Roosevelt County Chamber’s
Feb. 16, 2021
Stop the Roundhouse, we want off
The speed at which bills that are bad for business are moving through committee and the lack of input taken from New Mexico business has frightened some of us. Our group with New Mexico Chamber Executives Assn. along with the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce is launching a media campaign tomorrow focused on bringing debate and compromise back into lawmaking at the Roundhouse. Today, Arizona, Colorado and Texas all rank among the top 20 states for businesses. New Mexico ranks 48th. For our families and their future we must do better. We need the legislature to be focused on the urgent business at hand: safely reopening our schools and our economy and creating new opportunities for New Mexico families. It’s time to work together to rebuild our economy.
House passes Civil Rights Act
Late word Tuesday was that the HB4 the so-called Civil Rights Act has passed the House floor on a 39-29 vote with five Democrats crossing over to vote against the measure with Republicans and one Independent. The measure now heads to the Senate where the debate probably won’t cool too much. The bill was drafted after a civil rights commission was formed in the wake of the George Floyd killing and a summer of riots and protests. The bill jeopardizes qualified immunity for public employees like police officers and detention center employees and opens counties and municipalities, in particular to lawsuits that could cripple budgets and possibly make it impossible to purchase insurance. Roosevelt County Commissioners passed a resolution against the bill before the session and noted in that resolution that some of the same attorneys on the commission who drafted the bill would be the same ones to profit from lawsuits. Debate on the House floor went a step further and pointed fingers at the bill’s three sponsors, including House Speaker Brian Egolf, who possibly stood to profit from the very bill they were passing.
HB50: Extortion or necessary legislation?
One of those bills that is rocking right along with little input from business is HB50, which would make it easier for those with an ax to grind to take businesses to court. This bill looks like bad news for our agribusiness folks who already contend with problems from environmental concerns and neighboring property owners/leasees. Some believe threats of filing an action could be used to in effect almost extort businesses. It passed the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee and is next slated for House Judiciary.
Multiple Family Leave bills move forward
The two House bills calling for paid family leave are both still alive and well. The measures would provide up to four weeks of paid leave for all employees for a variety of reasons. The leave would be partially funded by the employer but that aside, small businesses figuring out how to survive through possibly multiple leaves could be devastating.
What the frack they thinking?
Another tone-deaf bill we have our eye on is one that would ban new permits for fracking in the state. Almost literally this is the bill that kills that goose, you know, the one that lays the golden eggs. Analysis from the state’s finance experts demonstrate that SB149 could drop state revenues by a third. The sponsors are unphased and claim now is the time to get this done. Even some Democrats are looking at this one with skepticism.
