Right-to-work bill sees more public comment, committee debate delayed

After a committee hearing that lasted more than five hours, right-to-work legislation remains in committee. With over four hours of public comment, the committee decided to debate HB 75 on Friday. The meeting got off to a rocky start. Originally scheduled for a committee room with a maximum occupancy of 120 people, the meeting was […]

Right-to-work bill sees more public comment, committee debate delayed

After a committee hearing that lasted more than five hours, right-to-work legislation remains in committee. With over four hours of public comment, the committee decided to debate HB 75 on Friday.

DSC_0095

The meeting got off to a rocky start. Originally scheduled for a committee room with a maximum occupancy of 120 people, the meeting was moved to the House floor about ten minutes before the meeting’s scheduled start. The move was to accommodate the large crowd.

After a quick move, the next speed bump came when the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Dennis Roch, R-Logan, announced he had drafted a substitute bill.

Rep. Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, addressed Committee Chair, Zach Cook, R-Ruidoso, and said the substitute was not given to the committee in advance. Substitute bills are not uncommon in committee meetings, but this year in at least one committee, a chair asked committee members to submit any proposed changes to bills at least 48 hours in advance.

DSC_0099

Egolf and other Democratic members argued that only Republicans have been allowed to make last-minute changes, a claim Rep. Nate Gentry, R-Albuquerque, said was untrue. Gentry said the committee has continually accepted “on-the-fly” amendments.

“The notion that this is a travesty is disingenuous,” Gentry told the committee.

After some debate, the committee decided to hear the bill.

Those in favor of right-to-work spoke for almost an hour.

Most of those in favor the proposed legislation were business owners  or leaders of business advocacy groups. Also among the speakers were a college student, a recent college graduate and a state employee.

State Personnel Interim Director Justin Najaka told the committee many workers will not speak out in favor of right-to-work because they are afraid of retaliation.

Those opposed to right-to-work laws echoed previous sentiments and spoke for more than three hours. They told the committee that unions are good for the state and the legislation is inherently anti-union.

After almost five hours of public comment, close to an hour from those in favor of right-to-work and more than three hours from those opposed the committee, Cook took suggestions from the committee on how to proceed. The conversation centered on when the committee would debate the bill and whether the debate would center around the original bill or Roch’s substitution.  The final decision from the committee was to reconvene on Friday.

DSC_0085

Right-to-work legislation has been a big issue during the 2015 legislative session. Supporters have argued that it is necessary for New Mexico to attract out-of-state businesses. Many have said that major companies will not even consider states without right-to-work laws. Opponents have claimed that by limiting unions’ ability to represent employees and that it is not a deciding factor for relocating businesses.

Currently, the federal Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, often referred to as Taft-Hartley, makes it illegal for union membership to be term of employment. It is still legal to withhold part of an employee’s pay in order to off-set the cost union negotiations, a process sometimes referred to as ‘Fair Share.’  If the Employee Preference Act is passed it would do away with Fair Share. Union leaders have argued that if employees do not help pay for collective bargaining and pay negotiations, the groups would lose money and wouldn’t be able to adequately protect workers.

The House Judiciary Committee will debate HB 75 on Friday at 1:30 p.m. without any public comment period. The bill could be heard on the House floor as early as next week.

We're ad free

That means that we rely on support from readers like you. Help us keep reporting on the most important New Mexico Stories by donating today.

Related

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List, a nonprofit that supports women candidates and reproductive rights, endorsed seven incumbents facing general election opponents in New Mexico legislative elections. All…
Equality New Mexico endorses 15 legislative candidates

Equality New Mexico endorses 15 legislative candidates

A New Mexico-based LGBTQ rights organization endorsed 15 candidates for state House and Senate seats for the 2024 elections.  Marshall Martinez, executive director of…
Lujan Grisham pocket vetoes two bills

Lujan Grisham pocket vetoes two bills

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham pocket vetoed two bills the legislature passed this legislative session: one changing the Cybersecurity Act and the other concerning law…
BLM announces final methane waste rule

BLM announces final methane waste rule

The federal Bureau of Land Management announced its final methane waste rule on Wednesday. These new regulations clamp down on the practice of venting…
What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

Migrating birds appear to have caused a virus in dairy cattle that is causing reduced milk production. So far, the disease, which initially started…
Republicans seek to limit national monument designations

Republicans seek to limit national monument designations

Republican-backed legislation in the U.S. Congress would make it harder for the government to designate new national monuments. The proposed Congressional Oversight of the…
Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican The main things that bring Brayan Chavez to school every day: Seeing, talking to and engaging with…
Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican Brittany Behenna Griffith has a laundry list of adjectives to describe the ideal special education teacher:…
Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican A challenging task awaits New Mexico lawmakers in the next 30 days: Reconciling three very different…
Health workers fear it’s profits before protection as CDC revisits airborne transmission

Health workers fear it’s profits before protection as CDC revisits airborne transmission

Amy Maxmen, KFF Health News Four years after hospitals in New York City overflowed with covid-19 patients, emergency physician Sonya Stokes remains shaken by…
Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Friday $10 million in funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act was awarded to six tribal nations and…
Proposal to curb executive powers moves to House Judiciary

Proposal to curb executive powers moves to House Judiciary

The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee discussed a potential constitutional amendment that seeks to limit the governor’s executive powers. The committee approved…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…
At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

Lawyers from the conservative Christian group that won the case to overturn Roe v. Wade are returning to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in pursuit…
Supreme Court to hear two abortion cases this spring

Supreme Court to hear two abortion cases this spring

Later this month, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the case against the abortion medication mifepristone. It will hear a second…
New Mexico Medicaid to cover cost of over-the-counter oral contraception

New Mexico Medicaid to cover cost of over-the-counter oral contraception

New Mexico Medicaid announced on Wednesday that it will cover the cost of Opill, the first oral contraception approved for over-the-counter use. It is…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…
At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

Lawyers from the conservative Christian group that won the case to overturn Roe v. Wade are returning to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in pursuit…
San Juan County, Navajo Nation settle redistricting case

San Juan County, Navajo Nation settle redistricting case

The Navajo Nation and San Juan County reached an agreement Monday about commission districts after the tribe alleged that its members were not adequately…
MIT ranks NM elections most well-run in the U.S.

MIT ranks NM elections most well-run in the U.S.

New Mexico’s 2022 election was ranked most well-run in the country by Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Election Data and Science Lab’s Elections Performance Index.…
Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List, a nonprofit that supports women candidates and reproductive rights, endorsed seven incumbents facing general election opponents in New Mexico legislative elections. All…
BLM announces final methane waste rule

BLM announces final methane waste rule

The federal Bureau of Land Management announced its final methane waste rule on Wednesday. These new regulations clamp down on the practice of venting…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…
What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

Migrating birds appear to have caused a virus in dairy cattle that is causing reduced milk production. So far, the disease, which initially started…

GET INVOLVED

© 2023 New Mexico Political Report