Legislative roundup
Days remaining in session: 10 Health bills pass: The House Health Committee approved two of three bills introduced by Rep. Deborah Armstrong, D-Albuquerque, to amend health insurance and health care laws.
On a bipartisan 7-2 vote, the committee approved House Bill 556 to expand New Mexico health insurance coverage to include long-term rehabilitation services for people with brain injuries. “There is a woeful lack of rehabilitation services for people with brain injuries who are past the acute stage in New Mexico,” said Armstrong, who worked as a physical therapist.
The committee also approved Armstrong’s HB 273, which would allow people with insurance to buy their prescription medicines from mail-order pharmacies or community pharmacies without a difference in copayments or reimbursement.
The committee couldn’t decide what to do with Armstrong’s HB 504, which would define and expand insurance coverage for contraceptives, family planning, gynecology and pregnancy services. The New Mexico Attorney General’s Office said the bill matches requirements under the federal Affordable Care Act, but said a section allowing unconditional health care confidentiality might contradict other federal laws. Motions to table and to pass that bill both tied, 5-5 along party lines, with Democrats voting for the bill and Republicans against.
Taos development: The Senate, by a vote of 40-2, approved SB 556 to authorize the Village of Taos Ski Valley’s Tax Increment Development District to issue $44 million in tax-exempt bonds for public infrastructure improvements including, paving, water and sewer lines, underground electric, gas and fiber optics, a river walk and plaza.
The bonds would be backed by a portion of the anticipated increases in gross receipts and property taxes.
Sen. Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa, the bill’s sponsor, said there was very little risk associated with the bonds because of the personal wealth and commitment of Louis Bacon, the billionaire hedge fund founder who bought the Taos ski resort about a year ago and has already invested in a new lift and expanded snowmaking capacity. Bacon also plans new condos and townhouses and more than 100 new hotel rooms.
Police consolidation: State senators voted 31-9 Tuesday to reorganize the New Mexico Department of Public Safety.
The bill would consolidate operations of three units: the Motor Transportation Division, the Special Investigations Division and the Training and Recruiting Bureau.
Sen. Sander Rue, R-Albuquerque, is sponsor- ing the bill, which now goes to the House of Representatives.
Solar tax credit: On a 37-5 vote, the Senate on Tuesday agreed to extend to Dec. 31, 2020, a tax credit for residential, commercial and agricultural solar market development. The tax credit is set to expire in 2016.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, maintains a $3 million annual cap on the tax credit, which is equal to up to 10 percent of the total cost of a solar photovoltaic power system.
Use of the credit has been maxed out since 2011, with applications continuing to roll over until the credit is available, according to the state Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department.
“This is a jobs bill,” Stewart said in a statement. “There are more than 60 solar businesses in New Mexico employing thousands of people across the state. These jobs are homegrown and cannot be outsourced.”
A mirror bill in the House, HB 70, has passed one committee and is scheduled for the House Ways and Means Committee.
Looking ahead: The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee is scheduled to hear HB 278, sponsored by Rep. Jim Smith, R-Sandia Park, and Sen. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, which would require independent groups that buy political ads to disclose their contributors. The committee meets at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in Room 307.
The Senate Public Affairs Committee on Thursday is scheduled to hear SB 653, which would make the state compliant with the federal Real ID law but still allow residents without proof of immigration status to obtain a New Mexico driver’s license. The committee meets in the afternoon in Room 321 after the Senate floor session.