NMAC News Brief 3/7/2013
ALL AFFILIATES
NEW! NMAC LEGISLATIVE SESSION HIGHLIGHTS
HB 334 (Wooley) increases the cap on salaries for county elected officials,and received a unanimous due pass by the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday night. Will be heard on the House floor Thursday or Friday. Reminder that the bill simply increases the existing cap on salaries for county elected officials, but that implementation is optional for counties, which can choose to authorize, none, some, or all of the increase.
HB373 - HENRC substitute for HB373 retains the intent of the original to change the standards for local government fireworks restrictions and authorize the Forestry Division of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department to ban the sale and use of fireworks under certain conditions. The substitute also requires fireworks vendors to provide safety information.
03/07/2013 H Removed from Speaker's table
03/07/2013 H Placed on House Calendar
03/07/2013 H Opened for floor debate
03/07/2013 H Note: Motion to Table (Rep. Miera) Floor Substitute 1 (Rep. Strickler) Failed (35-35)
03/07/2013 H Floor substitute adopted (Substitute 1) (Rep. James Strickler) 37-33
03/07/2013 H Note: Motion to Roll-over (Rep. Kane) Adopted
HB 505 (MG Garcia) mandatory DFA training for local government elected officials, was substituted in the House Voters and Elections Committee was given a do pass to the House Judiciary Committee. Look for House Voters & Elections committee substitute, which is significantly changed from the original bill, and comment to Tasia Young on that new language ASAP.
HB 521 (Sandoval) as amended, our property tax equity legislation, will be on the House Calendar for third reading Thursday.Clyde Ward has been working hard this week to get numbers from as many counties as possible. Assessors who have not yet gotten back to Clyde on the effect of HB 521, please contact him today! He and Gary Perez and former Legislative Council senior tax drafter Pam Ray will sit with sponsor as expert witnesses today.
HB 561 (Dodge) tax distribution & transfer corrections, also got a do pass to HJC. This is the cities and counties fix for the so-called “negative distribution” by the Taxation & Revenue Department that impacted particularly Santa Rosa and Grant County last summer. The administration’s bill on this issue (Ingle), SB 518 is opposed by NMAC and NMML.
SB479 - SJC substitute for SCONC substitute for SB479 continues the intent of the original bill and the SCONC substitute to provide a new section of law to both the Water Law and the New Mexico Subdivision Act that imposes certain requirements on land developers to prove adequate water supplies before proceeding to final plat approval. The SJC amendment states with greater specificity what proof is required and adds the provision to both water law and subdivision law.
03/07/2013 S Opened for floor debate
03/07/2013 S Floor amendments adopted (Amendment 1) (Sen. Peter Wirth) Voice Vote
03/07/2013 S Passed 35-4
SB27 - SFC substitute for SB27 makes a number of revisions to the original measure. The substitute is a 104-page bill that makes numerous changes in provisions for pension benefits and administration of the Public Employee Retirement Act.
03/07/2013 S Opened for floor debate
03/07/2013 S Floor amendments failed (Amendment 1) (Sen. Michael Sanchez) Roll Call 18-24
03/07/2013 S Passed 38-4
REGISTER NOW! 2013 WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE SUMMIT
Registration for the 2013 Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Summit is now open. The Summit will be held April 3-4 in Taos, New Mexico. The registration is $55.00 through April 2nd and $75.00 for onsite registration.To register, click here
The Sagebrush Inn will serve as the host hotel and is located at 1508 Paseo del Pueblo Sur. Reservations can be made by contacting the hotel directly at 1-800-428-3626 or 575-758-2254. Please mention that you are attending the WUI Summit to receive a single/double rate of $79.00. Room reservations must be made by March 11th to receive this discounted rate. We look forward to seeing you at the WUI Summit!
*****NACo NEWS*****
NEW! NACo LEGISLATIVE NEWS
NACo IMMIGRATION REFORM FACT SHEET
Click on the link to find out more on immigration reform: Support Comprehensive ImmigrationReform
NACo LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE RECAP
March 5, 2013 - Washington, D.C.Early birds were rewarded today with a special visit from first-term Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.), who was the featured speaker at the Women of NACo (WON) Leadership Network breakfast. Lujan Grisham, a former Bernalillo County, N.M. commissioner, urged WON members to be persistent in keeping their Congressional delegation aware of the impact their action or inaction has on their constituents.
NACo members heard from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, U.S. Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.), U.S. Rep Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), assistant House Democratic leader, and Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) at the morning general session. Read More
March 4, 2013 - Washington, D.C.
The conference swung into full gear today with author, Bob Woodward of The Washington Post; Mark Zandi , Moody Analytics s chief economist; Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Attorney General Eric Holder on tap for the Opening General Session. The day also marked the premier of the new NACo video: Why Counties Matter, a key component in the campaign to educate the nation’s communities on the vital importance of county governments in their lives.
Journalist and author Bob Woodward shared his views on Washington through the prism of his 40 years of covering U.S. presidents — ranging from Watergate to last year’s debt-ceiling debates to the current sequestration.
Attorney General Eric Holder used his time during the general session to thank NACo President Chris Rodgers and other county leaders for pursuing smart justice initiatives in their communities. He detailed how many grants the Department of Justice has awarded to county governments for re-entry programs. The sequester will cost the Department of Justice $1.6 billion over seven months with grants to local governments taking a $100 million hit.Read More
SIGN UP NOW! NACo STEERING COMMITTEE VACANCIES
FOR ANY COUNTY MEMBERS
NMAC traditionally requests nominations for the National Association of Counties (NACo) Steering Committees in late spring. This year we have experienced a number of vacancies due to the 2012 election. We would like to encourage both our elected and non-elected county members to consider participating on these important policy making committees. If you are interested in serving on a 2012-2013 NACo steering committee, please contact Joy Esparsen at (505) 338-1173 or for nomination forms.
The nominations are processed through NMAC and will be forwarded to NACo for approval.NMAC will begin soliciting nominations for the 2013-2014 steering committees in May or June. As a NACo steering committee member, you are responsible for debating and creating national policies and priorities affecting counties and serve as NACo’s front line in their grassroots efforts. Committees meet at the NACo legislative and annual conferences and one other time during the year. You will be responsible for your own travel. The eleven committees include:
§ Agriculture and Rural Affairs
§ Community and Economic Development
§ Environment, Energy and Land Use
§ Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs
§ Health
§ Human Services and Education
§ Justice and Public Safety
§ Labor and Employment
§ Public Lands
§ Telecommunications and Technology
§ Transportation
*****NMAC JOB POSTINGS*****
Updated job position openings from counties and the NMAC organization are posted on the NMAC website at the following link: Employment OpportunitiesPlease email any listings to be included on the NMAC website to:
NMAC News Briefs: If you know of anyone in your county or in your office who would like to receive these email briefs, have them email to be added to the distribution list. OR Affiliate Chairs, you may want to pass on information to your affiliate through this email brief.
Calendar of Events, Trainings, and Conferences:
Sat. Mar. 1660-Day Legislative Session Ends, Noon
Mon. Mar. 25-28Better Informed Public Officials (BIPO) TBD, Albuquerque
Fri. April 5Legislation Not Acted Upon by Governor is Pocket Vetoed
Mon. April 8REVISED DATE! NMAC Executive Committee Meeting, Santa Fe, Time TBD
Tues. Apr. 9NEW! Luna County District V meeting, 10:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Wed. Apr. 10NEW! Socorro County District III meeting, 10:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Thurs. Apr. 11NEW! Sandoval County District I meeting, 10:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Tues. Apr. 16LEDAC meeting, Santa Fe, 8:30 a.m.
Wed. Apr. 17Multi-Line Board meeting, Santa Fe, 8:30 a.m.
Thurs. Apr. 18Workers’ Compensation Board meeting, Santa Fe, 8:30 a.m.
Mon. April 22-25Assessors’ Affiliate Spring Meeting, Alamogordo
Tues. Apr. 23NEW! Chaves County District VI meeting, 10:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Wed. Apr. 24NEW! Quay County District IV meeting, 10:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Thurs. Apr. 25NEW! San Miguel County District II meeting, 10:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Thurs. May 2-3NMAC Executive Committee & Board meetings, Guadalupe County
Thurs. May 9Affiliate Officer orientation & Advisory Council Meeting, Clovis, Curry County
Tues. June 18-20NMAC Annual Conference, Clovis, Curry County
National Events:
Tues. Mar. 12NACo Annual Conference Registration Opens
Wed. May 22-24NACo WIR Conference, Flagstaff, AZ
Fri. July 19-22NACo Annual Conference, Fort Worth, TX