For Immediate Release:
Contact: Chris Nordstrum
(415) 601-1992
Chris.Nordstrum@nmlegis.gov
January 15, 2020
SANTA FE — Last week, Senator Linda Lopez (D-11-Bernalillo) pre-filed several pieces of legislation, including a measure calling for schools to introduce ethnic studies programs, legislation to address institutional racism, and a bill to clarify and strengthen laws relating to the sale of alcohol near schools and churches.
Senate Bill 93, “Ethnic Studies Curricula”
This bill would amend the Public School Code to include ethnic studies as part of the minimal instructional areas provided in fourth through eighth grades, and make it required coursework in high school. To build the program, the Secretary of Public Education would be responsible for creating and appointing members to an ethnic studies council. The council in turn would be tasked with studying and identifying steps in developing and integrating ethnic studies curricula for public elementary and high school classrooms.
“New Mexico is one of the most culturally rich and vibrant states in our nation. We should celebrate this and give all our students the opportunity to study what makes this state unique,” Senator Lopez said. “Well-designed, well-taught classes will allow students to pursue a wide-ranging study of cultures, and help all students appreciate and value the contributions of an ethnically diverse population,” continued Senator Lopez.
Senate Bill 90, “Policies to Decrease Institutional Racism”
SB90 calls for state agencies and groups receiving state funding to develop policies to decrease institutional racism, defined as “programs, policies and practices that intentionally or unintentionally place certain racial and ethnic groups at a disadvantage in relation to other groups.”
State agencies, in particular, would be required to carry out a statewide evaluation of race and gender gaps in hiring, promotion and pay. They would also be required to come up with a plan to address any discrepancies, provide anti-racism training to employees and report back to the legislature each year.
Speaking on the bill, Senator Lopez stated, “Institutional racism is real, and we it see it every day across New Mexico. It has created deep inequities that we must address if we are to move our state forward. It affects the quality of education our children are receiving, not to mention housing, access to food, criminal justice and the health and well-being of our communities of color.”
“Institutional racism is difficult for many people to understand, as many people think of it as single acts of hatred or discrimination when it is actually a much more complex and deep-rooted bias that is built in to policies and systems ingrained in both the public and private sectors. By bringing it to light with a bill like this we can begin to collect data, measure the problem, and take the necessary steps to address it head-on.”
Senate Bill 92, “No Alcohol Sale By Schools Or Churches”
SB92 seeks to amend definitions in the Liquor Control Act to clarify rules relating to the minimum distance required between a business that sells alcohol and a school or church. Current rules require that distance to be 300 feet, but the points from which measurements are taken has been a matter of dispute. Specifically, in a 2014 Court of Appeals case, the court ruled that the distance be measured from the school (or church) property to the licensed premise (i.e. physical building) where the alcohol is sold. This bill would require the measurement to be 300 feet as measured by “…the straight line distance from the outer bounds of the property on which the licensed premise is located to the outer bounds of the property on which the church or school is located.” In essence, the new rule would require that the measurements be taken from the outer bounds of the lot or legal boundary of a parcel of land on which the school, church, or licensed premise is located, as opposed to being from the buildings themselves.
“The safety of our children is too important to leave in place ambiguous rules open to interpretation. This bill makes clear the original intent of the existing statute and leaves no room for confusion,” said Senator Lopez.
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