SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – With the legislative session drawing to a close, the onus is now on the Governor to decide which of the bills passed by the Legislature become law. Already she’s decided that one bill should not go into effect.
Thursday, March 16, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoed House Bill 125. That bill would have created a task force to study the state’s dual credit system. Currently, around 16,000 students participate in dual credit courses, according to the latest annual report from the Higher Education Department. House Bill 125 would have helped ensure those students are getting the skills they need, according to the state’s Public Education Department.
Lujan Grisham, however, decided the task force isn’t necessary. In her veto message, she notes that the state’s Public Education Department already has a Dual Credit Council. And while the scope of that council is currently narrower than that of the task force outlined in the bill, the Dual Credit Council could easily be adjusted to do the same work as the task force, she says.
Lujan Grisham also noted that the bill didn’t include funding for the proposed task force. As such, she shot down the idea. The Legislature can override the veto if two-thirds of the legislators vote to do so.
