During the special legislative session, individual legislators may
be contacted by calling the legislative switchboard at (505)
986-4300 (Best in a fast-moving special session) or by email at
the legislator’s email address, if available, from Find
and Contact Your Legislator Link.
If you don't know your legislators you can also use this Link and your address to find your Representative and Senator.
Special Session Begins
The Regular Legislative Session ended February 18, with
no state budget for next year.
The Governor called a special session, which convened
yesterday afternoon.
The Senate met and introduced several bills. The
House met briefly and introduced a few bills, including a general
appropriations act and sever tax bills. The first tax bill had a
hearing in the House Taxation and Revenue Committee late yesterday evening.
The bill House Bill 3 would have raised cigarette taxes by 75 cents
per pack. The measure crucial to the plan to raise revenue
failed when all republicans and two democrats voted against it at the
urging or high-powered big business lobbyists. The vote was:
The cigarette tax is part of the budget package
top-ranking House and Senate members agreed to last week and its
rejection in committee illustrates the difficulty Lujan and other
House leaders are encountering in trying to secure enough votes to
move the package forward. They might try again tomorrow, but
this doesn't appear to be a good sign for leaders who hoped for quick
approval of their deal.
If your legislator voted against funding public schools, let them know
that you expect support on tax increases to prevent drastic cuts to
school funding!
Another piece of the budget plan House Bill 2, the General Appropriations Act received a do-pass
recommendation in the House Appropriations and Finance Committee. Under the budget
contained in the bill most state agencies would see a 2 (really 2.5,
see explanation below) percent cut in funding next year, though public
education would have its total funding reduced by about 1.2 (really
1.8, see explanation below) percent compared with this year's spending
level. The state's Department of Public Safety would be one of the
few, if not the only, agency to receive more funding under the terms
of the tentative agreement.
The complete plan worked out by legislative leadership
would result in slightly more than $233 million per year in new taxes
as well as less money for government services as the state grapples
with a projected deficit of between $500 million and $600 million for
the budget year that begins in July.
• The state's gross receipts tax base rate would jump from 5 percent
to 5.25 percent, generating an estimated $119 million per year. This
tax increase would be permanent.
• The tax on cigarettes would go up 75 cents per pack, from $1.66 .
The increase would generate about $36million annually. Smoke shops on
tribal lands would also agree to levy the tax, though tribal
governments would keep the extra revenue.
• Municipalities would impose their local gross receipts tax rate on
the purchase of food items. The state portion of the gross receipts
tax on food wouldn't be imposed, and the state would stop compensating
cities for their lost food tax revenue. This change would generate
about $71 million for the state.
Even with these tax increases (and with the failure
of the cigarette tax last night, they are anything but certain!),
education is still cut too deeply. The 1.2 % cut contained in
the body of the budget bill is increased by a "sanding" amendment
cutting another .544% from every line item in the budget!
Our message must continue to be:
No More Cuts to Public Schools. Raise the
revenue necessary to prevents cuts in funding to public schools and
other vital government services!
Education Partners' Poll on school funding and revenues
Follow this
link for legislation that passed in the regular session
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