The Santa Fe New Mexican Staff:
Shining a light on lobbyists: Note to freshman lawmakers: Never call a piece of legislation you’re introducing on the floor on final reading a “simple bill”
Otherwise, you’ll just end up jinxing yourself.
Rep. Sarah Silva, D-Las Cruces, learned that lesson the hard way with House Bill 143, a measure that would require lobbyists and lobbyists’ employers to file an “activity report”, depending on who engaged in the said activity.
The report would identify specific legislation lobbied and support or opposition and whether their position changed, as well as the name of the lobbyist’s employer.
“That’s it,” Silva said after introducing HB 143. “It’s a pretty simple bill”.
Simple or not, the bill sparked an at-times contentious three-hour debate before passing 36-26.
Local broadband grants announced: During Broadband Day at the state Capitol, officials with the New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion announced grant awards to expand internet access in portions of Northern New Mexico, including in Ohkay Owingeh and the Chimayó area.
The state broadband office announced the awards amid some fanfare in the Rotunda during a news conference as part of its Student Connect grants awarded to schools and tribes. Ohkay Owingeh will benefit from a $2.4 million grant, and 200 student households in Española Public Schools will benefit from a $1.26 million grant in an area that has some dead zones for internet access.
“Expanding reliable high-speed internet to tribal homes will be a huge endeavor for us but will have a huge, long-lasting impact on our students. During the pandemic, more than 60% of our students didn’t have the ability to have internet in our homes,” Ohkay Owingeh Gov. Benny Lujan said.
“Nearly 200 students households in our district will be receiving high-speed internet at no cost for the next three years” per the grant, said Eric Spencer, superintendent of Española Public Schools.
“For far too long, many of our students have faced barriers to learning simply because they lacked internet access at home,” Spencer said.
The state is set to receive roughly $675 million in Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment money to close gaps in broadband access across the state and help connect more than 31,000 unserved and underserved areas.
The state has opened a competitive selection process to award grants to applicants. County commissioners agreed to provide the matching funds in the hopes the New Mexico’s Office of Broadband Access and Expansion will eventually approve federal funding for the projects.
Drew Lovelace, the acting director of the Office of Broadband Access and Expansion, was asked about whether he has any concerns about federal money not flowing as a result of Trump administration funding cuts.
“I’m not really concerned at this moment,” Lovelace said, noting the office has an approved grant program and Congress would have to approve clawing the money back from New Mexico.
Multifamily housing tax bill dies on Senate floor: Senate Bill 186, a proposal to create a special method of valuation for multifamily properties, failed to pass the Senate Tuesday, drawing only 16 yes votes out of 39.
Sponsored by senators Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, and George Muñoz, D-Gallup, the bill would have taxed existing multifamily properties at 40% of total property value, while new multifamily properties would have been taxed consistent with current and correct tax or the cost of construction.
The changes, Wirth argued, would ultimately increase the supply of housing.
“I think when it comes to housing, it needs to be all of the above. We need to be doing everything we can,” Wirth said.
The proposal drew concerns from Democrats and Republicans alike, with members of both parties worrying the legislation would help developers — but not residents — of multifamily units.
“This is a 60% tax break for a small selection of residential property owners, multifamily unit owners,” said Sen. Natalie Figueroa, D-Albuquerque. “It incentivizes luxury building without addressing our housing shortage.”
Sen. Larry Scott, R-Hobbs, said he worried it would enrich property developers without requiring they pass property tax savings on to the consumer.
“I see this complicating property tax significantly and, in many circumstances, creating winners and losers,” Scott said.
Oil, gas royalty rate hike clears first hurdle in the House: A bill to raise the oil and gas royalty rate on premium state lands from 20% to 25% got a thumbs-up from the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee in a 5-4 vote on Tuesday.
Senate Bill 23’s committee approval marks its first step toward passage in the House. It passed the Senate Feb. 22.
“After clearing today’s committee hearing, we are now on the doorstep of historic new levels of funding for our public schools and other institutions,” said New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard.
Though Republicans have criticized the bill as unfriendly to oil and gas producers, co-sponsor Rep. Matthew McQueen, D-Galisteo, said asking for the best price is a fair deal.
“It’s not a tax because it’s not something we’re imposing on people. It’s something the state owns, and people are bidding on. It’s a voluntary transaction,” McQueen said during Tuesday’s meeting.
Stewart gets her flowers — literally: Several legislative aides, each of them carrying an enormous bouquet of purple flowers, walked onto the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon.
They deposited the big bouquets on the desk of Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, though she quickly distributed them to colleagues throughout the chamber.
Though Lt. Gov. Howie Morales mused the flowers were a gift from Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, Stewart was mum — chrysanthemum, perhaps? — on the subject, telling Morales, who also serves as the state Senate president, “Mr. President, no comment.”
In a brief interview after the floor session, Muñoz, too, declined to disclose why he sent Stewart the flowers.
“It’s going to remain a mystery,” he said.
Quote of the day: “The secret to making Congress more efficient is to replace all the people with horses. Sure, every vote would end in aneigh, but hay, at least the housing market would be stable.” — Rep.Kathleen Cates, D-Rio Rancho.