Roosevelt County Chamber’s
Feb. 1, 2022
Budget bill passes key committee
A substitute bill for HB2, the budget bill, passed out of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee this week on a 15-3 vote. The bill provides for a $8.4 billion budget, an increase of 13.8 percent or $1 billion. According to the Santa Fe New Mexican one state lawmaker described the flush state coffers as a dream come true in the budgeting process. That lawmaker was not one of the conservative east-side legislators, however.
“This budget is like a dream budget,” said Rep. Randall Crowder, R-Clovis. “I still find myself stumbling a little bit at the 13.8 percent recurring funding that’s being proposed.”
“This is clearly a record high tide, but we all know the tide comes in and the tide goes out,” said Rep. Phelps Anderson, a Roswell independent.
The bill still includes a 7 percent raise for teachers and money for law enforcement stipends as well as state police raises. It also has a substantial increase for higher ed and the Opportunity Scholarship
Opportunity Scholarship passed Senate Education
The Opportunity Scholarship bill, SB140 passed the Senate Education Committee on a 5-3 party-line vote this week. The state’s higher education institutions, including ENMU, all support the bill but Republicans are wary of the price tag. As reported by the Santa Fe New Mexican, among those skeptical of the $85 million in recurring spending was Sen. Gay Kernan of Hobbs.
“I’m convinced that the effort to end the source of revenue for this state is evident every single day I’m up here,” she said, referring to oil and gas. “Those dollars are not going to be replaced by another industry for the foreseeable future, and yet we are acting like these dollars are going to be there,” she said. “I will tell you, in four years, three to four to five years, we’re going to be coming back, and we’re going to have to cut.”
Vigil confirmed at CYFD
The embattled Children, Youth and Families Division gave unanimous consent to the confirmation of Barbara J. Vigil to lead as its new cabinet secretary. Vigil, a retired children’s court district judge has been acting secretary for much of the past year.
Hydrogen Hub bill tabled
After lengthy debate late last week Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s bill to create a hydrogen hub in New Mexico was tabled in the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee. It was the bill’s first hearing and it is unlikely to be revived this session. Several Democrats joined Republicans in casting the 6-4 vote to table.
GRT cut shot down in committee, still has a shot
Similarly, the Governor’s proposed bill to cut gross receipts by 0.25 percent, saw Democrats rise up to help stop it in the Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee. Those objecting were worried how it might negatively impact municipal budgets that heavily rely on GRT funding. The idea could come back up as it is considered with other bills as a part of an overall tax package.
