Week Five at the Capitol

An Outpouring of Sympathy

On Wednesday, February 18, the Legislature paused briefly so most Senators and House members could journey to Roswell for the memorial service for Patty Jennings, the late wife of Senate president Pro Tem Tim Jennings of Roswell. The service was one of the largest I have ever attended and a large contingency of elected officials, including the Governor and Lt. Governor were there as well. The Jennings family has contributed greatly to this State. Everything I have heard confirmed what a dedicated public servant Patty Jennings was in her own right. Please keep the Jennings family in your prayers.

The Budget Battle

As I said last time, the revenue figures are looking very grim. The years of growing state government by almost 10% a year have come back to haunt us. This last week there was a lot of intense behind-the-scene discussion. A budget for FY2010 is being crafted, but my Republican colleagues are not happy with what they see. The proposed budget fails to recognize that state revenue is declining; therefore, state spending must also decline. It appears the administration will use the federal stimulus package to prop up the reckless spending behavior of the past. In 2003, when the Richardson/Denish Administration took office, the total State budget was $3.9 Billion. This year it is almost $6 Billion. The longer we put off dealing with over-spending, the worse it gets. As I was told once, problems are not like fine wines…they do not get better with time.

This will come to full scale floor debate on Wednesday or Thursday of this week.

Legislation Introduced

I have now submitted a total of seven bills. They are as follows:

HB 452 Budget Transparency Act
HB 648 Judicial Retirement from General Fund
HB 725 Repeal Film Production Tax Credit
HB 797 Ineffective Lawyer Penalties
HB 856 Controlled Substances in Newborn Babies
HB 857 Appeals from Magistrate to District Court
HB 858 Disbursements of Class Action Suit Funds

If you go online to http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/ and locate the box to the left, you will have a choice listed as "Legislation." Click on that, and go to "Bill Finder". You can then read any bill introduced by me or any other legislator.

The Film Production Tax Credit

There has been considerable media in the New Mexico media on HB 725, my effort to repeal the Film Production Tax Credit. This corporate welfare program cost New Mexico taxpayers $47 Million in FY2008. A study by the NMSU Office of Policy Analysis shows the "benefit" to taxpayers is about 15 cents on every dollar spent. Eliminating this program would save us $54 Million in FY2010. That is ten percent of the estimated budget shortfall. On Friday, I was interviewed about this by a reporter with the Santa Fe New Mexican. The article is here:

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Film-turf-war

Keep in Touch!

It is important that I hear from you about legislation, both good and bad. Input from firefighters around our area equipped me to work with other legislators against a bad bill that would drain dollars out of the "Fire Protection Fund." We were outnumbered, but it is hoped that it will be stopped in the Appropriations Committee.

Local input is critical and needed in order for good legislation to pass and for bad legislation to be killed. Soplease feel free to express your opinion, I personally read every e-mail and letter from constituents. Remember, I'm here working for you!