LESC bill analyses are available on the New Mexico Legislature website (www.nmlegis.gov). Bill analyses are
prepared by LESC staff for standing education committees of the New Mexico Legislature. LESC does not assume
any responsibility for the accuracy of these reports if they are used for other purposes.
LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION STUDY COMMITTEE
BILL ANALYSIS
57th Legislature, 1st S ession, 2025
Bill Number SB107 Sponsor Pope/Garratt/Gurrola/Gonzales
Tracking Number .229411.2 Committee Referrals SEC/SFC
Short Title NMSU STEM Center of Excellence
Original Date 1/24/2025
Analyst Hicks Last Updated 1/27/2025
FOR THE LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION STUDY COMMITTEE
BILL SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
Senate Bill 107 (SB107) would establish and fund a statewide innovation network for science,
technology, mathematics, and engineering (STEM) resources and programs to support education
and workforce development. The proposed STEM innovation network would be required to create
a steering committee and have a “principal hub” to manage the network’s activities. The proposed
network would also be allowed to establish regional and tribal hubs statewide. The following components of the network would be created :
1. A steering committee comprising government agencies, kindergarten through 12th grade
(K-12) educators, industry and business leaders in STEM fields, tribal education officials,
and community partners that would also oversee selection of regional and tribal hubs;
2. A “principal hub” which the bill requires to be the center of excellence for innovation in
STEM housed at New Mexico State University (NMSU) ; and
3. Regional and tribal hubs located around the state, which SB107 directs to be selected by
the steering committee.
SB107 also establishes annual reporting requirements, requires the steering committee to meet
regularly, and specifies purposes of the STEM innovation network including fostering access to education and employment opportunities, strengthening STEM initiatives, and connecting educators to STEM professional learning. FISCAL IMPACT
SB107 would appropriate $6 million from the public education reform fund (PERF) to the Public
Education Department (PED) for expenditure in FY26 through FY28 to support the operations of
the STEM innovation network. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY28 shall revert to the PERF . The LESC recommendation for public school support for FY26
includes $6 million in funding from the PERF to support a STEM innovation network.
SB107
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As a center of excellence, the principal hub located at NMSU would also be allowed to actively
seek out and accept public and private funding to finance the initiatives of the network, including seeking additional resources through the research and public service project (RPSP) process.
SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
Throughout the 2024 interim, LESC staff studied the state’s existing STEM landscape and heard
stakeholders identify a need for a comprehensive, coordinated statewide vision for STEM education and workforce development in New Mexico. SB107 would create structures that could
allow for greater connections between K-12 education, higher education, industry, and
communities across the state to provide educational and career pathways in STEM. Steering Committee Structure and Role. Under the provisions of SB107, a steering committee
charged with overall governance of the network would be created and directed to meet at least once per quarter of each fiscal year. SB107 directs PED, the Higher Education Department (HED),
the Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD), the Department of Workforce
Solutions (DWS), and the Indian Affairs Department (IAD) to provide agency representatives to
the steering committee. PED would also be required to appoint a K-12 teacher representative, an
out-of-school time representative, a charter school representative, and representatives for the
Navajo Nation, Mescalero Apache Tribe, Jicarilla Apache Nation, and the All Pueblo Council of
Governors; HED would appoint a higher education STEM faculty representative; and DWS would
appoint a STEM industry representative.
Regional and Tribal Hubs. The steering committee would be responsible for establishing criteria
governing the application process for regional and tribal hubs. This application process would be
administered by the principal hub, which the bill identifies would be housed at NMSU. Following
the completion of this process, the steering committee would then select statewide regional and
tribal hubs. A maximum of eight regional hubs would be selected. SB107 specifies any federally
recognized tribe, nation, or pueblo in the state would also be eligible to establish their own specific
hub. The proposed language defining which entities can serve as hubs is broad, allowing for a local
government, tribal government, private organization, or a consortium of multiple parties to become
hubs. LESC staff analysis of the proposed measure indicates that tribes, nations, and pueblos would
be able to operate network hubs specific to their own communities, which could allow for
recognition and respect for the right of these sovereign governments to self -govern, self-determine,
and make decisions about education policies, programs, and curriculum that align with their
cultural values and priorities.
STEM Readiness. Given the high demand for careers in STEM fields in the modern workforce,
New Mexico students would benefit from exit ing public school with a strong grasp of math and
science concepts. According to employment projections
from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
employment in STEM occupations is projected to increase by 10.8 percent between 2022 and 2032, compared with 2.3 percent for non- STEM occupations. According to a DWS data focus
report, the m STEM occupation wage in New Mexico is $76.2 thousand per year, compared
with a median non-STEM wage of $46.8 thousand.
New Mexico’s STEM Ready! m ath and science standards, in turn, place a strong emphasis on
preparing students for a 21st century economy and society increasingly driven by the impacts of
STEM. To support greater student engagement with STEM topics, New Mexico has also launched the
Governor’s STEM Challenge. By coordinating efforts around the state under a shared vision
for education and workforce development, it appears t he proposed STEM network would aim to
better prepare New Mexicans for a STEM-driven society and improve access to STEM resources.
SB107
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Despite the importance of STEM education, data shows New Mexico students are not adequately
prepared for the current and future job market. NM Vistas data from the 2023-2024 school year
finds that about one in four New Mexico students (23 percent) are proficient in math, while just
under two in five students (38 percent ) are proficient in science.
There is also an underrepresentation of various demographic groups in the STEM workforce . Data
from DWS suggests males have historically held nearly 75 percent of all STEM occupations in
New Mexico. In terms of race and ethnicity, the most recently available data from DWS from 2018
shows non-Hispanic white workers mad e up 57.2 percent of all STEM workers in New Mexico,
above New Mexico’s total proportion of non-Hispanic white residents (36.8 percent), while
Hispanic/Latino, Black, and Native American residents made up smaller percentages of the STEM
workforce compared with their representation in New Mexico’s overall demographics.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
SB107 would require several state agencies (PED, HED, ECECD, DWS, and IAD) to allocate staff
time to serve as members of the steering committee and adopt processes for identifying and
selecting representatives for the STEM network steering committee.
OTHER SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
Centers of Excellence. SB107 amends Section 21-1-27.11 NMSA 1978 to create a new center of
excellence at NMSU to “work toward innovation in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics.” The bill proposes additional language that would allow centers of excellence to
administer programs provided for by law. In practice, this change authorizes the STEM center of
excellence at NMSU to serve as the STEM network’s principal hub. New Mexico law currently
designates four centers of excellence at higher education institutions across the state. The current
centers of excellence focus on topics such as cybersecurity (New Mexico Institute of Technology),
sustainable agriculture (NMSU), renewable energy (San Juan College), and bioscience (University
of New Mexico).
National and State Context. At the July 2024 hearing of the LESC, both national and state
advocates for STEM education and workforce development, along with PED and LESC staff,
presented on the potential of a STEM innovation network. Panelists cited the state’s low
proficiency rates in both science and math, as well as the siloed nature of existing resources, as
barriers to workforce development and academic excellence in STEM. Testimony from STEMx,
a national STEM organization supporting STEM networks in other states, outlined
best practices
in various states’ networks, which this proposal appears to align with.
Structurally, the proposal for a New Mexico STEM network in this bill is most like that of
Louisiana. LASTEM, overseen by an advisory council and divided into nine geographic regions,
is housed under the Louisiana Board of Regents, and is responsible for developing a statewide
definition of STEM education and providing students and educators with access to STEM
internship programs, professional development, out-of-school time programming, and funding.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
• LESC Files
CLH/tb/mca/jkh