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New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee to Meet in Las Cruces

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/Entity/LFC/Newsletter

 

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

  • Current tenants
  • Upcoming events
  • Financial Outlook
  • Capital Outlay Project Status

3:00

--

Tour

  • AeroVironment
  • Virgin Galactic Hanger
  • SpinLaunch

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

  • Major Business Initiatives
  • Infrastructure Needs
  • Tax Policy Issues
  • Technological Needs

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

  • Performance in Recruitment, Student Retention, and Completion
  • Top Ten Academic Programs

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

  • School Re-entry and Addressing Learning Loss
  • Federal Pandemic Relief Fund Expenditures
  • K-5 Plus and Extended Learning Time Programs
  • Re-engaging Students

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

  • Update on American Rescue Plan Act Guidance for State Relief and Capital Funding
  • Review of Expenditures from CARES and CRRSA Acts Stimulus Funding

--

Childcare Assistance Federal Funding Update -- Elizabeth Groginsky, Secretary, Early

Childhood Education and Care Department (Invited)

  1. $432 Million Spending Plan

10:30

--

Miscellaneous Committee Business

11:00

--

Adjourn