2017 Legislative Session

Infrastructure reform bill passes first Senate committee

By |

With business and union lobbyists backing it, a bill aimed at reforming the Legislature’s allocation of infrastructure money passed the Senate Rules Committee on Friday. After a 4-2 vote, Senate Bill 262 next goes to the Senate Finance Committee. Two Republicans, Sens. Cliff Pirtle, of Roswell, and Mark Moores, of Albuquerque, opposed the measure. The bill creates a public works interim committee comprised of 18 lawmakers to recommend projects to be funded in the follow legislative session.

2017 Leg

New Mexicans don’t want cuts, but lukewarm on tax hikes

By |

New Mexicans overwhelmingly oppose spending cuts on education and health care for the poor. But they also don’t want to see taxes on gasoline or internet purchases. They are willing to raise taxes on booze or tobacco and on those earning $200,000 or more a year, however. That’s according to a new poll commissioned by the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. “I think if you look at the percentage of folks who oppose education or Medicaid cuts, that percentage far outweighs the percentage of opposition there might be to any of the revenue measures,” said Edward Tabet-Cubero, executive director of the center.