3-15-23 Alert

Good Morning, New Mexico Activists:

We have two new hearings to tell you about today (one was just posted at 9:30 a.m.), and a handful bills on the House and Senator Floor Calendars that need a push to be heard ASAP if they have any chance of making it through. PLEASE NOTE: we will not have a Legislative Huddle tonight. It is late in the game to be talking strategy, and our time will be better spent making calls and writing email as outlined in this Alert. We’ll meet next week, Weds., March 22, 6 – 7:30 p.m. for a debrief of the whole session. Register at this link.

This hearing was posted at nmlegis.gov 45 minutes ago! HB 547, the Omnibus Tax Bill, is being heard in Senate Tax, Business & Transportation today, March 15, 9 a.m., Room 326. This is the last hearing for this bill before it can travel to the Senate Floor for a final vote, and it’s late but not too late to request improvements. Please call and email members of STBTC ASAP to ask for the following:

  • Reinstate the top two PIT brackets to improve fairness and revenue sustainability in our tax code.
  • Increase the corporate income tax to 6.9% (as originally proposed). Corporations can and should be paying more for the public goods and services they profit from.
  • Keep the unnecessary and unfair capital gains deduction limited, as is currently proposed.

We don’t know if they’ll still take public comment via Zoom, but here’s the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85614440294. Or Zoom by telephone 1.669.900.9128; meeting ID 85614440294. The agenda says to provide written comments or to register to speak using Zoom, please email STBTC.Zoom@nmlegis.gov, so you can try that, but it may be too late.

You may also want to call and email your own Senator so that when this bill goes to the Senate Floor, your Senator will know what changes it may still need. Find your Senator’s contact info at this link.

Senate Tax, Business & Transportation Committee

  • Chair: Benny Shendo, Jr. (D). District 22 (Bernalillo, McKinley, Rio Arriba, San Juan & Sandoval). Room 323A, 986-4310. Email: benny.shendo@nmlegis.gov
  • Vice Chair: Carrie Hamblen (D). District 38 (Doña Ana). Room 416G, 986-4266. Email: carrie.hamblen@nmlegis.gov
  • Ranking Member: Gay G. Kernan (R). District 42 (Chaves, Eddy & Lea). Room 415E, 986-4274. Email: gay.kernan@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: Craig W. Brandt (R). District 40 (Sandoval). Room 109B, 986-4385. Email: craig.brandt@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: Ron Griggs (R). District 34 (Doña Ana, Eddy & Otero). Room 414A, 986-4391. Email: ron.griggs@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: Leo Jaramillo (D). District 5 (Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval & Santa Fe). Room 416C, 986-4487. Email: leo.jaramillo@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: Linda M. Lopez (D). District 11 (Bernalillo). Room 120A, 986-4380. Email: linda.lopez@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: Joshua A. Sanchez (R). District 30 (Cibola, McKinley, Socorro & Valencia). Room 414B, 986-4375. Email: jas4nm@gmail.com
  • Member: Bill Tallman (D). District 18 (Bernalillo). Room 300C, 986-4373. Email: bill.tallman@nmlegis.gov
  • Member: Peter Wirth (D). District 25 (Santa Fe). Room 119, 986-4727. Email: peter.wirth@nmlegis.gov

Bulk email: “Craig W. Brandt” <craig.brandt@nmlegis.gov>, “Ron Griggs” <ron.griggs@nmlegis.gov>, “Carrie Hamblen” <carrie.hamblen@nmlegis.gov>, “Leo Jaramillo” <leo.jaramillo@nmlegis.gov>, “Gay G. Kernan” <gay.kernan@nmlegis.gov>, “Linda M. Lopez” <linda.lopez@nmlegis.gov>, “Joshua A. Sanchez” <jas4nm@gmail.com>, “Benny Shendo” <benny.shendo@nmlegis.gov>, “Bill Tallman” <bill.tallman@nmlegis.gov>, “Peter Wirth” <peter.wirth@nmlegis.gov>

LATE NOTICE: Today, Weds., March 15, 1:30 pm., Room 309, House Judiciary will hear SB 13 Reproductive Health Provider Protections. SB 13 protects providers of reproductive care and/or gender-affirming care from civil or criminal liability and discrimination by the licensing boards of their specialties and by other states where activities protected in New Mexico are not protected. It is somewhat of a provider counterpart to HB 7 Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Healthcare, which is on its way to the Governor’s desk. This is the last committee hearing before SB 13 can move to a final vote on the House Floor, so it has a good chance of making it through. Let’s give it one last push! Please call and email committee members this morning to urge them to vote “YES” on SB 13.

Offer public comment in person or via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81793611432. Or one tap mobile: +12532050468, 81793611432# or +12532158782, 81793611432#. Webinar ID: 817 9361 1432. Or watch the hearing via Webcast at this link.

House Judiciary Committee

Bulk email: “Eliseo Lee Alcon” <eliseo.alcon@nmlegis.gov>, “Christine Chandler” <christine.chandler@nmlegis.gov>, “Gail Chasey” <gail@gailchasey.com>, “T. Ryan Lane” <RYAN@LANEFORLIBERTY.COM>, “Javier Martínez” <javier.martinez@nmlegis.gov>, “Matthew McQueen” <matthew.mcqueen@nmlegis.gov>, “Greg Nibert” <greg.nibert@nmlegis.gov>, “Andrea Reeb” <Andrea.Reeb@nmlegis.gov>, “William “Bill” R. Rehm” <bill.rehm@nmlegis.gov>, “Andrea Romero” <andrea@andrearomero.com>, “Reena Szczepanski” <reena.szczepanski@nmlegis.gov>

Other Updates

  • We are sorry to report that SB 11 Paid Family & Medical Leave was tabled yesterday in House Commerce & Economic Development and is likely now dead. Two Democrats – Reps. Marian Matthews and Patty Lundstrom – joined four Republicans on the committee to table the bill with a 6:5 vote.
  • SB 9 Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund passed on the House Floor Sunday night and will now go to the Governor to be signed.
  • SB 53 Storage of Certain Radioactive Waste passed House Judiciary on Monday and now moves to the House Floor for a final vote! It doesn’t appear on today’s calendar, but we’ll let you know when it does. In the meantime, you can use the link below to find contact info for your Representative and call and email them to urge them to vote “YES” on SB 53.
  • Please find contact info for your Senator and Representative at this link, then call and email them today to urge them to vote “YES” on the bills below, except for SB 493, which needs a “NO” vote. (Contact your Representative about bills on the House Floor, and contact your Senator about bills on the Senate floor.) Feel free to list all the bills in a single email. You may also want to contact Rep. Javier Martinez to urge him to hear the bills on the House Floor and Senator Peter Wirth to urge him to hear the bills on the Senate Floor.

Rep. Javier Martinez, Speaker of the House, 505-986-4782; Javier.martinez@nmlegis.gov

Sen. Peter Wirth, Majority Floor Leaders, 505-986-4727; peter.wirth@nmlegis.gov

House Floor Calendar – Scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. today

HJR 1 Legislative Session Changes – #1 on the agenda

HB 100 Waiting Period for Firearm Sales – #3

HB 432 Plastic Waste Reduction Act – #9

SB 337 Water Security Planning Act – #71

Senate Floor Calendar – Scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. today

SB 427 Firearm Sales Waiting Period – #3

SB 493 Brackish Water Reuse – #10 – Vote “NO” on this one!

That’s all for today. Thank you for hanging in there during this long Session. Just four days left!

In Gratitude & Solidarity,

Roxanne and Paul

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