Santa Fe, NM — Today, House Bill 11 advanced in Senate Tax, Business, and Transportation Committee. HB 11 has endured immense scrutiny from the public, local small business owners, and industry leaders throughout the state. It mandates the largest tax increase in state history and will add significant costs to a majority of employees and business owners across New Mexico.

This bill was strongly opposed by the Republican members to no avail; by a vote of (6-4) Paid Family Medical Leave passed and now awaits a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee.

Senate Republican Leader Bill Sharer issued the following statement:

"Paid Family Medical Leave will devastatingly damage every small business in New Mexico. Employees, many of whom will receive zero benefits from this, will be forced to pay an additional and crippling tax from their paychecks and pay additional income taxes if they use it. This is yet another example of radical democrat policy that has devastating impacts on businesses and employees; clearly the legislators promoting this have never run a serious business or been responsible for taking care of employees."

Senator Joshua A. Sanchez (R- Bosque), the ranking Republican member on Senate Tax, Business, and Transportation Committee, issued the following statement:

"This is why businesses don't come here. As a small business owner, this just makes no sense. It won't and can't work. In places where policies like this have been tried, the state had to immediately come in and increase funding, with taxpayer dollars, in order to keep this solvent. From a business owner standpoint, this is going to raise my costs substantially which will ultimately get paid for by consumers. I am even more concerned for my employees who already work so hard for their paychecks, to have yet another unnecessary cost piled on top of them."