State of the state: One week left

Over three weeks ago Governor Bill Richardson handed a full plate of initiatives to the Roundhouse. So with just about one week left, how much are lawmakers listening?

The State of the State speech is delivered to open every regular session and serves as a road map for the Governor’s plan. Bills are assigned to a number of committees they must pass through before they reach any chamber floor. If they pass one chamber they must go through the process again in the other. With time winding down lawmakers will have to weigh what they think is important. And look at what bills can move vs. how far they think they can go.

Not surprisingly, Governor Richardson spent a large part of his speech on the state’s budget woes:

While we can make more targeted cuts, it is important to note that most state agencies have been cut to the bone. Any further cuts would mean certain lay-offs, closing facilities and ending public services when our citizens need them most. But I also believe that increasing taxes – alone – is irresponsible and not the answer to balancing the budget Nor should we roll back important tax cuts and incentives that we’ve used to create jobs and open New Mexico for business. To be fair and responsible we need to take the middle path, a balanced approach that combines targeted spending cuts and short-term revenues with strong accountability measures.

This is still the main fight moving through the Roundhouse. The House of Representatives has passed a budget with some budget cuts, but also with nearly $300 million dollars worth of various tax increases. The Governor praised the House for passing the budget but expressed ‘reservations’ over tax increases. With a week to go the budget is in the hands of the Senate, where tax increases will be a tough sell.

I will also oppose any tax increase that hurts our efforts to keep the state economically competitive and create new jobs – such as:

• Increasing personal income taxes

• Rolling back our capital gains tax cuts or

• Decreasing business tax incentives or credits that are working to

create jobs

Nor will I support reinstating the food tax.

Among one of these points it looks like lawmakers are ready to challenge the Governor. House bill 9, which has passed through the House, increases the personal income tax of wealthier New Mexicans by 1.5 percent. And while lawmakers have not brought back the full food tax, the House has passed a bill temporarily reinstating the gross receipts tax. And a bill in the Senate would redefine some foods and make them eligible to be taxed.

I want New Mexico to be the first state in the nation to have a Hispanic Education Act. We will be held accountable for results– by creating an annual report card on the status of Hispanic Education.

After a lengthy debate The House passed the Hispanic Education Act bill 44-25, and it now heads on to the Senate. That was one of three bills titled “Hispanic Education Act.”

My bottom line is this: I don’t want to cut teacher salaries and I don’t want to cut classroom spending. If we have to cut education spending, we should start with the bureaucracy and district administrations.

The will of the Roundhouse seems to agree with the Governor on some of these points. Many agree classrooms should be spared from the slumping budget, and to a lesser degree teacher salaries. There is a bill brought forth to protect educators from having to contribute more to their retirement. However, if there is a across the board salary cut for state employees it could include teachers unless an exception is made.

…several vital reforms have been put off for too long:

• Whistleblower protections to shield employees from retaliation for reporting fraud, waste or abuse.

• Disclosure by any contractor wishing to make a bid on a state project of any campaign contribution of two hundred and fifty dollars or more over the last two years.

• A ban on candidates doing taxpayer–funded, public service announcements.

• An end to the revolving door where legislators this year become lobbyists next year. Just like we did for state officials.

• A ban on campaign contributions by corporations, state contractors or lobbyists.

There are two whistleblower bills at the Roundhouse. One each in the House and Senate, and both have passed one chamber. The Governors bill to ban campaign contributions by corporations, state contractors or lobbyists is still trying to get out of its second committee. A bill to regulate elected officials in public service announcements and another to stop legislators from becoming lobbyists have yet to clear their first committees.

I believe we need an independent, bi-partisan, citizen-led ethics commission.

There are six bills (3 in the House, 3 in Senate) relating to a state ethics commission. Five of those bills have only cleared one committee, the other has cleared none.

To make sure New Mexico remains competitive against Virginia, Florida and Texas, I’m asking this body to pass legislation allowing participants to assume the risks of spaceflight.

A bill to address this, called the “Space Flight Informed Consent Act”, has passed the Senate and is in the House.

Due to our past efforts, and given the direction the industry is moving in, we have a unique opportunity over the next twelve to eighteen months to make this industry an integral part of our state’s economy along with ranching, oil and gas, and other core sectors. And with more than twelve thousand New Mexico students around the state currently preparing for a career in film and media production, our commitment to this industry is our commitment to their future.

The film incentives continue to be a hot topic in Santa Fe. A bill that would’ve removed the film credits altogether died in its first committee. But two other bills aiming to cap the film incentives have cleared one Senate committee.

Specifically, I will once again push for tougher penalties for gang crimes and criminal gang recruitment and I will close loopholes in our DWI laws that allow offenders to skip out of mandatory jail time.

DWI bills have hit a few stumbling blocks in the Roundhouse. As far as gang legislation there are five bills dealing it, a couple that have moved the farthest have passed two committees.

Our tax code is hitting too many homeowners with unfair increases— sometimes two or three times as much as their neighbors—I will send this legislature a proposal to move us toward a fair and equitable property tax system.

A measure to stop so called “tax lightening” was one of the Governors priorities. There are at least two bills to stop home buyers with getting hit with high tax bills after their purchase. The bill in the Seante has cleared two committees, the House measure has yet to clear one.

Our tribal communities have over one billion dollars in critical infrastructure needs. I believe its time to dedicate modest recurring funding –five percent of annual severance tax bond capacity–to our successful Tribal Infrastructure Fund.

This measure is moving through the Roundhouse but not without a fight. The bill did clear the House on a 42-24 vote. It now waits for a hearing in the Senate.

It’s time to fully extend Domestic Partnership rights. A committed couple, who agrees to spend their lives together, deserves equal protection under the law. And as I’ve said before and I will say again- –As a state whose diversity is its strength, we cannot accept discrimination in any form.

This bill continues to receive more attention than many in the Roundhouse. Technically, the bill has cleared one committee and it sits in Senate Finance where it waits for a hearing. The committee has said it won’t get a hearing until after the budget. How much time, if any, is left to hear it after that remains to be seen.