Carys Herrera, 12, from Santa Fe with Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, performs a hoop dance during the 4th annual Indigenous Women’s Day, in the Rotunda Saturday, February 3, 2024. Several legislators and tribal leaders spoke at the event. (Photo by Eddie Moore / Albuquerque Journal)
A bill proposal to create a tribal education trust fund to support education infrastructure in tribal communities in New Mexico is facing pressure on multiple fronts from stakeholders and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
House Bill 134, introduced by Rep. Derrick Lente (D-Sandia Pueblo), would create the tribal education trust fund and distribute 5% of the average year-end market values of the trust fund over the last five years to tribal education departments. The bill would create a task force that would determine how the funds would be given out between the 23 tribes, Pueblos and nations in the state.
The House budget recommends $50 million for the creation of the trust fund while the bill requests $100 million. Lente said prior to the session that he expects to get approval for the larger amount.