Whether you have business interests or personal interests, being proactive regarding government legislation is imperative for your future. Most of us can't afford to hire a lobbyist to take out concerns to the town council, county commissioners, or the state legislature. Regarding local government bodies, it is usually pretty easy to contact a member of the Town Council or to speak to a County Commissioner, and if the cause is really important, we can usually make a local town council or county commissioner's meeting. However, that isn't always true when it comes to the state legislature. It's expensive to make the trips to Santa Fe. It takes a huge amount of time for travel and time for meeting with key legislators. Luckily, we have a great group of people in Grant County that can help in regards to dealing with elected politicians in Santa Fe. They are the Grant County Prospectors.

Prior to the beginning of the annual legislature, The Prospectors meet with different business executives, groups, government entities and individuals. The meeting allows those individuals a chance to plead their case as to why their legislative interest should become a part of the annual Prospectors Legislative Agenda. This local group has a great reputation with state lawmakers…so the Prospectors Agenda definitely carries some weight. We say thank you to the Grant County Prospectors for being proactive to important local issues that will come before the state legislature.

This is a legislative session that is full of concerns for many people in Grant County.

• Minimum Wages
• Paid Family and Medical Leave
• HB 123/ HB 126 and HB 165 – Expansion of LEDA and JTIP funding
• SB 35 – funding targeted for a campaign to support retirement to New Mexico
• HB 91 – establishing a high-quality career technical education pilot program
• HB 183 - Creation of a registered apprenticeship program for high schools for graduation.
• Various bills that will change gun ownership and seem to infringe on Second Amendment rights.
• A senate bill that will be introduced soon to establish higher tax incentives for film production in rural parts of the state.
• Across the board pay increases for all people working in our state's school districts.
• Legislation pushing for increased costs to mining operations across the state.
• Increase in fuel tax
• Increase in personal tax

There will be over two thousand pieces of legislation filed during the 2019 Legislative Session. It is hard to keep up with each proposed bill. It is good to find a source that helps you track legislation that can be good or bad for business as it is happening. At the Chamber of Commerce office, I utilize the bill tracker provided by New Mexico Association of Commerce and Industry at nmaci.org. The Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce is a member of the New Mexico Association of Commerce and Industry, so I am able to use the NMACI as a support for our issues.

Frankly, there will be huge political changes in New Mexico this year…and I don't mean the elected officials, I mean the legislation that will be passed. You should want to be aware of what those changes mean to your businesses and your lives. This is a year you need to be proactive…because simply being reactive means the process is passing you by.