There won't be much back slapping, cheek pecking or bear hugs at the opening of today's 60 day legislative session. The pandemic has benched in-person politicking, replacing it with virtual meetings that eliminate the personal touch.

The Senate will meet in person but minus the public and the lobbyists who have helped run the place for over a century. The House will be all Zoom all the time. 

Look for a more businesslike atmosphere as the traditions are put aside in the name of efficiency and social distancing. (e.g. no traditional State of the State address from the Guv today).

Meanwhile, there are three measures that NM Politics with Joe Monahan pegs as potentially the most transformative in the 2021 session.  

NUMBER ONE---Without a doubt the proposed constitutional amendment to tap one percent of the $21 billion Land Grant Permanent School Fund is potentially transformative. The amendment has been making the Roundhouse rounds for nearly a decade. The difference this year is that it will probably pass both chambers. It will again fly though the House and then the question is whether the Senate waters it down. 

The amendment, if passed by the Legislature and approved by voters, would mean $180 million annually would be withdrawn from the Fund for early childhood education--ages zero to five. That's the time science says brain development is most crucial for future success. 

Advocate Stephen Spitz explains why labeling the amendment transformative is not hyperbole:

NUMBER 2---Should the Governor's power under the 2003 Public Health Emergency Response Act be amended? This is flying under the radar but if the Act is amended (and not vetoed) future state Governors would have more restraints on them and more input from the Legislature in dealing with health emergencies.

The health order gives a Governor wide discretion in closing down society. But the Act did not foresee lockdowns and other pandemic measures lasting nearly the year  like the ones now in effect. 

The issue is the concentration of so much power in the executive for an unlimited time. Time limits and power sharing with the Legislature are being proposed to have the Act provide more checks and balances. When another unfortunate time comes, whether ten years or a hundred years from now, changes to the Act could transform government responsibility for the public health and for the better.

NUMBER 3--It's a drug and it has consequences. What they would be if New Mexico legalizes recreational marijuana is unknown and that hangs over the chances of this bill winning approval. 

Legalization would be transformative with tens of thousands of marijuana users bolstering state tax collections but also creating negative social consequences as was the case when the state legalized Indian gambling. Both impacts need to be considered.

This is a fragile time for public health--especially mental health--and that may impact the chances of legal pot from passing, along with the complexity of administering the law in a state not known for administrative excellence. We put the chances at 50-50. 

HONORABLE MENTION: How much funding will there be to implement the Yazzie education lawsuit in which a judge ruled the state was violating the Constitution by not providing adequate funding for at-risk students, mostly of color?  The administration has dragged its feet but under increasing pressure seems to be warming to its responsibility. 

Why is this transformative? Because the state's bottom of the barrel public education standing is largely due to underperformance among minorities. As with early childhood education, if the state changes that, it changes its national standing with all the good that brings.

The New Mexican comes with an "A to Z guide on the major bills this session . . .Here's contact info for all 112 legislators. If you're looking for a lobbyist, here's a notable one. . . Not sure what's allowed and what isn't at the Roundhouse? Raúl Burciaga at the LCS is your man. . .

Need a hotel? La Fonda is the best. Want great enchiladas while hanging in the City Different? La Choza has them. 

Staying long? Whole Foods is the place for healthy munchies for your house rental or hotel. (And they have plenty of beer and wine to drown your sorrows when the committee tables your favorite bill.) 

This is the home of New Mexico politics.