Thursday, March 14, 2019Just Hours To Go: A Lobbyist's Lament, One Pot Bill Still Lives, GOP Senator Seeks Cover On Minimum Wage And Can Norway Show NM Something? Joe, both the House and Senate have had these signs up for a couple of weeks whenever they are on the floor. Lobbyists are no longer allowed to catch legislators on the floor like we use to before they are gaveled to order. This is what made New Mexico special and our legislators accessible. Well, it’s a tough sell. Feeling sorry for a lobbyist in Santa Fe is like feeling sympathy for the guy who just ran over your dog. But don't take it personal, lobbying corp. You notice how Senators this week quietly killed that bill that would have prohibited you from buying them any food or drink during the legislative sessions? They still like you--a lot. Just two full days to go in Session '19 before Saturday's noon adjournment. Here's what's catching our attention. . . Legal pot is dead but decriminalizing the possession of a small amount of the weed (up to half an ounce) is still on the table. ABQ Dem Sen, Jerry Ortiz y Pino reports; Senator Cervantes' SB323 has passed the Senate and has only one House committee referral, to Judiciary, before it reaches the floor there and is sent to the Governor. It is an improvement over what we do now, but not as broad a reform as we need if we are to have any hope of actually controlling drug use. Criminalizing it clearly hasn't worked, but decriminalizing it only does half the job: it leaves the illegal market controlled by gangs, cartels and dealers, unimpeded, free to squeeze millions in profit from New Mexicans.
House Judiciary has the bill on today’s calendar. The state reports that the bill would reduce the number of criminal cases in the courts. In 2018, there were 2,165 cases of people charged with possessing an ounce or less of marijuana. The Cervantes bill would make it a civil not a criminal offense for possession of up to half an ounce, punishable by a small fine. That would mean a lot of low income folks would avoid spending time in jail for smoking a joint.
As for the cartels, legalizing marijuana elsewhere isn't having much of an impact on them. A report here. HEARING FOOTSTEPS
Rue is one of three GOP metro Senators we've pinpointed as vulnerable to defeat at the hands of the Dems next year as BernCo grows increasingly blue. The others are the North Valley's Candace Gould, who has already drawn a Dem opponent, and GOP Sen. Mark Moores in NE ABQ. As for the minimum wage, it's tied up in knots as conservative Dem Senator Clemente Sanchez could not reach a compromise with the House which wants a higher boost (as does the Guv) than provided for in the Senate passed bill. The big cities already have their own minimums but outside of them the hourly wage is only $7.50 an hour and hasn't been raised in years. That's a lot of chile picking for a few dollars. There’s plenty of time for a compromise and a lot of low-wage workers are counting on one. LOOK OUT OCATE There's been nearly unanimous support for the proposal to apply the gross receipts tax to all Internet sales in the state. On-line giant Amazon already applies the tax but the House-passed tax bill applies it to all Internet sales. There is a minority view and Reader David Geary has it: Joe, you endorsed the Internet sales tax as it would “level the playing field” between online and local “brick and mortar” retailers. This view might work for metropolitan areas, like Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Las Cruces, but many New Mexicans are very rural, are on low or fixed incomes, and 40% of them are on Medicaid — indicative of their precarious livelihood. Take poor car-dependent families who live in Claunch or Ocate. They must drive as long as a 2-hour round trip for even mediocre shopping. Being able to order online, and have needed items delivered to them, is a real benefit. And what would the new tax be for them? The statewide sales tax rate, or that rate plus the added local sales tax to around 8%? Ouch! Fair points, David. To answer your question, the legislation would first apply the statewide gross receipts tax of 5.125% to on line sales but after two years the local GRT tax would also be applied. LOOK TO NORWAY  About the immense gobs of money being generated in the NM oil boom and how to best use the surpluses to move the needle in a positive direction, reader Douglas Carver writes:Joe, You've done a great job chronicling the changing financial fortunes in the state, thanks to the oil boom in the Permian Basin. When our bean counters look for models of what to do with this new-found and (for a change) possibly long-term wealth, we should look to Norway. Two good pieces demonstrating why are here and here. You want a dream for New Mexico? Becoming the Scandinavia of the United States. Those are good reads on how Norway, which generates $40 billion a year in oil revenue, has changed their social and economic landscape with the funds. We recommend them to our NM solons. Just one other thing, Douglas. Can we get the Scandinavian thing but keep our own weather? This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2019 |
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