NMBC Message for Political Bullies: There are a lot of good people in elected/appointed positions as well as citizen advocates working to make a positive difference, knowing we CAN do better! Then, there are those who demonize and bully anyone who does not agree with their personal or partisan agenda. We need to ignore the detractors, those who believe that the status quo is good enough. It is not. And we need to stand up and unite against the bullies who think it’s their way or the highway – unless, of course, we help them find the road out of here.
At last week’s BASH (Business and Social Hour), Senate Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen provided her thoughts on what led to the Capital Outlay bill (SB 159) not finding consensus between the two chambers:
Senator Papen said the biggest difference of opinion related to New Mexico’s needs on roads. “The House proposed an unprecedented plan to borrow money to boost the state road fund while the Senate wanted to use general funds. The road fund, which generally pays for road maintenance, is primarily supported by a per-gallon gasoline tax. As cars have become more efficient, the fund has failed to keep up with the need.
“The state has always reserved borrowing for large transportation projects. In fact, the state is currently $1.4 billion in debt for transportation infrastructure and will spend $141 million this year just on debt service. It doesn’t make any sense to find new ways to add to our substantial transportation debt, especially when interest-free money is available. So, the Senate opposed the House plan to add money to the road fund by issuing severance tax bonds.”
Senator Papen also discussed a few other differences between the House and Senate bills on capital outlay.
Is a compromise possible? The NMBC is hearing that leaders from both the House and the Senate are working in earnest to find a resolution to their differences and produce a Capital Outlay bill that can be supported by most in each chamber. That will require good communication and an honest desire to get this done for the people of the New Mexico. Compromise is not only possible, it’s what New Mexicans want.
Some Good News! New Mexico is No. 1 in export-related job growth: “New Mexico was the No. 1 state in growth in trade-supported jobs,” U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman told the Journal. “We’re talking about good-paying jobs that generally pay up to 18 percent more than non-export jobs.” Read more HERE.
Wal-Mart Raises Benefit NM: About 4,000 Wal-Mart associates in New Mexico have begun receiving raises announced by the company earlier this year. Read more HERE.