This is the 15th day of a 30-day legislative session. You would think that this means we are halfway through with the people’s work; however, that is far from the reality.
The late State Representative Bill Gray, whom we all miss, once reminded me that Santa Fe was 40 square miles surrounded by reality. The “reality” was a reference to us, the people of New Mexico, those who work every day and are governed too often by those out of touch with reality.
A perfect example of this is the “Clean Fuels” bill, which will add about 50 cents a gallon to the price of gasoline and diesel. The environmentalists are screaming that the sky is falling and if we pass this Bill we can save the planet from global warming. The fact is New Mexico’s very small population has no calculable effect on global warming, whether we drive electric vehicles or not.
But if we pass a bill that raises the cost of fuel 50 cents a gallon we will drastically effect the standard of living of all New Mexicans, especially those who live in rural areas and drive long distances every day. Unfortunately, a few of our major oil and gas companies stood in support of this bill because they will prosper from such foolishness: remember, they enhance their bottom line when smaller competitors are put out of business. The job of legislators is not about maximizing profit; it is about protecting you. It makes a difference where you buy your gasoline: remember that the next time you fill up.
This Fuels bill is a bad piece of legislation, and you should call every Senator and Representative to let them know that. This bill, HB 41, is sponsored by two northern New Mexico Democrats and supported by the Governor. We will probably hear it on the floor Wednesday or Thursday, and every New Mexican should be watching the webcast. (NMlegis.gov)
The next bill we hear will very probably be our budget bill, HB2. It is another bill that I can’t support. It has a few good things in it but those do not outweigh the bad. HB2 appropriates $10.19 billion in General Fund recurring spending for Fiscal Year 2025. This amount is $621 million more than FY 2024 recurring spending, or a 6.5% increase. A $621 million increase is an enormous amount for New Mexico’s budget—and completely irresponsible.
Tax cuts, which are needed in New Mexico, only account for 5.7% of the new budget.
This additional money Democrats want to spend belongs to the tax payers of New Mexico and that is why I have introduced a bill to reduce the Personal Income Tax rate for all New Mexicans to a level of 1%. This bill would return to hardworking New Mexicans nearly $1billion dollars to every New Mexican because it is their money and they should have the right to handle it personally, not have the government dole it out to them as if it were a gift.
Another troubling part of this budget is the drastic cuts in highway funds. We need our highways fixed—especially in rural New Mexico. We need them smoother and wider and safer for our people and our businesses and our economy and our tourists. With $3.5 billion dollars of new money in each of the last 2 years totaling over $7 billion of new money, not fixing our roads is inexcusable. Note that our Tax Committee passed a bill yesterday to allow upwards of $50 million dollars a year as a subsidy for people who buy electric vehicles.
So to say we are halfway done with the work of the people is not true. In my opinion, we haven’t started yet. We are instead trying to address the political whims of a handful of ideologues—not what the people of New Mexico need.
Jim Townsend
New Mexico House of Representatives
District 54
