Feb. 12, 2025

Minimum Wage Bill Opens in House
It seems no legislative session in New Mexico would be complete without a bill to increase the minimum wage and the 2025 session is no exception. HB246 introduced last week by Bernalillo County Democrat Patricia Royal Caballero seeks to raise the state’s minimum wage to $17 an hour and would eliminate the tipped wage. The bill also seeks to index the minimum wage to the Consumer Price Index, likely increasing the wage every year. The Fiscal Impact Report estimates that could equate to an $18.49 rate by 2030. In the past state businesses and business organizations have lined up against wage increases, in particular the removal of the tipped wage rate, which is $3 an hour. Restaurants have spoke out long and loud against that part of the measure. The last increase of the minimum wage in New Mexico was Jan. 1, 2023 when it went to $12 an hour. The bill has sent to House Labor, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee of which Roybal Caballero is the chair. It is scheduled for debate there tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 13

Public Safety Bills Go Omnibus
The House Judiciary Committee today voted to combine six previously introduced and debated in committee public safety bills and send that package directly to the House floor. The bill is HB8 Substitute. It combines HB4 addressing criminal competency and treatment for low-level crimes that might otherwise be dismissed, HB16 enhancing penalties for fentanyl trafficking, HB31reclassifying shooting threats toward schools or other public places as a felony, HB38 prohibiting possession of devices that convert semiautomatic weapons to fully automatic weapons, HB50 that would increase penalties for repeat offenders for vehicle theft, HB106 which would allow police to petition for a search warrant to have a DWI suspect’s drawn if they believe a controlled substance is involved. It is hoped these bills which seem to mostly have bipartisan support could be moved quickly to the Governor’s desk, showing progress on one of her major concerns for the session. The six bills are not all of the important public safety bills introduced and the six individual bills are still active. Rep. Andrea Reeb R-Clovis told the Clovis/Portales Legislative Appreciation Dinner attendees that she had debated 10 crime bills in a week’s time. Three of the six bills in this package are either sponsored or co-sponsored by Reeb.

Paid Family Medical Leave Stewing
HB11 the Paid Family & Medical Leave Act, which is of particular interest to businesses passed its first committee, Health & Human Services on a party line vote and now awaits hearing in House Commerce & Economic Development Committee. The bill would establish a program operated by Workforce Solutions Department providing up to 12 weeks of paid leave for workers taking qualifying leave. The bill would add payroll taxes of 0.5% from the employee and 0.04% from the employer. The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that two Democrats on the committee claim they were the targets of bullying because of “mock-up mailers” they consider to be threatening. If you’re concerned about how this might affect your business it would be a good idea to contact the members of the HCEDC by going to www.nmlegis.gov and clicking the committee tab.

CYFD Criticized for Doing Less With More
In a presentation to the House Appropriations and Finance Committee today it was revealed that the Children, Youth and Families Department’s budget grew by $100 million over the past 10 years but the department was struggling to utilize those funds while the number of cases has dropped. According to the report millions of dollars have reverted from the Department’s budgets over that time with the peak coming in 2021 with over $121 sent back. There seems to be trouble in River City.