February 2007 Vol.
100 Issue One ENLACE in House Bill 3, which is the main
NEWSLETTER
Greetings to the ENLACE familia!
This is the first of three reports on the
legislative policy priorities that you - the
ENLACE Parents, Students and Staff -
identified at the November statewide
meeting:
• Counselors,
• Lottery Scholarship,
• Family Youth Resource Act
(FYRA),
• Bilingual Education and ,
• Curriculum.
NEWS AND UPDATES!
Our comprehensive bills in the Senate and
House are called ‘ENLACE at Certain
Schools’. The bills ask for $2 million to be
distributed directly and equally to five
regions in NM. Senator Cynthia Nava (D -
Las Cruces) who is the Chairperson of the
Senate Education Committee is sponsoring
Senate Bill 77. Senate Bill 500 is sponsored
by Senator Bernadette Sanchez (D –
Albuquerque) who was just appointed to the
Senate Finance and Appropriations
Committee. On the House side,
Representative Rick Miera (D – ENLACE was a key support group in the
Albuquerque) who is on the House
Education Committee will sponsor House
Bill 325.
Senate Bill 77 will be heard on Monday
February 5 at 8:00 am in the Senate
Education Committee, room 311. We have a
number of ENLACE staff, parents and
students headed up to Santa Fe ready to
testify in support of this bill.
We are working with Representative Rick
Miera on acquiring co-sponsors for House
Bill 325. He is also attempting to include
education funding bill.
UPDATES:
Counselors – A memorial will be
introduced, preferably by a legislator from
Las Cruces, to fund NMSU Exito /
ENLACE students to research and analyze
the alarmingly high counselor-to-student
ratios in the high schools. For example,
some initial figures show that there is one
counselor for every 450 students. Due to the
unfunded mandates of the No Child Left
Behind Act, new responsibilities of testing
now rest on counselors. This memorial will
propose that students report their findings to
the Legislative Education Committee
(LESC).
Lottery Scholarship - On Wednesday
January 31 the Senate Education Committee
unanimously passed a bill, Senate Bill 364,
sponsored by Senator Michael Sanchez (D -
Belen), that would boost the Lottery
Scholarship’s share to at least 30 percent.
Currently 25 percent of lottery revenues go
to the scholarship fund. This bill is intended
to lower the administrative costs.
The bill gained a large amount of positive
publicity. The New Mexican in Santa Fe ran
this headline: “Students Back Plan for More
Lottery Money,” and The Albuquerque
Journal noted that the “Scholarship Fund
May Get Boost”.
committee on Wednesday. ENLACE
representatives including Brenda Chavez,
Erwin Rivera, Irma Chavira, Velia Duran,
Ana Salaz, Christina Tapia, Chrissy
Baldonado, Antoinette Gabaldon, Eleanor
Estrada, Diana Montoya-Boyer and Felicia
Lujan all gave testimony. Following the
end of the Senate Education Committee
Senator Sanchez approached the ENLACE
group to express his gratitude! The
Chairperson of Senate Education
Committee, Cynthia Nava, was thoroughly
impressed with the number of parents and
students who spoke in support of this bill.
FYRA Grant (Family Youth Resource WRAP – UP:
Act) – Presently we do not have any
information pertaining to this bill. We will Early into the legislative session we have
keep you updated. seen small victories!
- Lottery Scholarship fund
Bilingual Education – ENLACE supports increase was passed by the
and endorses House Bill 67 entitled NM Senate Education Committee.
Highlands Medical – Health interpreters
sponsored by Representative Rick Miera. - Many Senators and
This bill will increase the number of trained Representatives have agreed to
and certified Spanish-English interpreters co-sponsor the bills that keep
who can work with health providers funds coming for ENLACE
throughout New Mexico. services to New Mexico’s
students
Curriculum – The AVID legislation is to be
carried on behalf of Governor Richardson by - We’ve worked together as one
Representative Rick Miera and is House Bill voice and ENLACE is being
68. Senator Nava will carry it on the Senate recognized as a positive force in
side but has not been assigned a bill number the education of our New Mexico
as of yet. We will keep you informed as to youth.
the status of this bill.
A NEW FACE
The following is not one of our priorities, At this time I would also like to take a
however it impacts our ENLACE families moment to introduce myself as the editor of
and we feel a responsibility to share this this ENLACE newsletter. My name is Diana
information with you. On January 29, the Montoya-Boyer and I am a graduate of
House Judiciary Committee heard House UNM with a degree in Psychology and
Joint Memorial 13 entitled ‘Oppose Creation Criminology. I am currently working as a
of National ID Card’ sponsored by Legislative Policy Analyst along side Erwin
Representative Ken Martinez (D – Grants) Rivera in Santa Fe to track our bills, gain
and Senator Michael Sanchez. This support for them and keep you informed of
memorial opposes the REAL ID Act which their status. Please feel free to contact me
requires additional qualifications for with information that can strengthen our
Driver’s Licenses, one of which would be outreach to legislators in Santa Fe. I am
US citizenship. enjoying this work and hope to meet you
along the way!

Look for the upcoming newsletters. It’s

because of all of your individual efforts that
we have had and will continue to have
success in the legislature.

Mil Gracias.
Diana Montoya-Boyer,
dmb_2000_abq@hotmail.com