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The path to the Senate floor is clear for New Mexico's high school graduation requirements bill
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The Senate Education Committee greenlit this year’s effort to update New Mexico’s graduation requirements for high school seniors on Monday.
House Bill 171, its sponsors have said, would amplify student choice during their high school careers while keeping the minimum number of units they must complete at 24.
“This bill has had wide support, and the reason why, I think, is because it’s bringing some great changes to our high school graduation requirements,” said sponsor House Minority Leader Ryan Lane, R-Aztec.
He specifically highlighted the bill’s incorporation of career-technical education that gives “a lot more options to our students” and the flexibility for local school districts the bill affords.
The committee, which approved HB 171 on a 7-1 vote, was the bill’s only remaining hurdle on its way to the Senate floor. It appeared on that chamber’s calendar on Tuesday and is expected to be taken up in the coming days.
During Monday’s meeting, the committee shot down two proposed amendments, including one that would have required a half-credit of financial literacy for graduation, a topic many have brought up on HB 171’s path through the Roundhouse.
Some lawmakers, though, were not interested in amending the legislation this late in the game, pointing out that time is the foil for many bills during a 30-day session such as this year’s.
“It’s come to the Legislature several times. I think we have finally worked it out and in a way that we believe the governor will approve this, and there’s so many other areas in this bill that I would hate to see it go down over just financial literacy,” said Sen. William Soules, D-Las Cruces.
