In a public hearing packed with tribal representatives, the NM House Education Committee unanimously passed two critical Tribal Remedy Framework bills: the Tribal Education Trust Fund and the Indian Education Act amendment. Several Pueblo Governors spoke in support of the bills.

The Albuquerque Journal quoted Laguna Pueblo Gov. Wilfred Herrera Jr. making the case for a Tribal Education Trust Fund: “I liken this to putting away resources for our children for the future,” he said of the proposed trust fund. “If we do things right and manage it, administer it, let it grow, we stand to achieve things.”

The article also featured Representative Derrick Lente, the bill’s primary sponsor: “Citing New Mexico’s financial windfall, Lente said: ‘This is the time to do it.’ The idea is for tribes to put the money toward programs they believe would have the most benefits for students, he said, rather than have the state dictate how the money is spent.”

Both bills, HB 140 and HB 147, are now headed to the House Appropriation and Finance Committee.