LETTER TO THE EDITOR BY SENATOR SANDER RUE, REPUBLICAN, ALBUQUERQUE, PUBLISHED FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2010
“Particulars on government expenditures and taxation should be plain and available to all if the oversight by the people is to be effective.”
-- Thomas Jefferson
With that quote in mind, I introduced SB 195 at the 2010 Legislative session. This bill will create what we’re calling a Sunshine Portal. Lt. Governor Diane Denish signed the bill into law on March 5. The Sunshine Portal is a web site that will provide every New Mexico citizen with important information on the state’s finances and overall fiscal health. More importantly, with the veil of concealment pulled away, it will provide citizens with information to effectively oversee the operation of state government.
Transparency in government is critical right now. Creating a transparent government helps to overcome the growing mistrust people have with government at all levels. One way to reverse the skepticism many feel toward state government is to open the financial data and the decision making process to citizens. Armed with real and accurate data, and given the time to consider it, citizens will be more confident and better able to work with elected officials – and if appropriate – challenge some of decisions being made with regard to government investment and spending.
Much significant – and previously largely unavailable -- information will be in a user-friendly format on the Sunshine Portal. Here is just a brief list of the information the public will be able to find:
• A directory of all political appointees working in state government by state agency, showing each position’s title, salary and political appointee’s name.
• State agency contracts with a total value of more than $20,000, naming both the recipients and purposes of the contracts.
• State cash balances by account or fund.
• Monthly summaries of the state’s investment accounts managed by the State Investment Council.
• Annual operating budgets for each state agency with monthly expenditures by category.
• Appropriations for capital projects, identified by location, type, and funding source.
• Links to an open meetings website where each agency will post all scheduled open meetings.
• An annual summary of the state’s fiscal health, including the state budget, revenue projections, and expenditures for the previous fiscal year.
The Sunshine Portal will also provide additional information that will assist the public in understanding state government operations and management of taxpayer dollars. For the first time, the public will have the opportunity to find out how every state agency is managing its budget and contributing to – or being detrimental to -- the state’s fiscal health.
With the economy staggering, every dollar state government spends matters. The Sunshine Portal will also provide an opportunity to evaluate whether tax dollars are being spent efficiently and effectively.
The Sunshine Portal is a powerful tool. But like any tool and not a magic bullet, it must be utilized by the citizens to be truly effective. As citizens, we must re-commitment ourselves to the true nature of democracy and make real Jefferson’s notion. We must equip ourselves with the information that allows us to effectively oversee the efficiency and effectiveness of government. When fully operational beginning in July of 2011, the Sunshine Portal will provide the first step in this process.
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Friday, March 12, 2010
For Immediate Release Friday, March 05, 2010 Contact: 986-4702
Exempt Employee Names to be Public,
On-line – State’s Financial Info to be Accessible-Bill Signed into Law Friday
Acting Governor, Lt. Governor Diane Denish signs legislation as sponsor Senator Rue looks on.
SB 195/a – Sunshine Portal Transparency Act- Senator Sander Rue, Signed into law
SB 55- Missing Persons Act- Senator Sander Rue- signed into law
Santa Fe- The names of all exempt employees, their title, and salary will be made public, easily viewed on-line because SB 195/a has been signed into law today. State Senator Sander Rue of Albuquerque sponsored SB 195/a- The Sunshine Portal Transparency Act. He said the information had not been very transparent or easily accessible by the public, prompting the public to ask, “What are they hiding?”
In addition to positions and salaries being easily accessed, the new statute requires creating a new website with the state’s financial and budget information, all free and open to the public.
At the bill signing news conference today, Senator Rue said, “I am most excited because we will get more public input into how state government should be run. They will be able to go on-line and easily see budget line-items and see how their tax dollars are being spent.” Senator Rue said it will be more than a website for centralized, convenient and freely accessible information about government finances. He said it will allow citizen’s the access they need to do their civic duty of overseeing government.
At the news conference today, Senator Rue thanked Lt. Governor Diane Denish for her support of the legislation and he thanked Representative Nathan Cote for carrying the bill in the House. Lt. Governor Diane Denish signed the legislation as acting governor because the governor was out of state.
The statute allows for time to get the information up and running. The bill calls for the information to be available on-line, in an easily understood webpage by July 1, 2011.
Lt. Governor Diane Dennish signed into law another bill that Senator Sander Rue sponsored. The need for SB 55- Missing Persons Act was brought to light after 11 women’s bodies were discovered buried on the West Side of Albuquerque last year. Their killer or killers still have not been caught or charged in the alleged murders.
The new statute is designed to help locate missing children and adults faster and more effectively in New Mexico. The information provides for a developing a more comprehensive approach to finding missing people. Senator Rue said, “We will have a comprehensive and centralized missing persons statute that combines various statutes pertaining to missing children and adults.” Senator Rue said he was pleased the bill requires law enforcement to undergo training on the procedures of reporting and investigating missing people.
For Immediate Release Monday, March 08, 2010 Contact: Senator Ryan- 505-238-3733
Get Going on Merit- Based Pay to be Competitive for National Grant
“Get innovative, get merit based pay for teachers, get the millions in grant money.” Those are the words of advice from the State Senator who sponsored the Senate Memorial asking the New Mexico Department of Education (PED) to study ways, such as merit based pay, to reward educators who have outstanding results in the classroom. Now Senator John Ryan is saying, “Get going or continue to lose millions in grant money.”
According to news reports, New Mexico has recently been notified that it failed to be named a finalist for the Race to the Top grants from the U.S. Secretary of Education. There is expected to be a second round of applications and grants.
Senator Ryan said his Senate Memorial 38 requests that the PED work with educators and teachers’ unions in designing a merit pay program for teachers and principals who are successful and to present their system to the legislature next session.
Now, because the PED’s application for approximately $200 million in grant money from the federal government was not competitive enough to be a finalist for the funding, Senator Ryan said the PED needs to become innovative and seriously look at a merit based pay system in its educational reform efforts. Ryan says he believes the state lost out of the first round because it state does not have the innovative rewarding system necessary to be competitive for the grant.
“Having a system that rewards good teachers and is able to fire bad teachers is certainly important for our kids in the classroom and we are finding such an innovative system is critical to win millions in federal educational reform grant dollars to help improve our students’ education even more. It is a win, win situation. But it needs to be explored and included now in our educational reform plan,” Senator John Ryan said. Ryan said “The “Race to the Top” educational grant program through the Obama administration is weighing more favorably applicants who are adopting this innovative approach of rewarding teachers. If the state fails to include merit based pay again in its second round of applications the state might not be competitive again and could fail in securing this grant, and thereby shortchanging our students.”
Senator Ryan said the state has applied for the $200 million dollar grant to pay for educational reform and innovation in the classroom from the federal government through the “Race to the Top” grant program. Congress has dedicated $100 billion to better schools, with strings attached. The program, implemented by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan rewards innovation and accomplishment.
Senator Ryan said the PED needs to think of what opportunities New Mexico students can gain with this type of educational reform and what it could do with the millions it could earn for the state of New Mexico’s educational reform efforts and not be so concerned about the reaction from teachers’ unions if teacher pay is based on their job performance in the classroom.
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Get Going on Merit- Based Pay to be Competitive for National Grant
“Get innovative, get merit based pay for teachers, get the millions in grant money.” Those are the words of advice from the State Senator who sponsored the Senate Memorial asking the New Mexico Department of Education (PED) to study ways, such as merit based pay, to reward educators who have outstanding results in the classroom. Now Senator John Ryan is saying, “Get going or continue to lose millions in grant money.”
According to news reports, New Mexico has recently been notified that it failed to be named a finalist for the Race to the Top grants from the U.S. Secretary of Education. There is expected to be a second round of applications and grants.
Senator Ryan said his Senate Memorial 38 requests that the PED work with educators and teachers’ unions in designing a merit pay program for teachers and principals who are successful and to present their system to the legislature next session.
Now, because the PED’s application for approximately $200 million in grant money from the federal government was not competitive enough to be a finalist for the funding, Senator Ryan said the PED needs to become innovative and seriously look at a merit based pay system in its educational reform efforts. Ryan says he believes the state lost out of the first round because it state does not have the innovative rewarding system necessary to be competitive for the grant.
“Having a system that rewards good teachers and is able to fire bad teachers is certainly important for our kids in the classroom and we are finding such an innovative system is critical to win millions in federal educational reform grant dollars to help improve our students’ education even more. It is a win, win situation. But it needs to be explored and included now in our educational reform plan,” Senator John Ryan said. Ryan said “The “Race to the Top” educational grant program through the Obama administration is weighing more favorably applicants who are adopting this innovative approach of rewarding teachers. If the state fails to include merit based pay again in its second round of applications the state might not be competitive again and could fail in securing this grant, and thereby shortchanging our students.”
Senator Ryan said the state has applied for the $200 million dollar grant to pay for educational reform and innovation in the classroom from the federal government through the “Race to the Top” grant program. Congress has dedicated $100 billion to better schools, with strings attached. The program, implemented by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan rewards innovation and accomplishment.
Senator Ryan said the PED needs to think of what opportunities New Mexico students can gain with this type of educational reform and what it could do with the millions it could earn for the state of New Mexico’s educational reform efforts and not be so concerned about the reaction from teachers’ unions if teacher pay is based on their job performance in the classroom.
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GET MERIT-BASED PAY FOR TEACHERS, GET MILLIONS IN GRANT MONEY
LETTER TO THE EDITOR PUBLISHED MARCH 10, 2010Get innovative, Get Merit-based pay for Teachers, Get the Millions in Grant Money
In response to your Saturday article: “Gov., Denish Square Off” over New Mexico’s failure to qualify as a finalist for millions in federal education grant money, I take issue not only with our state leaders’ finger pointing over the failure to secure the grant in the first round but also with the Albuquerque Teachers Federation President who apparently worked against our application in a letter criticizing it. According to your article, Union President Ellen Bernstein…. “was concerned that the grant, as written, would add additional needless testing and paperwork to the work of classroom teachers.”
Despite Bernstein’s concern about “needless testing,” testing is an excellent measure of a student’s achievement and, therefore, a teacher’s performance in the classroom. I believe in testing students and basing teachers’ salaries on their performance in the classroom. I suggest that the Public Education Department (PED) heed the New Mexico State Senate’s wishes in Senate Memorial 38 that I sponsored and work with educators and teachers’ unions to design an innovative merit-based pay program that rewards successful teachers and more easily allows those who fail our students to be fired.
The second round of applications for the federal Race to the Top money are due June 1. It is critical that PED Secretary Veronica Garcia re-examine what was included in the state’s first application, especially how student and teacher performance related to merit awards in New Mexico. Such an examination could reveal whether the state is on track for an innovative merit-based teacher pay system that would benefit our students and also make us competitive in a second round of applications for the Race to the Top educational grant program where millions are available for schools that demonstrate innovative reforms.
-end-
In response to your Saturday article: “Gov., Denish Square Off” over New Mexico’s failure to qualify as a finalist for millions in federal education grant money, I take issue not only with our state leaders’ finger pointing over the failure to secure the grant in the first round but also with the Albuquerque Teachers Federation President who apparently worked against our application in a letter criticizing it. According to your article, Union President Ellen Bernstein…. “was concerned that the grant, as written, would add additional needless testing and paperwork to the work of classroom teachers.”
Despite Bernstein’s concern about “needless testing,” testing is an excellent measure of a student’s achievement and, therefore, a teacher’s performance in the classroom. I believe in testing students and basing teachers’ salaries on their performance in the classroom. I suggest that the Public Education Department (PED) heed the New Mexico State Senate’s wishes in Senate Memorial 38 that I sponsored and work with educators and teachers’ unions to design an innovative merit-based pay program that rewards successful teachers and more easily allows those who fail our students to be fired.
The second round of applications for the federal Race to the Top money are due June 1. It is critical that PED Secretary Veronica Garcia re-examine what was included in the state’s first application, especially how student and teacher performance related to merit awards in New Mexico. Such an examination could reveal whether the state is on track for an innovative merit-based teacher pay system that would benefit our students and also make us competitive in a second round of applications for the Race to the Top educational grant program where millions are available for schools that demonstrate innovative reforms.
-end-
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Senate Minority Whip Bill Payne
For Immediate Release Thursday, March 04, 2010 Contact: 986-4702
Different Day- Same Story
Today, Most Republican Senators Vote NO! To Raise Taxes- This time on Cigarettes
Santa Fe- Today, all but one New Mexico Republican Senators voted “no” to raise taxes on cigarettes, Wednesday, all Republican Senators voted “no” on a state budget that has no real spending cuts to address revenue shortfalls, on Tuesday, all Senate Republicans voted against the bill to increase taxes by $200 million in fiscal year 2011.
Today, as well as during the past two days of the special session, all Republican efforts to amend the tax increase in order to protect taxpayers were shot down.
Despite the Republican Senator efforts, the tax increases passed. Even the
Republican efforts to make the taxes temporary were killed on the Senate floor despite the taxes being paraded out to be “temporary” taxes.
The cigarette tax that is estimated to raise taxes by $33 million in fiscal year 2011 passed the Senate 25 to 15.
The original cigarette tax bill was proposed to shore up the state’s dwindling reserves, but changes were made to the bill and now part of it will be going to education. Some Senators say that is bad tax policy to use a questionable and possibly unreliable source of revenue to pay for a recurring expense.
Darkest Week In State Senate- NM Senator Kent Cravens
For Immediate Release Thursday, March 04, 2010 Contact: 505-986-4702 Darkest Week in State Senate Video and Senate Floor quote of State Senator Kent Cravens go to this address on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc20vC68S3w Santa Fe—“Darkest week in the State Senate.” That is how Albuquerque State Senator Kent Cravens described work in the State Senate as he voted once again against raising taxes. “The legislature is spending money the state does not have, on projects the our constituents do not want, “ Senator Cravens said on the Senate floor today. “We are asked to vote on the best bad deal we can get and I say we need to stay here until the state of New Mexico has a good budget that does not raise taxes and a long term plan to run state government with sustainable revenues and expenses based on realistic projections.” Senator Cravens voted against all tax increases and against the state budget because he said it did not sufficiently address spending cuts. “The average New Mexican is hurting, “Senator Cravens said. “New Mexicans expect leadership and all this legislature could come up with is shell- games, smoke and mirrors and band aids. I don’t call that leadership.”
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Senator Sue Wilson Beffort- Stop Richardson's Abusive Hiring Practices
New Mexico Senate Minority Office
For Immediate Release Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Contact: 505-986-4702
End Richardson’s Abusive Hiring Practices
Santa Fe—An effective way to stop Governor Bill Richardson’s abusive hiring practices will be presented to the New Mexico State Senate tonight.
State Senator Sue Wilson Beffort is introducing an amendment to the budget that would require political appointees hand-placed in classified positions be the first to be laid off in case an agency’s budget is overspent.
Senator Wilson Beffort calls Governor Richardson’s hiring practices abusive and states the public is sick and tired of him going against his own hiring freeze to hand place his political appointees in classified positions where they will be protected under the classified state employee system.
“The public has had enough. My amendment will root out these political appointees and say they are the first to go in cases where agencies need to balance their budgets,” Senator Wilson Beffort said. “In various cases these exempt employees were hand placed in the classified positions without having to go through the classified personnel system to qualify for the jobs. That is an abuse of the system and everyone knows it.”
Wilson Beffort’s amendment states that if an agency’s budget needs to be balanced by a reduction-in-force plan, those newly classified employees who used to be political employments at any time in the past four years would be the first to be terminated.
“Fair is fair. These pseudo classified appointees who did not play by the rules and who did not qualify for their positions like true classified employees did, should be the first to go. Those hired during the freeze should never have been placed in classified positions in the first place. They have cost taypayers more money than they should have,” Senator Wilson Beffort said.
For Immediate Release Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Contact: 505-986-4702
End Richardson’s Abusive Hiring Practices
Santa Fe—An effective way to stop Governor Bill Richardson’s abusive hiring practices will be presented to the New Mexico State Senate tonight.
State Senator Sue Wilson Beffort is introducing an amendment to the budget that would require political appointees hand-placed in classified positions be the first to be laid off in case an agency’s budget is overspent.
Senator Wilson Beffort calls Governor Richardson’s hiring practices abusive and states the public is sick and tired of him going against his own hiring freeze to hand place his political appointees in classified positions where they will be protected under the classified state employee system.
“The public has had enough. My amendment will root out these political appointees and say they are the first to go in cases where agencies need to balance their budgets,” Senator Wilson Beffort said. “In various cases these exempt employees were hand placed in the classified positions without having to go through the classified personnel system to qualify for the jobs. That is an abuse of the system and everyone knows it.”
Wilson Beffort’s amendment states that if an agency’s budget needs to be balanced by a reduction-in-force plan, those newly classified employees who used to be political employments at any time in the past four years would be the first to be terminated.
“Fair is fair. These pseudo classified appointees who did not play by the rules and who did not qualify for their positions like true classified employees did, should be the first to go. Those hired during the freeze should never have been placed in classified positions in the first place. They have cost taypayers more money than they should have,” Senator Wilson Beffort said.
New Mexico Senate Minority Office
For Immediate Release Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Contact: 505-986-4702
End Richardson’s Abusive Hiring Practices
Santa Fe—An effective way to stop Governor Bill Richardson’s abusive hiring practices will be presented to the New Mexico State Senate tonight.
State Senator Sue Wilson Beffort is introducing an amendment to the budget that would require political appointees hand-placed in classified positions be the first to be laid off in case an agency’s budget is overspent.
Senator Wilson Beffort calls Governor Richardson’s hiring practices abusive and states the public is sick and tired of him going against his own hiring freeze to hand place his political appointees in classified positions where they will be protected under the classified state employee system.
“The public has had enough. My amendment will root out these political appointees and say they are the first to go in cases where agencies need to balance their budgets,” Senator Wilson Beffort said. “In various cases these exempt employees were hand placed in the classified positions without having to go through the classified personnel system to qualify for the jobs. That is an abuse of the system and everyone knows it.”
Wilson Beffort’s amendment states that if an agency’s budget needs to be balanced by a reduction-in-force plan, those newly classified employees who used to be political employments at any time in the past four years would be the first to be terminated.
“Fair is fair. These pseudo classified appointees who did not play by the rules and who did not qualify for their positions like true classified employees did, should be the first to go. Those hired during the freeze should never have been placed in classified positions in the first place. They have cost taypayers more money than they should have,” Senator Wilson Beffort said.
For Immediate Release Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Contact: 505-986-4702
End Richardson’s Abusive Hiring Practices
Santa Fe—An effective way to stop Governor Bill Richardson’s abusive hiring practices will be presented to the New Mexico State Senate tonight.
State Senator Sue Wilson Beffort is introducing an amendment to the budget that would require political appointees hand-placed in classified positions be the first to be laid off in case an agency’s budget is overspent.
Senator Wilson Beffort calls Governor Richardson’s hiring practices abusive and states the public is sick and tired of him going against his own hiring freeze to hand place his political appointees in classified positions where they will be protected under the classified state employee system.
“The public has had enough. My amendment will root out these political appointees and say they are the first to go in cases where agencies need to balance their budgets,” Senator Wilson Beffort said. “In various cases these exempt employees were hand placed in the classified positions without having to go through the classified personnel system to qualify for the jobs. That is an abuse of the system and everyone knows it.”
Wilson Beffort’s amendment states that if an agency’s budget needs to be balanced by a reduction-in-force plan, those newly classified employees who used to be political employments at any time in the past four years would be the first to be terminated.
“Fair is fair. These pseudo classified appointees who did not play by the rules and who did not qualify for their positions like true classified employees did, should be the first to go. Those hired during the freeze should never have been placed in classified positions in the first place. They have cost taypayers more money than they should have,” Senator Wilson Beffort said.
New Mexico Senate Minority Office
For Immediate Release Wednesday, March 03, 2010 Contact: 505-986-4702
Bernalillo County to be Hit Hardest by
Tax Increases
Santa Fe- Senate Minority Whip Bill Payne who represents part of the far Northeast Heights of Albuquerque said Bernalillo County will be hit hardest by the multitude of tax increases the State Senate passed because compared to other counties it already has double the property taxes, levies upon levies and high gross receipts taxes. All of that on top of the bill that increases gross receipts taxes, increases personal income taxes and adds a new food tax will be astronomical for Bernalillo County.
All Senate Republicans voted against the bill to increase taxes by $200 million in fiscal year 2011 and all Republican efforts to amend the bill in order to protect taxpayers were shot down tonight.
Please see quotes on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEixF1sI1dI
And on www.newmexicorepublicansenators.com
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Quotes from Senate Minority Leader Stuart Ingle and Senator Kent Cravens
New Mexico Senate Minority Office
For Immediate Release Tuesday, March 02, 2010 Contact: 505-986-4702
All Senate Republicans Voted Against Bill to Increase Taxes $200 Million and All Republican Efforts to Protect Taxpayers were Shot Down TonightAudio and Video Available on YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAlJvNHhOVQ
For NM Senate Minority Leader Stuart Ingle
And at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqYj_u8n1_I
For NM Senator Kent Cravens
And at www.newmexicorepublicansenators.com
Santa Fe- All Senate Republicans voted against the bill to increase taxes by $200 million in fiscal year 2011 and all Republican efforts to amend the bill in order to protect taxpayers were shot down tonight.
The warnings and predictions that the temporary tax increases that were paraded out by the governor would never be “temporary” were absolutely correct.
But what was a surprise to Republican Senators who were not included in negotiations that crafted the tax increase bill was that the tax increases didn’t even start out as being temporary as the public was told it would be.
The bill that increases taxes by increasing the gross receipts tax; by increased personal income taxes; and by allowing local government to tax food does not make any of the increases temporary and a Republican effort to end the increases in two years was shot down.
One Republican amendment after Republican amendment to protect taxpayers against the omnibus tax increase bill on the Senate Floor tonight were killed largely on a partisan vote- with Republicans voting to protect taxpayers.
Senate Minority Leader Stuart Ingle who tried to amend the tax bill by putting a sunset clause on it reminded the Senate that the governor said in his budget address in early January that he would only support a “temporary revenue increase.” Senator Ingle quoted Governor Bill Richardson’s speech when Ingle read, “As we look to raise revenue to help us through this crisis, I will only support a temporary revenue increase that- automatically expires in three years or less.”
-more-
Republican State Senator Sander Rue of Albuquerque had a prediction two months that the governor’s temporary tax increase is an oxymoron, a combination of contradictory words.
Senator Rue warned the public to beware and questioned whether the public could really trust its elected officials enough to believe any tax increase in this state could be temporary.
His question was answered tonight. It will be answered again by the governor when he either lives up to budget speech where he said he “will only support a temporary revenue increase that automatically expires in three years or less.”
Note:
Governor Bill Richardson’s quote is available in his Jan. 5, 2010 budget news release on his website and is being faxed with the faxed copy of this news release.
NM Senate Republican Caucus Chair Dianna J. Duran- Special Session Scary Picture
New Mexico Senate Minority Office
NM Senate Caucus Chair Reacts to Democrat Leadership Proposals to Raise Taxes more than to Cut Spending to Balance State Budget Facing $600 Million Shortfall
Santa Fe--New Mexico Senate Minority Chair Dianna J. Duran will appear on KCHF TV tonight, Tuesday, March 2 at 11:30 p.m. as she discusses the special session of the legislature and the democrat leadership’s proposals to increase taxes more than cut state government to balance the state’s budget which is facing an estimated $600 million dollar shortfall.
A preview of the program can also be seen on You Tube at this address:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U7GorK1Kdg
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Senators Leavell and Kernan Support Lower Utility Rates
For Immediate Release Monday, March 01, 2010 Contact: 986-4702
Photo Caption: Lea County Manager Mike Beverly and his wife Karen visited Senators Carroll Leavell (Carlsbad) and Gay Kernan (Hobbs) at the capitol after the County Manager testified at the EIB public hearing today. Senators Leavell and Kernan are in Santa Fe for the Special Session of the State Legislature.
SE NM Senators Still Fearful of Skyrocketing Utility Rates after Receiving Update On Environmental Improvement Board Hearing
Santa Fe- State Senator Carroll Leavell (Hobbs) and State Senator Gay Kernan (Hobbs) are concerned as ever about potential skyrocketing utility rates in Lea County and throughout New Mexico. Today they received an update on testimony presented at an Environmental Improvement Board (EIB) public hearing. The testimony opposes the proposed EIB regulations and limits to emissions from industry including power plants that could send electric rates flying.
Senator Leavell said he hopes today’s testimony by a number of people representing Lea County will have an eye awakening impact on the state’s Environmental Improvement Board’s plan to impose impossible limits to the amount of carbon dioxide, known as green house gas, that can be emitted into the atmosphere.
“No other state has the restrictive limits the Environmental Improvement Board wants to impose here in New Mexico. I have always believed the EIB has overstepped its authority and its proposal regarding green house gas emissions will be very harmful to Lea County industry. All of the testimony presented to me today further confirms my belief,” Senator Leavell said. “I appreciate the Lea County Manager and all others who represented Lea County and its interests for testifying at today’s hearing.”
Both Senators Leavell and Kernan, as well as Representatives Bill Gray and Don Bratten are plaintiffs in a lawsuit to stop the EIB from usurping its authority to create and legislate laws that would cap green house gas emissions to amounts less than what they were 20 years ago.
Senator Kernan said she is hopeful the efforts of so many in protesting the proposed regulations at today’s hearing will have a positive impact on all of the state.
“I want to express my appreciation to the citizens of Lea County and Southeast New Mexico for taking the time to be present at the EIB hearing,” Senator Kernan said. “The testimony and support by private individuals should have a huge impact on all the citizens of New Mexico in recognizing the detrimental impact of the action of this EIB board in regarding green housing emission cap.”
Lea County Manager Mike Beverly and his wife Karen visited Senators Leavell and Kernan at the capitol after the public hearing.
Lea County Manager Beverly told the Senators about his testimony to the board that the cap on green house gas to 25% of 1990 levels would severely affect utility customers because a number of plants would have to close because they would not be able to meet the onerous restrictions.
“There is no current technology to execute the target in a reliable manner. The result will be the most regressive tax possible on the citizens of New Mexico,” Mike Beverly said.
He said this was the first public hearing and that most testimony was opposed to the petition for an executive order to put in place the restrictions. More technical hearings will be held in coming months.
‘If it is not stopped electric rates in Lea County will go through the roof,” Karen Beverly said.
Mike Beverly said those who testified in opposition of the restrictions today included the Lovington School Superintendent, the Lea County Electric Co-op and representatives from Xcel Energy.
Mike Beverly said Congressional representatives are being asked to develop reasonable federal rules and regulations because carbon monoxide emissions respect no state boundaries and limiting them is not a state issue.
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Monday, March 1, 2010
Special Session- Tax Increasing Disaster, Scary
For Immediate Release Monday, March 01, 2010 Contact: 505-986-4702 Special Session: “Tax Increasing Disaster” “Scary Picture” for NM “Complicated Shell Game” Santa Fe- One Republican State Senator is calling the special session of the State Legislature that began today a “tax increasing disaster” while the Republican Senate Caucus Chair said it is setting up “a scary picture” for all New Mexicans and that Republicans were not included in the process leading up to the special session that is creating a “complicated shell game” to confuse tax payers. “It is a pretty scary picture, a pretty scary situation and a dire situation,” Senate Minority Caucus Chair Dianna J. Duran said. “We need to talk about cutting spending and not only increasing taxes. We have a lot to discuss and I am very concerned that these tax increase proposals are going to be pushed through the legislature without input from the public who will be affected by these tax increases. The Republicans have been left out of the process that developed these tax cutting bills and I fear these tax increases will pass before the public is even aware of what is happening up here.” According to the Senate Majority Leader, the special session that began this afternoon to produce a balance budget for fiscal year 2011could be over tomorrow night. State Senator John Ryan of Albuquerque said. “Oh boy, it is a disaster in my opinion. The deals that are being talked about are going in the wrong direction. I would much prefer that we talk about taking a major chunk out of state government’s budget that has increased over 51% in the past six or seven years that increases taxes.” The proclamation issued by Governor Bill Richardson includes, among other items: increasing the gross receipts tax; increasing compensating taxes; increasing the cigarette tax; and language to allow the repeal of the food tax deduction. ###
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