Santa Fe, NM – The New Mexico Senate Finance Committee on Thursday unanimously approved House Bill 247, a measure designed to address the state’s growing backlog of unspent capital outlay funds, which currently totals approximately $7 billion. The bill, sponsored by Representative Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo, limits the reauthorization of capital projects, a practice lawmakers say has contributed to the accumulation of idle funds.
Senator George Muñoz, D-Gallup, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, described the change as “overdue,” emphasizing the lack of benefit from the substantial funds remaining unspent. The bill previously passed the House with a 48-20 vote.
The city of Santa Fe is among those seeking reauthorization of previously allocated capital outlay funds, requesting $1.7 million for projects ranging from road construction to affordable housing initiatives and police equipment upgrades.
In separate legislative action, the Senate also saw the passage of Senate Bill 21, authored by freshman Senator Rex Wilson, R-Ancho, though not without some playful challenges from his colleagues. The bill mandates that Medicare supplement policy issuers provide a 60-day open enrollment period annually, beginning on the first day of a policyholder’s birthday month, for individuals aged 65 and older.
During debate, Senators engaged in a series of lighthearted inquiries regarding the bill’s provisions, revealing that Wilson is a Capricorn. Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, jokingly claimed to have received 100 emails from Wilson’s hometown of Ancho opposing the legislation, suggesting the correspondence may have originated from the local livestock population. Wilson responded with a tongue-in-cheek reference to the voting habits of baby calves in Ancho.
The bill initially failed a vote of 9-27, prompting Senate Minority Leader Bill Sharer to move for reconsideration. Following the motion, SB 21 passed with a unanimous 36-0 vote, garnering support from Aging Department Cabinet Secretary Emily Kaltenbach, who stated that the bill would “modernize our Medigap protections and bring New Mexico in line with a growing number of states working to ensure Medicare beneficiaries have greater flexibility and security.”
Lawmakers also approved House Bill 291, the annual tax code cleanup bill, with a 59-8 vote in the House. Sponsored by Representative Lente, the bill addresses loopholes in the film tax credit, clarifies the technology jobs and research and development tax credit and adjusts the tobacco products tax. It also allows the Taxation and Revenue Department, including the Motor Vehicle Division, to round tax amounts to the nearest five cents, aligning with the federal elimination of the penny.
House Republicans criticized the majority for rejecting an amendment proposed by Representative Mark Duncan, R-Kirtland, which sought to eliminate taxes on tips, overtime pay, and social security benefits, as well as introduce additional tax cuts and credits. Duncan argued that Democrats had prioritized government spending over providing tax relief to working families.
the Senate passed Senate Bill 40, known as the Driver and Safety Privacy Act, by a vote of 32-8. The bill restricts the sharing of data collected by automated license plate readers, prohibiting the sale or sharing of information with third parties if there is a reasonable belief it could be used for immigration enforcement, to investigate or punish protected health care activities – including abortion and transgender care – or to infringe upon constitutional rights. The bill now heads to the House Judiciary Committee.
Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, the bill’s sponsor, cited concerns raised by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico regarding out-of-state entities accessing New Mexico license plate data to investigate women’s health care decisions and immigration cases as the impetus for the legislation. He emphasized that the bill does not impede law enforcement’s use of the data for legitimate purposes.
Senator Candy Spence Ezzell, R-Roswell, offered a brief moment of levity during a Senate floor debate when a fire alarm briefly evacuated the Capitol, quipping, “I grasp I have red hair but I did not do that, Madame President.”
