NMPolitics.net (https://nmpolitics.net/index/tag/economy/page/47/)
AFSCME- NM Council 18’s Andrew Padilla is worried about the impact Gov. Bill Richardson’s executive order that mandates five-day furloughs for all state workers will have on employees — especially those making less than $25,000 a year. He talked to NMPolitics.net outside the Roundhouse on Thursday. Continue Reading
Gov. Bill Richardson’s action on the budget drew mixed reviews from lawmakers on Thursday. One of the more notable quotes came from Sen. John Arthur Smith, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, who has warned for years that hard times were coming. Continue Reading
Several journalists talked with Sen. John Arthur Smith, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, today after the governor announced the action he’s taking to address the budget crisis. Listen to Smith’s remarks here. Continue Reading
Education Secretary Veronica Garcia says students “probably won’t notice a discernable difference” in their classrooms as a result of the approximately 1 percent cuts to education the governor signed into law today. Continue Reading
NMPolitics.net’s Peter St. Cyr was in Santa Fe today for Gov. Bill Richardson’s news conference about addressing the state’s budget crisis. After the news conference, St. Cyr caught up with Department of Finance and Administration Secretary Katherine Miller. Here’s what she had to say. Continue Reading
UPDATED: Gov. Bill Richardson today smacked down an attempt by lawmakers to force 7.6-percent cuts on state agencies under his control, but announced his own plans to cut at least 84 political appointee jobs, order employees under his control to take five furlough days and trim agency budgets under his control by an average of 7 percent. Continue Reading
Gov. Bill Richardson’s proposal to put an end to double-dipping by government employees in New Mexico — but exempt those who are currently doing it – is “inadequate,” says state Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino, a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor. Continue Reading
The characterization of combined reporting being spread by proponents – that it will eliminate a loophole that permits large, multi-state corporations to shift income earned in New Mexico to other, more tax-friendly states — omits the principal features of combined reporting, misstates the tax liability of local companies and exaggerates the likely state revenue impact of combined reporting. Continue Reading
UPDATED: Gov. Bill Richardson signed today legislation that cuts $110 million from various state funds to help plug this year’s budget shortfall, but he vetoed a provision that would have taken additional money from the state auditor. Continue Reading
Any efforts to balance the budget by compromising environmental protection will only create long-term problems that are prohibitively expensive, or impossible, to fix. Once an aquifer is contaminated by toxic waste, for example, it can rarely be reclaimed. Continue Reading
Between now and the regular session, I hope New Mexico’s political class will dispense with the increasingly boring potshots and posturing and do what’s in the best interest of New Mexicans: Work together to find a solution to our towering state fiscal crisis. Continue Reading
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish says she wants the state to eliminate “lucrative loopholes for double-dippers” — state employees who are rehired after retiring and receive both a state salary and a pension. Click on the headline to listen to her remarks. Continue Reading
After facing what amounted to a funding cut of 14 percent earlier this year, state Auditor Hector Balderas’ office says it may not be able to do its job if it loses additional funds the Legislature voted to take in the recent special session. Continue Reading
Everyone, from state workers to educational employees to millionaires to out-of-state corporate giants, needs to realize we’re in a genuine crisis. Sacrifice is going to be needed from everyone, but if we’re smart about how we cut, we can preserve many of the public safety, health and educational gains over the last seven years. Continue Reading
The vast majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said Gov. Bill Richardson should not veto a provision in a budget-fix bill that requires cuts to the salaries and benefits of some of his political appointees. Continue Reading