581 Recap of the 2024 New Mexico Legislative Session

Recapping some of the big issues/votes of the session:

Paid Leave (SB 3) narrowly fails on House Floor after having gone through the Senate.

The final tax bill has some small income tax rate reductions but doesn't do much: https://errorsofenchantment.com/taxes-and-spending-in-the-2024-session/

Worse, there are capital gains and corporate income tax hikes in the bill. 

There WAS an interesting vote in the House that would have used the surplus effectively for economic growth but it failed: https://errorsofenchantment.com/attempt-to-return-more-of-surplus-to-new-mexicans-fails-on-party-line-vote/

There was an interesting vote in the Senate as well on simply indexing the tax to inflation: https://errorsofenchantment.com/nm-senators-go-on-the-record-on-indexing-social-security-tax-to-inflation/

Thankfully none of the alcohol taxes passed. 

The Budget DOES include a prohibition on MLG's attempt to force districts to have 5 day school weeks, but she could line item veto that. 

Clean Fuel Standard DID pass (unfortunately) with the NM Environment Department advertising: https://errorsofenchantment.com/nm-environment-department-advertises-in-support-of-legislation-currently-before-legislature/

Folks can find out how their legislators voted on the issues using our Freedom Index: https://riograndefoundation.org/freedom-index/#/

Paul and his daughter had a chance to meet Riley Gaines at the Legislature.