Legislative session enters final week

Mar. 11—The New Mexico Legislature is entering its final week of a 60-day session. Legislators who represent Curry and Roosevelt counties — all Republicans — favor stronger criminal penalties and have unanimously opposed a bill that would support abortion and gender-changing services, which would invalidate local ordinances.

The "Reproductive and Gender Affirming Health Care" bill received Senate approval on Tuesday and headed for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's desk. The bill passed the Senate on a vote of 23-15.

Sen. Pat Woods and Sen. Stuart Ingle, whose districts include Curry and Roosevelt counties, voted against the bill, as the House representatives for Curry and Roosevelt counties, did when the bill was approved by the House on Feb. 21.

Woods wrote in an email that the bill passed despite evidence presented by Republican Sen. Gregg Shmedes, a surgeon representing a central New Mexico district, that showed gender-affirming care to be a failure in Sweden. In fact, Woods stated based on Shmedes' information, Sweden closed facilities after a showing that gender-changing can actually cause harm.

Besides, Woods added, "I asked if this (bill) would bring an OB-GYN doctor to Clovis and received no answer. I have no confidence that this bill will bring in an OB-GYN doctor to Clovis."

"This bill purports to be about reproductive choice but they only wanted to talk about abortions and gender-confirming care," Woods concluded.

Rep. Andrea Reeb, District 64, and Rep. Martin Zamora, District 63, presented a joint response to the bill.

"HB 7 is direct attack on local control in New Mexico," they wrote in a joint email. "This measure will significantly limit local municipality's ability to pass ordinances that align with the values of individual communities."

The bill would counter ordinances passed in Clovis and Roosevelt County that would prohibit delivery of medicine or medical equipment used for abortion.

Rep. Jack Chatfield, Disrict 67, wrote, "I stand in strong opposition to abortions."

Anti-crime legislation

As of Thursday, there were several anti-crime bills that had passed the House but had not reached the Senate floor for votes. Most would increase penalties for offenses that include assaulting a peace officer and using firearms while committing drug felonies.

Ingle, R-Portales, said in an interview that he was waiting to see what appears in the Senate, but in general, he said, "I support tougher sentences for criminals. If they can put them away for another five years, it suits me fine."

Woods wrote, "I'm against crime. Violent offenders need to be removed from society. The non-violent offender needs to be punished appropriately. Regardless, everyone who breaks the law, needs to be held accountable."

Woods also wrote on Monday that the Senate Finance Committee, on which Woods has a seat, had not seen any crime bills.

Reeb, who recently retired as the Curry-Roosevelt county district attorney, expressed some disappointment in the progress of anti-crime legislation.

"It seems that most crime bills have screeched to a standstill in this session," she wrote in an email. "While that is not surprising, it is frustrating for so many New Mexicans that this crime crisis is not being taken seriously. Communities across our state are not safe and are demanding that we act and restore public safety."

Zamora stated that he, too, is frustrated with the pace of anti-crime legislation.

"Unfortunately, this Legislature is unwilling to hold criminals accountable for their actions," he wrote. "Since I began serving, the (L)egislature has made it easier for criminals and we have seen significant increases in crime across the state."

Chatfield wrote, "The ultra-progressive agenda has resulted in a significant increase in violent crimes, homicides, and homelessness. "

He added, "I strongly support legislation to sufficiently fund our law enforcement agencies to restructure sentencing laws to keep violent criminals in jail."

Capital outlay

Capital outlay authorizations are also awaiting action as the 2023 legislative session enters its final week.

The News asked legislators about their priorities for capital outlay, and whether expectations of a windfall in tax revenues was resulting in excessive demands from local interests for capital outlay funds.

Woods wrote, "I try to support those projects that have the most beneficial effect on a community."

Individual projects he hopes to see make the capital outlay cut in Curry County include, Clovis street light installation, Clovis Roy Walker Improvements, Curry County Livestock Pavilion construction, and Eastern Plains Council of Government office building improvements. He also listed projects in Quay, Harding and Union counties, other counties that Woods represents.

Ingle said in an interview, "Each senator got about $5 million to put into their district. I have five counties to split it up among, including Curry, Roosevelt, Chaves, Lea and De Baca."

He added, "It doesn't mean we'll get it all. We won't know until it actually passes."

Ingle pointed out that the House has its own capital outlay distributions.

"We don't mess with theirs, and they don't mess with ours," he said, "except to try to avoid single projects getting funds from both sources."

On the House side, Zamora wrote, "I have used a portion of my capital outlay funds to support parks infrastructure and the Roy Walker Center.

He added, "I believe that our funds should be expended to support the most at-need in our community, and I want to make sure that our children have the best recreation opportunities to encourage growth and future success."

Reeb wrote, "I was able to use my capital outlay funds to support our downtown MainStreet, and other road infrastructure projects across our county. I also was able to use funds to support our parks and the Roy Walker Center, and helped fund a planning project for a future Curry County Sports and Recreation Center."

Chatfield wrote that he has been working with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on supporting a planned regional behavioral health center that would serve east central New Mexico counties, including Curry and Roosevelt counties as well as other counties included in Chatfield's district, including Quay and Union counties.

"This is a $45 million effort, and I am hopeful that with support from many lawmakers and the governor," he wrote, "we can ensure that our entire region receives much needed behavioral health support."

Omnibus tax bill

The News also asked legislators about a proposed omnibus tax bill, which would combine other tax bills proposed in the session into a single piece of legislation.

Woods wrote of the omnibus tax bill, "The only good thing it does is provide rebates. Everything else is anti-business. Because of the anti-business aspects of the bill, I will not support it."

Other legislators did not comment on the tax bill.

Other legislation

Woods alone offered comments about bills he would realistically like to see passed before the session ends on Saturday.

"I strongly favor SB105 which would require two people on trains that pass thru New Mexico," he wrote. "We don't need trains that can exceed three miles in length passing through New Mexico's wide-open spaces without anyone on them."

Woods said he would also support a Senate bill that would allow the state's Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department "to contract and conduct forest fire prevention."

He said he also supports a House bill cosponsored by Chatfield that would make it possible to have federal funding for half of the cost of meat inspection. Chatfield has said this bill would support an expansion of meat packing in New Mexico and reduce New Mexico cattle ranchers' dependence on corporate-controlled meat packing plants in Texas.

Woods said he also supports bills that would allow New Mexico Lottery winners to remain anonymous and a bill aimed at livestock theft that "will tie the severity of the punishment to the value of the loss."

Ingle also mentioned a voting rights bill that the Senate was set to consider on Wednesday.

He would not support new voting rights measures, he said, because "voting rights don't need to change."

Current measures on voting rights, he said, are adequate enough that "if you don't vote, it's because you're too darned lazy."

On voting rights, Woods wrote, it "should be reasonable to require proof of ID and residence at the time of registration."

"What is unreasonable is to make a permanent absentee voter list," he added. "How many ballot applications will be sent to people who have moved without informing the county clerk? How many Christmas cards do you get returned every year?"

Early last week, Woods weighed in on bills that would raise minimum wage and expand family leave allowances for employees in the state.

"Minimum wage increase fuels inflation,'" he wrote in an email. "Any time you increase money in the economy without increasing products and services, that increase is eaten up by higher prices on goods and services and increases the cost of living."

On the family leave enhancement bill, he wrote, "Not everyone who has a baby needs time off. Time off to help a family member is a broad statement."

"As this is written," he wrote, "everyone in the family who works for a different employer could apply for time off to help one person."

The bill's provisions that allow time off for employees facing abusive behavior, Woods wrote, "make the employer fund an employee's actions for self-defense."

If such a benefit becomes available, he said, people are likely to abuse it.

"It takes away from productivity and sooner or later puts that job at risk," Woods wrote.

Woods also criticized a bill that would charge parents whose children get unauthorized access to firearms with a misdemeanor if their child is caught using the weapon to threaten others, and a felony if the child kills someone with a gun.

Woods said he would rather see laws that punish parents who do not ensure their children attend school or allow their children to bully others.