We’ve got some “Hero” type legislation being introduced in this legislative session as well as some real loser “Zero” benefit bills as well. NMBC has your back as we work to support the good ones and stop the bad ones.
A sampling of Hero legislation that NMBC feels will benefit the state:
1) A slew of hard on crime bills by retired law enforcement official, Rep Bill Rehm:
- HB 32: Pretrial Bond Hearing
- HB 33: 3 Strikes Equals Life Sentence
- HB 34: Use of Prior Felonies in Sentencing
- HB 35: Enhanced Penalty For Firearm Used in Crime
- HB 36: No Statute of Limitation on 2nd Degree Murder
- HB 113: Felon Definition & Firearm Possession
- HB 114: Firearms & Controlled Substance Penalty
2) Some creative road funding ideas for the troublesome roads in southeast New Mexico by Rep Cathrynn Brown:
- HB 104: Social Security Income Tax Exemption
- HB 250: Motor Vehicle Tax Distributions
- HB 276: City Road Fund Donation Tax Deductions
3) We believe in supporting our military and retirees and think these bills would not only benefit them, but benefit our state:
- HB 29: Social Security Income Tax Exemption: Rep. Brown, Armstrong, Dow, Chatfield and Crowder
- HB 30: Expedited Licensure for Military Families: Rep. Alcon, Gould, Sarinana, and Garcia
- SB 169: Uniformed Service Retiree Income Tax Deduction: Senator William Burt
Some of the worst bills that will do Zero good for our state, and should see an early demise are:
- HJR 1: Permanent Funds for Early Childhood Reps. Antonio Maestas and Javier Martinez. Enough already! The Land Grant Permanent Fund is producing $1.1 billion for beneficiaries this year. It surpassed the $1 billion mark four years earlier than projected because NM lawmakers had enough sense not to increase distributions. Those who want more out of it need to find something more useful to do with their time!
- SB 104: Prohibit New Hydraulic Fracturing Permits: Senators Antoinette Lopez and Patricia Roybal Caballero give us a break, please! This bill would stop oil and gas fracking which would significantly hurt the industry that currently provides over 40 percent of the state’s budget. And just how do you propose to replace that revenue?
- HB 173 Gas Taxes, New Funds and Distributions: Rep McQueen (D). This bill is a regressive tax that will eventually amount to an additional 35 cents/gallon tax on vehicle fuel. For a small 15 gallon tank, you’ll pay an extra $5.25 to fill up and a larger truck/SUV could cost you over $12 more. The new tax dollars will be split in thirds as follows : 1) Roads; 2) A new ‘Clean Infrastructure Fund’ that will soak up most of the money to cover the expansion of government to manage it; and 3) A special ‘Low Income Rebate Fund’. Low income folks, whether they buy vehicle fuel or not, will be eligible for a rebate of these taxes. That’s great for those not buying fuel, but not so great for the other low-income folks who may not get as much back, but are also subsidizing the rebates. You can also imagine the cost to businesses, such as manufacturers, transportation, etc that will have to raise consumer prices to pay for this. This is bad policy and another bad move for a state that has just hit another record revenue surplus. Had enough of bad decisions on how to take more of your hard-earned money? Sign the petition asking Santa Fe politicians to STOP!