Roosevelt County Chamber’s

Jan. 21, 2022

Short Session/Election Year
The 2022 New Mexico Legislature, a 30-day session, got started earlier this week with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham giving her State of the State speech to open the session virtually. The Roundhouse is open to the public with a few new hoops to jump through. You need a vaccination card, including a booster to get inside or a negative PCR test done within 48 hours. Leave your shootin’ irons at home, during the interim a committee banned most firearms in the Capitol and you will have to pass through a metal detector now. There are no activities being allowed in the Rotunda and no visitors on the first floor.

Expect a lot of what happens this year to be tempered by a major election year with all House seats and the Governor’s office up for grabs. It spreads both hope and fear on both sides of the aisle in such a year. The state’s coffers are awash in oil and gas revenue money and no shortage of options to spend it on.

The Governor’s proposed budget as well as the Legislative Finance Committee’s proposal both come in with double digit increases so we’ll see how far this drunken sailor’s paycheck lasts. Big issues are pay increases for teachers and state employees, crime bills and possible tax decreases.

Santa Fe events cancelled
If you normally go to the Santa Fe Chamber reception every year at the convention center or the Curry and Roosevelt Chamber’s Legislative Appreciation Dinner be advised both have been cancelled. We announced the dinner’s cancellation on Wednesday and sent out one notice. We will have some type of an event after the session for legislators to wrap up what happened. Stay tuned for details.

Legislative Report on Tuesday afternoons
I wanted to get a little something out today since we weren’t able to earlier in the week but expect this Legislative Report in your email box on Tuesday afternoons or evenings.

NMCC Bill Positions
We wanted to pass along these bill positions from the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce that dropped this morning.

As the 2022 legislative session begins, the Chamber is closely tracking legislation of interest to our members. Our current FOCUS bills are:

HB 6: Clean Futures Act adds new sections of the Air Quality Control Act and provides powers and duties. It establishes greenhouse gas emissions limits, directs the Environmental Improvement Board to adopt rules to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and directs the assessment of fees. It creates a fund and makes an appropriation.

OPPOSE: The Chamber opposes HB 6 as written and has shared initial comments with the State Energy Conservation and Management Division.

HB 55: Public Private Partnership Act allows public partners to enter into public-private partnership agreements to facilitate public projects, including public transportation and broadband facilities. It creates the Public-Private Partnership Board and the Public-Private Partnership Project Fund and provides that the Procurement Code does not apply to PPP agreements.

SUPPORT: This legislation received a message from Governor Lujan Grisham, so it will receive consideration during the session. The Chamber supports HB 55.

HB 75: Public Banking Act would create the Public Bank of New Mexico and establish a Board of Directors and structure for the bank. It would also permit certain investments and require the State Treasurer to deposit and maintain a certain amount of public money in the Public Bank of New Mexico. The Chamber opposed this legislation in 2021 as it undermines our existing community banks.

OPPOSE: The Chamber opposes HB 75.

HB 80: Angel Investment Credit Refundable doubles the amount of the Angel Investment Credit and makes it refundable, expands the credit for qualifying businesses and increases the aggregate cap of the credits.

SUPPORT: The Chamber supports HB 80.

HJR 2 and SJR 2: The Green Amendment proposes to amend the New Mexico Constitution by adding a new section to Article 2 that provides the people of the state with environmental rights and directs the state to protect environmental resources for the benefit of all the people. It repeals the current pollution control provisions of Article 20, Section 21 of the Constitution, would create a private right of action, and greatly restricts the legislatures future role regarding the environment. This legislation has received a third Senate committee referral to the Senate Finance Committee.

OPPOSE: The Chamber opposes HJR 2 & SJR 2.

SB 25: Research Grants Closing Fund creates a fund to provide matching funds for research grants at post-secondary educational institutions; provides for a competitive application process; provides for a review panel; and makes an appropriation.

SUPPORT: The Chamber supports SB 25

SB 42: Utility Easements for Broadband Act would authorize the use and sharing of utility easements for the provision of communications service throughout the state. It requires notice to the property owner; provides for optional recording of such notice; establishes claims pursuant to the use of utility easements; allows cost recovery for communications infrastructure projects; and provides definitions.

SUPPORT: The Chamber supports SB 42.

HB 102: Pass-Through Entity Tax will allow businesses that function as pass-through entities —  partnerships, limited liability companies and certain other non-corporate forms of business —   the option of having either the business entity pay tax on the income it earns or having the individual partners or owners pay on their share of the business income. For those business entities that elect to pay the tax, it will remove that amount of tax paid from inclusion in the individual partner/owner taxpayer’s federal State and Local Tax amount, which is capped at $10,000, providing a new federal tax benefit for New Mexicans with no loss of tax revenue to the state of New Mexico.

SUPPORT: The Chamber supports HB 102