Senate panel OKs bill to fund statewide education technology infrastructure and move oversight to broadband office

The committee gave unanimous do-pass approval to Senate Bill 401, a bill that moves responsibility for the state Education Network and related funding authority into the Office of Broadband Access and Expansion and authorizes supplemental severance tax bonds to fund education-technology infrastructure.

Sponsor Senator Michael Padilla and acting broadband director Drew (last name in record) said the change consolidates stewardship of broadband infrastructure used by schools and reduces administrative friction after a year in which personnel and operating responsibilities were already being coordinated by memorandum of agreement. The office has launched the State Education Network and contracted node locations across the state; the bill formally transfers oversight and establishes an Education Technology Infrastructure Fund to receive bond proceeds.

Nut graf: Committee members pressed on local match, capacity and whether transferring authority affects federal E-Rate and other matching rules. Broadband staff said the change preserves eligibility for federal programs and that the office has expanded staff and operational expertise, including engineers and network operators, and expects to connect the last two New Mexico schools without fiber by June 30, 2025.

Supporting details - Sponsor said the fund will leverage severance tax bonding to finance educational technology projects and help leverage federal E-Rate funds and other federal opportunities. - The Office of Broadband has been operating the State Education Network (launched July 1 of the prior year) and contracting with university-hosted node locations; the office has connected multiple entities and expects additional growth. - Committee discussion noted recurring versus nonrecurring appropriations and that the bond authority ($10 million referenced in the FIR) has been used in prior years; the office seeks to streamline asset management and avoid stranded assets.

Outcome and next steps The committee issued a do-pass recommendation unanimously and sent SB 401 to Senate Finance. Committee members said technical questions about local matching and the Zuni litigation should be addressed in follow-up with the sponsor and agency.