SANTA FE – The Legislative Finance Committee will hold its May meeting in Las Cruces with an agenda that includes reports on evaluations of the unemployment insurance system and the state Department of Information Technology, higher education’s role in preparing work-ready college students, and federal stimulus funds for childcare providers and others, along with local issues. Here is a statement from the finance committee:
“The committee is excited to get back on the road and into the communities of New Mexico after a year of remote meetings. Zoom makes the work doable but nothing is better than hearing directly from people throughout the state about the local and state issues that are important to them,” said Chairwoman Patty Lundstrom, D-Gallup.
Members of the bicameral budget and accountability committee are scheduled to tour the Spaceport on May 18 and begin holding hearings at the Stan Fulton Center in Las Cruces on May 19.
Local officials scheduled to attend include Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima, Doña Ana County Commission Chairman Manuel Sanchez, and New Mexico State University Chancellor Dan Arvizu, who are on the agenda to present welcoming remarks on May 19.
Also on May 19, NMSU Professor Emeritus James Peach is scheduled to moderate a discussion on borderland economic development with researchers and business representatives, and committee members are set to tour the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine.
The May 20 agenda includes a discussion among administrators of NMSU and Doña Ana Community College on the “new world of work” and college preparation and a presentation by superintendents and a school board president of the Las Cruces, Gadsden Independent, and Hatch school districts about school re-entry and learning loss, federal relief funds, and extended learning time. In addition, the director of New Mexico Historic Site, a state agency, is scheduled to report on restoration of the Mesilla Plaza State Monument.
For More: The LFC Newsletter contains short stories on some agenda items and is usually available a few days before the meeting, https://www.nmlegis.gov/
TENTATIVE AGENDA
Legislative Finance Committee
Las Cruces, New Mexico
May 18 - 21, 2021
Meeting Location
Spaceport America
County Rd. A021
Truth or Consequences, NM 87901
Tuesday, May 18
2:00 | -- | Spaceport Report -- Scott McLaughlin, Executive Director, New Mexico Spaceport Authority |
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3:00 | -- | Tour |
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4:30 | -- | Adjourn |
Wednesday, May 19
Meeting Location
Stan Fulton Center
1850 Wells St.
Las Cruces, NM 88003
(parking available on south side of building)
8:30 | -- | Welcoming Remarks -- Ken Miyagishima, Mayor, Las Cruces; Manuel Sanchez, Chairman, |
Doña Ana County Commission; Dan Arvizu, Chancellor, New Mexico State University | ||
9:30 | -- | LFC Program Evaluation: Unemployment Insurance System -- Catherine Dry, Program |
Evaluator, Legislative Finance Committee; Sarah Dinces, Program Evaluator, Legislative | ||
Finance Committee; Ricky Serna, Acting Secretary, Workforce Solutions Department (Invited) | ||
11:30 | -- | Lower Rio Grande Agriculture Fallowing and Water Conservation Program -- Caitlyn Wan, |
Analyst, Legislative Finance Committee; John D’ Antonio, State Engineer (Invited) | ||
12:30 | -- | Lunch |
1:30 | -- | Borderland Economic Development -- Moderator: James Peach, Professor Emeritus, New |
Mexico State University; Jerry Pacheco, President, International Business Accelerator (Invited); | ||
Jon Barela, President, Borderplex Alliance (Invited); Lucinda Vargas, Research Fellow, Center | ||
for Border Economic Development, New Mexico State University | ||
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3:30 | -- | Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine Program: Financial Review and Tour -- John Hummer, |
President, Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine; Dr. Bill Pieratt, Dean, Burrell College of | ||
Osteopathic Medicine | ||
5:00 | -- | Adjourn |
Thursday, May 20
8:30 | -- | New World of Work: Preparing College Students to be Competitive in Rapidly Changing |
Industries -- Dan Arvizu, Chancellor, New Mexico State University; Enrico Pontelli, Dean, | ||
College of Arts and Sciences, New Mexico State University; Monica Torres, President, Doña | ||
Ana Community College | ||
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11:00 | -- | LFC Program Evaluation: DoIT Enterprise Services and Equipment Replacement Funds -- Ryan |
Tolman, Program Evaluator, Legislative Finance Committee; Clayton Lobaugh, Program | ||
Evaluator, Legislative Finance Committee; John Salazar, Secretary, Department of Information | ||
Technology (Invited) | ||
12:00 | -- | Lunch |
1:30 | -- | Local School Districts Performance and Finance Report -- Ralph Ramos, Interim |
Superintendent, Las Cruces Public Schools; Travis Dempsey, Superintendent, Gadsden | ||
Independent School District; Laura Salazar Flores, School Board President, Gadsden | ||
Independent School District; Michael Chavez, Superintendent, Hatch Valley Public Schools | ||
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4:00 | -- | Restoration of Mesilla Plaza State Monument -- Patrick Moore, Director, New Mexico Historic |
Sites; David Abbey, Director, Legislative Finance Committee | ||
5:00 | -- | Adjourn |
Friday, May 21
8:00 | -- | Cares Act and America Rescue Plan -- LFC Staff |
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-- | Childcare Assistance Federal Funding Update -- Elizabeth Groginsky, Secretary, Early | |
Childhood Education and Care Department (Invited) | ||
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10:30 | -- | Miscellaneous Committee Business |
11:00 | -- | Adjourn |