Highlights and lowlights: An update on business priorities in the Legislature

Yahoo

23-02-2025

Feb. 23—It's fast and furious time.
That's how Terri Cole, president and CEO of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, described going into the last half of the Legislature. She and Adam Silverman, president of NAIOP New Mexico, were on the latest Business Outlook podcast episode to talk about progress at the Roundhouse.
On Cole's mind was the crime package, House Bill 8, moving through the Roundhouse. It's a six-bill package and a priority after last summer's very short special session on crime.
Cole said the criminal competency bill, an effort to allow for the involuntary commitment of certain civil and criminal defendants, and increasing penalties for fentanyl trafficking are good measures in the package, but she wants to see more — a sentiment echoed by Republicans and the Governor's Office.
"There's a lot that we can still do. We have about seven bills that we're going to be pressing hard on," Cole said, referring to measures like more aggressive penalties for juvenile offenders or felons who illegally possess firearms.
Silverman acknowledged all the bills aren't perfect, but it's time to try something.
"These are economic development issues," he said. "The stuff that gets decided on in the Roundhouse is felt much further than just what happens in that building. People around the country are watching. There are people that want to come to New Mexico, (but) we're on the bottom of all the bad lists."
Cole pointed out that education deters people from relocating to the state, as well.
Senate Bill 169 would allow the state to help public and private entities get site locations shovel-ready for developers to move in. It's something Cole and Silverman are very supportive of and has bipartisan support in the Roundhouse. It passed its first committee on a unanimous vote.
Silverman said it can take four or five months to get something like a water and sewer availability letter, which is required before a developer can apply for permits. Getting a head start on the process, he said, could really change both rural and urban areas in the state.
"It's something that will give a shot of adrenaline to the built environment in New Mexico," he said.
Cole added that it'll drive New Mexico to be more competitive against other states, a goal of many of the measures business leaders push for in the Legislature.
She also feels positive about the job training funds that are moving in the Roundhouse, she said.
What Cole believes will hurt the state is House Bill 11, an effort to create up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave and up to six weeks of paid medical leave, paid for by a state agency and premiums on employees and employers, respectively. She supports a more straightforward Republican bill that would provide up to nine weeks of paid parental leave paid for by the state.
Cole also doesn't support many of the oil and gas regulation and finance bills making progress. Measures like increasing oil and gas royalty rates and raising civil penalties for violations of the Oil and Gas Act are passing through committees.
A lot of the state's revenue comes from oil and gas, Cole said, and the state needs an all-of-the-above approach to energy, using oil and gas but also solar, wind and nuclear.
"This oil and gas effort that's going on right now is something I just haven't ever seen in this Legislature before," she said. "They are hell-bent on passing excessive punitive bills to hurt the oil and gas industry."
Silverman also brought up efforts pushing for energy-efficiency requirements for developments, something he said would make everything more expensive.
"We're just not going to be able to charge the rents, and we're just going to be in this weird cycle of not being able to build new things — commercial, retail centers, hotels, hospitals," he said.
He's also concerned about developers being discouraged from building multifamily housing units if Senate Bill 186 doesn't pass, which would create a special method to value residential multifamily housing for property taxes.
On the other hand, Silverman said it's looking hopeful that the Legislature will fund more affordable housing projects, which he's excited about.
"We need all the housing solutions we can get, from the most populous cities to the most rural areas," he said. "Housing is a major challenge, and I was happy to see the Legislature started to step up and fund some of these programs."
Editor's note 2/23/25 9:20 a.m.: This article has been corrected to reflect NAIOP's support for Senate Bill 186.