A newly established state division could help small businesses across the state promote local artists and creative industries. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recently signed a bill into law to add the Creative Industries Division to the Economic Development Department. “As we strive to diversify our economy, we must lift up the heart and soul of New Mexico: our creativity,” House Majority Whip Reena Szczepanski told NM Political Report via email. “From flamenco studios; to potters and furniture makers; to tech, design, and architecture, this division will unlock the incredible economic potential of our creative and cultural industries. Boosting our creative industries will generate good jobs and a larger global footprint for rural, tribal, and urban communities throughout the state…In this first year, we’re looking for a dynamic and dedicated division to come together and begin this important work, and we will be working with the enormous team of creatives from every corner of the state that have been integral to passing this bill to make sure we succeed.”
Szczepanski, a Santa Fe Democrat, along with Las Cruces Democrat Sen. Jeff Steinborn, were two of the five sponsors of HB 8 which established the Creative Industries Division.
A $7.4 billion budget that would increase state government spending by 4.8 percent in the upcoming fiscal year cleared the New Mexico Senate along a mostly party-line vote Wednesday after an hourslong debate riddled with political potshots and last-minute amendments. “Not everybody’s going to like what’s in the budget,” said Sen. George Muñoz, a Gallup Democrat who is the Senate Finance Committee chairman. “Not everybody can get everything they want, but we can try.” The proposed budget calls for $3.35 billion in public education spending, a 5.8 percent increase; $300 million for road projects around the state; $200 million in pandemic recovery grants for businesses; and $34 million to help shore up the pension fund for the state’s educators. The proposal also includes about $64 million for a 1.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment for all state government, public school and higher education employees.
New Mexico Environment Secretary James Kenney told state lawmakers his agency needs more staffing to inspect worker safety violations, ensure businesses are preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus and better protect the state’s air and water quality. Kenney implored members of the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday to approve a $3.7 million increase in the Environment Department’s budget for fiscal year 2022, saying it would beef up understaffed teams that probe workplace safety issues.
The increase would raise the agency’s general fund budget to $16.8 million and be on par with the 28 percent bump the governor has proposed.
“That is, all things considered, a very modest increase,” Kenney said. “That investment in the Environment Department — $3.7 million — will definitely save lives [and] protect public health and the environment.”
In all, the agency’s revenue last year was $90.7 million, counting grants and fees collected.
The Legislative Finance Committee recommended keeping the agency’s general fund allocations the same as last year’s, which Kenney argued was not enough to provide effective oversight.
Kenney said the requested funding increase is the difference between the agency being able to investigate workplace complaints and deaths and leaving those incidents unchecked.
Probing workplace violations through the state office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is imperative in New Mexico, where worker deaths are 77 percent higher than the national average, Kenney told the committee.
The agency’s budget was cut by 42 percent in the last three years that former Gov. Susana Martinez was in office, Kenney said. It has regained about 22 percent of its spending but is still operating at a lower funding level than it requires, he said.
The agency has a vacancy rate of 17.7 percent, which adds up to 63 jobs that should be filled, Kenney said.
None of the committee members spoke against the requested increase.
Sen. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, expressed strong support, saying the agency’s mission should be a priority in New Mexico.
The committee is considering hefty increases in spending on economic development and tourism, he said.
“And those are great things, but I would hope we’d all agree that environmental protection and protecting public health are at least equally important,” Steinborn said.
Subpar environmental oversight can hurt economic development because companies don’t want to locate in places that are unhealthy and unsafe, he added. The proposed budget includes a $1.7 million for rapid responses to workplaces where one or more employees tested positive for COVID-19.
New Mexico’s governor and other statewide elected officials would get 15 percent raises starting in 2023, under a bill approved Thursday by the state Senate. The proposal, Senate Bill 547, next goes to the House of Representatives for consideration. The state’s five public regulation commissioners, who are elected from districts, also would receive 15 percent increases. Salaries for the governor and other statewide elected officials were last increased in 2002. Sens.
A state Senate committee voted Friday for a bill allowing New Mexico’s taxpayer-funded Spaceport to shield from public view the identity of its customers and other records. The Judiciary Committee voted 7-0 to advance the measure that Spaceport America says is crucial for it to attract private companies. Dan Hicks, executive director of the Spaceport, said companies interested in locating at the $209 million enterprise in Sierra County want to keep private the intellectual property they would bring with them. Republican Sen. Bill Burt of Alamogordo, one of the bill’s sponsors, said the measure is important to New Mexico taxpayers. Landing companies that can help make the Spaceport successful is crucial if the public is to recoup its investment in the project, Burt said.
The Legislature sent a final $6.2 billion budget to the governor’s desk with less than 24 hours left in the legislative session. The budget is the main reason for the Legislature to meet each year and is really the only “must-pass” piece of legislation. The House voted 57-10 to concur with changes made by the Senate that cut large amounts from the budget. The governor will now get the budget and will be able to sign or veto, including line-item vetoes. The cuts came in large part because of plummeting oil and natural gas prices.
