There could be a statewide special election next September if supporters of a constitutional amendment to fund early childhood education get their way. 

Supporters of the amendment, which has repeatedly won House approval only to stall in the Senate, could get better treatment now that the upper chamber has taken on a more liberal hue as a result of the November election.

The amendment would authorize one percent of the $20 billion Land Grant Permanent Fund to be spent annually for early childhood education. The legislature and voters must approve the proposal. It does not require approval of the Governor.

The last election of this sort was a special election in September 2003 on a constitutional amendment that tapped the Fund for teacher salaries. It narrowly won.

If the legislature approved a September vote and it passed, the education money would start flowing July 1, 2022. 

A possible sticking point in getting the amendment through this time? Some lawmakers want half of the proceeds to go to the public schools, not only early childhood. The schools currently get over $800 million in interest monies from the Permanent Fund.

And there could be yet another special election next year---for the ABQ congressional seat. 

It's been a see-saw ride for US Rep. Deb Haaland when it comes to her chances of becoming Secretary of Interior under Joe Biden. First she was up--way up--and then she headed back down. Now as the Biden decision draws near some speculators have her back at the top of the list. 

So if she were to leave her House seat what Dems would line up to replace her? The rumor mill is throwing out the names of State Reps Melanie Stansbury and Javier Martinez, Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, retired Navy captain Claudia Rosner, Sec. of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, Lynn Trujillo of Sandia Pueblo and former US attorney Damon Martinez. And that's just for starters. 

The R's would also have contenders but the seat is deep blue and the D would be expected to prevail. 

If Haaland resigned an election would be called within 91 days of the resignation. 

But there's a long way to go. Haaland has to not only get the nomination but then she would have to make it through what could be rough waters at her Senate confirmation hearing. Her unabashed liberalism would give the R's plenty of reason to try to stop her. 

Biden is expected today to appoint a new secretary of energy, a position closely watched in NM because of the department's responsibility overseeing the Los Alamos and Sandia nuclear weapons labs. 

Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm is the reported choice, an ardent advocate for electric cars. But nuclear programs consume 75 percent of the department's budget which could mean . . .

Don't fret, Gov. Granholm. The bean counters at the Labs will give you all the time you need to understand why they deserve those billions of dollars. 

In reporting this week on the win of Rep. Willie Madrid over Republican Rick Little, the final state House race to be counted, we said that the Dem House majority "stayed the same" at 45 to 25. Actually, the Dems ended up losing one state House seat in the 2020 cycle taking their majority down from 46 to 24.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2020