving the financial literacy and education of people in the U.S. While financial literacy is a component of the Economics Strand of the New Mexico Social Studies Content Standards and is incorporated into the required semester economics graduation unit, the time given to this topic is limited and students might be better served with an option of having this elective available.

HM 73 MINORITY HEALTH-RELATED COLLEGE FACULTY
In the 2007 session, this memorial requested the UNM Health Sciences Center assess policies for recruitment, retention and tenure of Hispanic, Native American and other minority health related faculty at the state's public colleges and universities. The memorial noted the study could help identify physicians, nurses and other public health professionals interested in academic medicine as well as existing faculty and medical students.

HB 342
PUBLIC SCHOOL MEDIA LITERACY CLASSES
Similar to the financial literacy bill, in the 2008 session, this bill permitted media literacy be offered as an elective for public school students in grades six through 12 beginning with the 2010-2011 school year.

HJR 13
MINIMUM LAND GRANT FUND BALANCE, CA (failed in Senate)
In the 2013 session, House Joint Memorial 13 proposed a Constitutional Amendment calling for funding or early childhood education from the Land Grand Fund. The memorial called for an amendment to Article, XII, Section 7 of the State Constitution, which governs the distributions from the land grant permanent fund (LGPF). If approved by voters, the amendments to the constitution would make permanent the additional distribution of 0.5 percent of the five-year average of the year-end market value of the fund (currently scheduled to expire after FY16). Amendments would also create an additional distribution of 1.0 percent of the five-year average of the year-end market value of the fund to begin in FY16. This additional distribution was to be used for early childhood education nonsectarian services administered by the state for the benefit of children before they are eligible to attend kindergarten, as provided by law. While this joint memorial passed the House, it did not pass the Senate in 2013, and therefore, did not become law.

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