Senate committee to resume Skandera confirmation hearing tomorrow

The highly-anticipated confirmation hearing of New Mexico Public Education Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera will be continued Saturday morning, the chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee has announced.

Sen. Linda Lopez, D-Albuquerque, said the Skandera hearing will resume at the Capitol at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow. The rules committee has already spent seven hours spread over two hours listening to testimony on Skandera’s nomination.

However, the committee adjourned March 2 without taking a vote on whether to confirm Skandera, prompting her supporters to criticize the process.

When it resumes, the Skandera confirmation hearing will not feature additional testimony from members of the public, according to Senate Rules Committee staff. Instead, committee members will be able to engage in a question-and-answer session with Skandera.

Skandera was nominated by Gov. Susana Martinez to head the state’s public education system in January 2011.

For more background on her confirmation hearing at the Roundhouse, click here.