Democrats and a coalition of 40 groups say they will push — again — for legislation that would tap into New Mexico's permanent land fund to expand childhood education.
The coalition is scheduled Tuesday to announce new efforts to get the proposal passed during the 30-day legislation session, which begins in January.
Under the proposal, voters would decide if New Mexico should use a portion of the state's $15 billion Land Grant Permanent School Fund to dramatically expand childhood education.
But Sen. John Arthur Smith, chairman of the powerful Legislative Finance Committee, says previous proposals have been "fiscally irresponsible" since it took so much money from the permanent fund.
The moderate Deming Democrat says he didn't believe any proposal had any chance of passing the New Mexico Senate.
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