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HB 193

STUDY PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Brian Baca and 4 co-sponsors

HB 193 expands LESC authority to study the full public education system (ECE to higher ed), gives broader data access, with no appropriation.

action postponed indefinitely
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Bill Summary · HB 193

HB 193 — Study Public Education System (summary)

Status: Action postponed indefinitely (Introduced during the 2025 legislative session)
Subject: Education — expansion of Legislative Education Study Committee (LESC) authority

Main purpose

HB 193 would expand the statutory scope of the Legislative Education Study Committee (LESC) to authorize it to study New Mexico’s entire public education system — from early childhood through K–12 to higher education — removing the current statutory limitation that largely restricts LESC’s higher‑education work to teacher‑preparation programs and prohibits replication of some Higher Education Department (HED) studies.

Key provisions and changes

  • Amends state law (current reference: Section 2-10-3 NMSA 1978) to remove the restriction on LESC’s authority so the committee may study all aspects of public education, including:
    • Early childhood programs and services administered by the Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD);
    • K–12 public education (existing LESC work);
    • Postsecondary education overseen by HED (beyond just teacher preparation programs).
  • Grants LESC staff broader authority to gather relevant data from ECECD and HED to support interim research and legislative preparation.
  • Does not include an appropriation.

Who would be affected

  • LESC (its mandate and interim research agenda would expand).
  • LESC staff (likely increased workload, new data requests and analysis responsibilities).
  • HED, ECECD, postsecondary institutions, and regional education entities (would face increased reporting/data requests and legislative oversight).
  • Legislators (would have a single, bipartisan committee producing consistent analysis across the full education continuum).

Fiscal impact and administrative implications

  • The bill contains no direct appropriation.
  • LFC analysis anticipates LESC would likely request at least one additional FTE to study higher education; estimated cost about $100,000 (FY26 recurring). LESC’s FY26 budget request enumerated staffing levels and a modest budget increase.
  • Administrative impacts include increased data/reporting requests to HED and higher‑education institutions and potentially to ECECD.

Background & significance

  • LESC was created in 1965 as a permanent bipartisan, bicameral interim committee to study education policy, costs, and law.
  • LESC staff and committee work currently focuses primarily on public K–12 issues; LFC and Legislative Finance Committee conduct fiscal/higher‑ed evaluations separately.
  • Proponents argue that a single legislative study committee with authority across the entire education pipeline would enable more coherent, connected policy analysis (e.g., linking early childhood readiness to college outcomes).
  • HB 193 closely mirrors prior bills (e.g., HB 216 in 2023 and HB 25 in 2021) that reached the Legislature but were vetoed in past sessions.
  • LESC endorsed the bill in 2025.

Procedural notes

  • Referred to standing education committees in the 2025 session; LESC prepared analysis in January–February 2025.
  • As provided with this request, current procedural status is “action postponed indefinitely.”

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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